Wild about your home
Interiors expert VICTORIA HARRISON says using natural colours and materials can help you feel closer to nature, even when you’re indoors
NATURE can lift our spirits, and time outdoors is undeniably good for our wellbeing. But why does all that have to end when we come inside?
It doesn’t, insists stylist and interiors expert Victoria Harrison, who’s written the book Rewild Your Home to explain how to introduce nature into your house.
She says: “Rewilding your home simply means living in tune with the seasons, noticing the small changes outside your window and bringing elements of this into your home.”
Victoria shares six quick ideas to help create a wilder home...
Use a natural colour palette
“Choose colours that reflect the landscape directly outside your window for the biggest impact. In a coastal area, this might mean cool greys, whites, silvers and blues.
“While in a woodland or inland area, you could use warm neutrals, deep greens and soft creams.”
Try using the same colour palette throughout your home for a cohesive effect, says Victoria, but vary the percentages of each colour in each room for variety.
“For example, with a coastal colour palette of blues and whites with accents of silver and sand, you could use more of the lighter tones in the rooms you use in the mornings, addthe darker shades as accents. Then flip the balance in rooms you use in the evening, with a higher percentage of the darker tones, just bringing in small accents of the paler shades.”
Make a natural room fragrance
Victoria suggests a quick and fun way to bring seasonal scent into your home is to make a stovetop potpourri.
“Chop seasonal fruits, herbs and spices, and gently bring to the boil in a pan of water. Keep it simmering to release the fragrance.
“In spring and summer, use refreshing scents like lemon, mint and rosemary. In the cooler months, choose warming herbs like cinnamon, ginger and star anise.”
Green up your view
“If your windows overlook a garden, bring plant pots and greenery up to the outside of the window where possible,” she says, “and consider your garden as an extension of your home, rather than two separate spaces.
“If you don’t have a garden, add window boxes to the outside of your window frames and fill them with pollinator-friendly plants, to bring colour and wildlife closer.
“You can also frame your view by placing indoor plants next to windows or doors. This will help blur the boundary between indoors and out.”
Reflect the sun
Drawing more natural light into your home is another way to bring the outing side in. Positioning furniture close to windows and keeping windowsills clear can maximise any available light. You can also reflect light by using light paint colours near windows and light sources.
Placing mirrors or mirrored furniture opposite windows can also bounce more natural light into a room, while reflective mobiles near a light source will catch natural light and sprinkle it around. Try a string of faceted glass droplets near a window, to refract the sun, and cast playful reflections and patterns.
Celebrate wild shapes
“Nature has a way of softening and curving any hard edges,” says Victoria. “Bringing these organic curves and soft shapes into your home is a quick and easy way to forge a link to the outside. Choose furniture with curved edges, add circular mirrors or round rugs and cushions. Look for furniture with a wobbly or an edge that has been left as it was found naturally and celebrate the handmade.”
Choose natural materials
Reducing the use of plastics and man-made materials in your home, and using natural fibres and materials instead, can help to create a healthy home environment.
“As well as wood, other natural materials such as rattan, wicker or bamboo will also help connect your home with the natural world outside.
“When it comes to textiles, look for wool, jute, sisal, seagrass or linen, all of which will bring a lovely layer of texture and natural colour.”
■ Rewild Your Home by Victoria Harrison is published by Quadrille, priced £18