Natural touches

Bringing nature inside

By Timmi Aplin-Barrett

The summer months in New Zealand are often heralded by spending more time outside and encouraging the indoors out. However, bringing some of the outdoors in adds a bit of flare to your home.

Houseplants bring a pop of green and life to a room.

Even if the weather means you can’t get outside, you can still feel in touch with nature and the great outdoors.

Furniture is a great way to incorporate the outside to your living spaces. For example, utilising wood-based furniture can bring a sense of nature into sometimes bland spaces.

Cushions, rugs and throws in more earthy tones can also set the mood and create an incredibly homely aesthetic.

Another way to bring the outside in is to start introducing plants, both living and preserved. Drying plant matter such as leaves and flowers and then placing them around your home.

Air drying flowers is a simple and easy way to add a pop of colour and life to a room, whether you hang them, place them in a vase or use them in potpourri.

How to air-dry flowers

1. Gather your flowers. You’ll want sturdy flowers that retain their petals. Collect plenty of flowers as you may lose some during the process.

2. Strip your flowers. Remove any excess foliage and separate the flowers by type. Large flowers should be dried individually.

3. Tie the stems together. You can fasten them with a rubber band. Remember that the stems will shrink as they dry out so keep an eye on them.

4. Hang the flowers. They need to be hung upside down in the open air. You can use just about anything to hang them from.

5. Be patient. The drying process can take anywhere from two to four weeks but may take longer if your bundle of flowers is bigger. You’ll know when they’re dry and ready to use when the petals are crisp. You can use this method to dry bunches of herbs as well. Herbs such as rosemary and oregano look lovely dried and hung in a place such as your kitchen. They offer a real sense of cottage core and earthiness.

Live plants can also aid in bringing the outside in but, of course, these require ongoing maintenance and care.

Keeping flowers and plant cuttings is another great way to bring life into a room but remember, these will eventually die and look less than appealing so, you need to keep an eye on them.

Art and décor goes a long way to bringing a natural element to your home. Consider pieces of art that incorporate botanical drawings for a classy, natural feel.

When framing pieces of art, use wood-based colours, textures and materials to really incorporate the New Zealand outdoors.

Lighting also plays a big part in the aesthetic of a home. If you’re going for more of a comforting, outdoors atmosphere, considering using lightbulbs with a more orange/yellow glow rather than a stark, white colour.

Orange and yellow colours better convey sunshine and cosiness, whereas white bulbs often create a sense of sterility in a space.

Utilise your windows – this can really bring the outdoors in visually. Floor to ceiling windows really help here but any window with a decent view outside can be used.

Make sure to frame this space, so it’s an attention-drawing area. Consider placing a piece of furniture near this window, so people are more likely to be in and around the space.

Try to keep the walls around this particular window free from clutter, so the eye is drawn to the view outside.