Bringing the benefits of nature into your home

Thanks to lockdowns and Government restrictions, many of us have discovered a new-found appreciation for the great outdoors. Our local parks and gardens became our refuge; a retreat, a space to listen to the wind rustle through the trees and to enjoy the blissful peace that nature brings.

Our love of the great outdoors, while confined to our homes, connected us to nature like never before. So, it’s no surprise that according to Pinterest, searches for green interiors have increased by 80% in 2022 and online retailer, Etsy, has chosen emerald as its colour of the year.

Whether you’re looking to incorporate forest shades or a jungle pattern into your decor, or introduce raw materials into your home’s furnishings, we’ve put together a list of ideas of how you can breathe new green life into your home.

Feel serene in green

Looking for some day-to-day inspiration? Ideal Homes magazine said the colour green can create a sense of calm and stimulate creativity, making it an ideal shade for your office or craft room.

There’s no need to decorate all your walls, though - the boldness of this theme often means that the smallest changes can have a huge impact. Consider creating a feature wall in the popular ‘British Racing Green’ shade or applying jungle print wallpaper to your chosen walls. Or, if you’re only wanting a splash of green to slowly introduce it into your space, use a ‘sticker’ template to apply sporadic bold leaves to a neutral wall, or have a forest-themed mood board to inspire those ideas at work.

If you have any of your botanical-inspired wallpaper left, take some off-cuts and simply create a wall-hanging canvas by  slotting them into an empty picture frame to be hung from neutral walls around your home or use it to upcycle a bookshelf. Not only is this a cost-effective way to furnish your rooms, the subtle pops of green will ensure every room feels fresh.

Create a garden room

Nothing says ‘I’m at one with nature’ more than wall-to-wall houseplants. You can have them hanging from the ceiling and shelves, sprawling down from the tops of cupboards or gathered around a fireplace to bring green joy to the soul. We love these indoor wall planters.

Having greenery around you, whether it’s small cacti or tall standing palms, can make you feel happier and more relaxed, and including plants of all sizes and shapes can really bring a simple room to life. Just ensure you buy the right plants for the space you have taking into consideration the location of the light sources and keeping certain plants away from drafts - just remember to water the plants!

Or, if you’re not the most green-fingered, then there are plenty of life-like artificial plants on the market too and your guests won’t know the difference.

Green accessories

You don’t have to go bold with colour or turn your home into a garden centre to bring the feeling of nature indoors. Instead, you can subtly introduce some colour into your home by thinking about your accessories - from soft furnishings like cushions and throws, green or jute rugs, to enhance that jungle atmosphere, to ‘ornaments’ like succulent terrariums, vases and prints.

Or why not consider incorporating in natural materials for your accessories like rattan or wicker furniture, a rocking chair made from eucalyptus wood or a bamboo screen to create a more peaceful vibe to another part of the home and close yourself off for some quiet time.

Best of all, these can be easily swapped out to match the seasons or each time you’d like to try out a new theme, so there’s no need to keep enduring those costly makeovers when your mood changes.

If you’ve got any tips or tricks to get your home feeling green, share them with us on our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram channels.