Incorporate natural elements into your décor year round

An interior stylist outlines how to seamlessly transition your décor from season to season using organic elements.

Some turn to nature for relaxation and reflection, some for recreation.

But how often do you see

the branches of a pine tree or the vibrant hues of lavender stalks as potential décor?

Interior stylist and photographer Marie Masureel writes in her new book, Living with Nature: Decorating with the Rhythms of the Seasons, that drawing from raw elements in the natural world can generate a ravishing but inexpensive and grounding interior design. “Nature is usually my mood board,” she writes. “It inspires me much more than any particular trend or fashion.”

Here are some of Marie’s tips for incorporating natural elements into your interior design all year.

CYCLICAL STYLING

Whether you adjust your décor once a month or only twice a year, cycling your design keeps you inspired and refreshes your rooms without forcing you to buy new pieces, Marie says.

Plus, if you have even just two design schemes, you’ll feel like a kid on Christmas morning when you unpack those seasonal dish towels, candle holders and throw pillows that have been hibernating for six months in the attic.

“Often, you get back that same feeling of love at first sight as when you first bought them,” Marie writes. “In this way, you rediscover your own things and appreciate what you already have, and your interior remains lively.”

STYLING WITH FOOD

Decorate with vegetables throughout the year, but stay in tune with seasonal tones. Marie suggests displaying black radishes and figs in colder months to complement the dark and moody winter, and sprinkling “forest finds,” like acorns or pumpkins, in a bowl for easy fall ornamentation.

Store seasonal fruits in a woven basket on the counter or stick berryfilled branches in a vase for an intriguing display. “You don’t have to be a good cook to make a tasty setting,” Marie writes.

NATURAL POPS OF COLOR

Marie says the best way to design a space is to start with a neutral basis and then use styling to enrich the space, evoke atmosphere and save money. Incorporating a season’s natural accent colors doesn’t have to annihilate your budget, Marie says.

Incorporating a season’s natural accent colors doesn’t

your budget.

have to annihilate

Candles, flowers, multicolored ceramics and decorative pillows are less expensive and easier to switch in and out than sectionals and credenzas, and the smaller elements can effortlessly transform a room from season to season. “You have simply to immerse the accessories in a certain color scheme to create a totally different atmosphere in the room,” she says.

Living with Nature: Decorating with the Rhythms of the Seasons by Marie Masureel, published by Rizzoli, © 2020; rizzoliusa.com.

When in doubt, add more greens. This beautiful tablescape combines weathered wood, sprawling ivy and flickering candles to keep guests immersed in nature while enjoying late summer weather.

|BOTTOM RIGHT| Dark, bountiful bedding helps you replicate the practice of hibernation. While humans only “hibernate” overnight, we’re still part of nature. Marie says layers of pillows, bedspreads and blankets form a snug cocoon to sink into after a long day.

|TOP RIGHT| Tying in a beautiful array of purple candles with the natural fuchsia hues found in freshly dug red onions completes this kitchen’s colorful accents. Branches from a walk through a nearby forest paired with sturdy wooden cutting boards exude a rustic, grounded aura.

|TOP LEFT| White reflects light and creates an airy, open atmosphere, while the kitchen island’s grainy and cracking wood is a reminder of the natural world. The two elements combine to create a style rooted in minimalism.