Bring nature inside.... learn about how contemporary interior design is inspired by nature. Ideas to get the look in your own home....
I have put together some mood boards and ideas on a contemporary interior design scheme inspired by Nature.
This is a modern look, bold and striking, but with a relaxing feel, due to the natural themes and color palette.
This look makes the most of:
natural color schemes, mainly in greens and browns
natural materials - woods, wicker etc
natural themes - leaves, foliage and flowers
The overall look is a modern, clean room, with a fresh and funky feel. The ideal scheme looking towards spring, summer and early autumn...
The Colors
Getting the colors right is probably the most important part of this look. The natural feel is stimulated by the use of natural themes in the colors.
You can go for a muted and calming palette, of soft greens, beiges and browns, mixed together...
...or a more striking and 'fresh' feel with brighter tones and a very modern 'zingy' lime green (an excellent choice in all the best contemporary decorating schemes, these days...)
Mix these with neutrals and browns (as above) or bright whites (for a fresh feel) or soft creams (for a softer, calmer feel).
Although this is the ideal look to bring the outdoors in, so is an excellent choice for these lovely long Spring and Summer days, you can also adapt the look for the cooler days of Autumn and Winter by adding warm tones, such as these complementary orange tones, which will warm your whole look up, as well as looking beautifully striking!
The Furniture
This is essentially a modern look, so keep your furniture simple and stylish.
Sleek, simple lines are best in a wood finish. Dark woods or paler woods will all go equally well in this look, but which you choose may depend on whether you want quite a bold, striking look (darker) or a paler, lighter feel (mid tones and lighter woods).
You could even mix the different wood tones together if you wished, but take care not to overdo it, and just keep to a couple of different wood tones to keep the look as harmonious as possible.
Other natural materials will look great in this contemporary decorating scheme - I'm thinking bamboos, wicker, hessian, jute etc.
Simple white (or neutral shades) modern furniture should look equally good with this scheme, and give a funky, fresh modern feel to your room.
Patterns
Patterns are an essential part of this contemporary decorating look. You don't need to overdo it though! Here, patterns will work best used as an accent to set off the clean, fresh feel of the rest of the room.
Take your inspiration from nature, looking at representations of leaves and foliage or flowers.
A modern interpretation in a bold, striking style often works well with this look, to get the fresh modern feel that underpins this style.
Flooring
For flooring, of course, something natural (or natural looking) is definitely the way to go!
Wood flooring has got to be the obvious choice, but also look at other alternatives, such as neutral tones in carpets, tiles or vinyl flooring.
Other natural alternatives such as wood, bamboo, jute etc can also be considered.
Accessories
With such a modern, simple look, accessories will probably kept to a minimum. But this doesn't mean you need to do without!
Try to choose you accessories with a natural theme in mind - this could be a natural material, such as wood, or stone, or a natural subject matter - think depictions of leaves, flowers, trees etc.
Try and keep to the natural color palette, for the most effective look that blends well with your theme as a whole.
Look out for pictures and art, sculptures, cushions, throws, mirrors, lamps etc..
Don't forget to bring the outdoors in with your accessories too - include plants, and truly 'natural' accessories such as collected pine cones, pebbles, shells, feathers etc, artfully displayed.
Look out for some great natural accessories on eBay:
This is a live fee from eBay and is constantly updated. Just click on a product for more information, or to bid or buy.
Happy Shopping
Going Eco-Friendly
This naturally inspired contemporary decorating look is a good way to get into eco-friendly interior design in your home. Much eco-friendly design makes the most of our most abundant natural materials to create well-designed and beautiful pieces of furniture, art and design.
