Decorating with Natural Materials for a Beautiful Home

Here's a guest article about decorating with natural materials to improve the look of your home.

We all know of people whose homes are both beautiful and simple because of the addition of found items from nature, artfully arranged. Wood, stones and shells can all be pressed into service, as can all kinds of seed pods and cones.

French farmhouses are often very simply decorated with plain white interiors. They are often very beautiful just because they are full of the most amazing flowers and natural objects.

Yet it is so easy to forget about all this when it comes to decorating our own homes. So, resist the desire to scour the nearest mall for some imported baubles and get inspired by nature!

Here are some simple, do-able ideas from Jessica of Walldecorandhomeaccents.com

Picture: A piece of driftwood which looks like a flying spirit

Home decorating with natural materials

Decorating with natural materials gathered outdoors can be a nice way of adding style to your home that is in tune with Mother Nature. Whether you gather items such as pine cones and rocks, or grow flowers, plants and herbs specifically for decorating purposes, decorating with natural materials will make your home beautiful without resorting to manufactured items.

Growing plants and flowers

One of the first things people think of when considering decorating with natural materials is flowers and plants.

Growing houseplants can be a wonderful way of adding style and life to your home. Living plants have a way of brightening up your home's decor in a way that other kinds of decorating accessories just can't match.

Picture: Home grown flowers have lots of fresh appeal

Always keep the growing needs of the plant in mind when choosing houseplants for your home. There are plants that need full sunlight, others that thrive in shade, and others that need a mix of sun and shade throughout the day. Plants also vary in regards to their temperature and humidity needs.

By choosing plants that are a good match for your home's environment, you will have a better chance of growing beautiful, lush houseplants.

To add color, choose plants that have interesting colored leaves or plants that bloom during at least part of the year.

If you don't choose to grow plants in your home, you can also decorate with fresh cut flowers from your own flower gardens, or gather wildflowers from areas that allow the cutting of these beautiful plants. Be careful when gathering wildflowers so that you don't accidentally gather any plants that are poisonous or irritating to people or animals. Also, never gather flowers or other plant materials from restricted areas.

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Decorating with gathered natural materials

In addition to living plants and flowers, gathered natural materials can also be used quite effectively when decorating your home. If you have pine trees in your yard, gather the pine cones and display in a basket, or use a natural grapevine wreath as a base to create a beautiful pine cone wreath.

A handful of smooth river rocks would look great displayed on a shelf, or add them to the bottom of a clear glass vase to hold flower stems securely. Sea shells that wash up on the beach can also be used fordecorating materials, either displayed individually or in a glass container.

In the fall, gather a few dried seed pods or dry some flowers or herbs from your garden to use in dried flower displays. As always, be sure to never pick or gather any natural materials from areas that are restricted. Even in areas that don't have restrictions, only gather a few of any given item, so as not to disrupt the balance of nature. After all, those pine cones that look so beautiful a basket or the seed pods that look lovely in a vase also provide food for the outdoor wildlife.

When bringing natural materials into your home, check them carefully for insects or other pests, and heat them in the oven at a low temperature if necessary to ensure that they are pest-free.

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Jessica Ackerman from WallDecorandHomeAccents.com generously shares everything she knows about metal tree wall sculpture and iron wall grille.

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