10 Creative Ways to Use Nature in Your Home (2024)

Decorating

Styles

Lifestyle

Go to the dark side
Dark paint can make a lovely backdrop for a nature display. Here, a console table has been used as a home for a vase of bright magenta flowers, a pot of ferns and a small glass of white flowers. The grey panelled wall behind helps the flowers and plants stand out, and gives the room a dramatic, rather than dainty, look.

Enjoy the view
Sometimes the best way to invite nature into your home is simply through a window. If you are lucky to have a nice view, or a pretty back garden that’s uplifting to gaze out at, don’t block it off. Invite it into your home and leave windows bare of dressings. If you’re planning building works, factor views in when designing and shopping for windows. And design gardens so they can be enjoyed from inside your house, too, which is something that can often be forgotten when we arrange our borders and beds.

Change with the seasons
The turning leaves are spectacular at this time of year: beautiful burnt oranges, ochre yellows and earthy browns. So why not create a lovely autumn display? Here, they’ve arranged a couple of sprigs in two glass jars, with some chestnuts at the bottom to weigh them down. Remember, your nature display doesn’t have to be permanent – in fact, one of the joys of bringing nature into your home is how it helps you to be more in touch with the changing seasons. Replace autumn leaves with holly sprigs in winter and daffodils in the spring.

Prop up some winter branches
Is there anything more magical than a wintry forest scene? This display of silver birch twigs brings to mind Christmas cards, Robert Frost poems and the simple beauty of our British woodland. Remember to either buy branches from a sustainable source, or collect ones that have already fallen to the ground. Always check with landowners that it’s OK to take them. You may also be able to apply for a permit from the Forestry Commission, so you can legally collect wood from public forest land. Check with your local office.

Use your seashells
If you have a collection of seashells, don’t leave them tucked away in drawers. Instead, use them for a charming shelf display. The textures and colours of these organic forms work well with wood or earthenware pottery, so bring them together as they’ve done here with the wood panelling.

Keep it simple
Your nature display doesn’t have to be fussy or showy, or involve a big and expensive bouquet – a single sprig in a vase can completely change the feel of a room. If you have a garden, get into the habit of collecting blooms and evergreen cuttings – it will be much cheaper than going to a florist, but is often just as lovely. Crucially, your cuttings don’t just have to be taken in the summer or spring, or involve flowers. Arrange them on bedside tables to give yourself a little natural cheer when you wake up in the mornings.

Play with driftwood
Driftwood has a beautiful bleached, natural look that can work even if your house isn’t by the sea. Look out for interesting organic forms that have been washed up when you’re on the beach, then think of creative ways to display them – in a basket, on a mantelpiece. Also look out for artworks, furniture and home accessories made from driftwood, like this mirror frame, or have a go at making something similar yourself.