Let Nature Nurture Your Interior Design
by GRACE HIRDES
If you’re looking for an inexpensive, natural way to add some seasonal decor to your home, all you have to do is step outside your front door. This may sound all too simple, but don’t be deceived. There’s also more to decorating than simply gathering some twigs and popping them in a vase. There’s a delicate balance between simple fall decorations and barnyard explosion.
Here are some ways you can incorporate nature into your fall and winter decor this year, plus tips on how to make them come together seamlessly.
- Leaves. While Florida doesn’t have the beautiful changing colors on our trees, there are still some gorgeous leaves to be found outdoors this fall. This is, by far, the easiest way to decorate your room. Collect your assortment of leaves and stick them in a vase on any coffee table, side table, end table, or entry table and you have an instant natural fall decor.
- Pine cones. This is also a very simple decoration, and it’s one your kids can even participate in. Take them on a nature walk and collect some pine cones. Then take them home and get to decorating. There are a million ways to decorate them whether it’s with glitter, paint, or leaving them completely natural. You can then place them in a bowl or use thread to tie upside-down pine cones to a clean white ribbon and string it across your fireplace or doorway.
- Dried corn. The speckled colors of Indian corn are a colorful yet simple way to bring nature inside. You can stack them in a basket or string them on a wire with some burlap for garland.
- Fruit. Apples, oranges, and berries are in abundance this time of year, and they are a fantastic way to bring nature inside. Scope out your local farmers market and pick up some fruit as well as unusual varieties of carrots, beans, and heirloom tomatoes in oranges, reds, purples, greens, and yellows. Leave them out in fruit bowls until you start to get hungry—they’re too pretty to hide away. You can also get creative and assemble your own combination of fruit, leaves, and twigs on your mantle.
- Birch logs. While birch doesn’t smell as nice as pine, it is really beautiful. Try cutting it up into similar heights no larger than 12 inches. You can either stand them up on end and drape them with a garland or cut out divots in the logs and use it to hold candles or other fall decorations.
- Long, skinny branches. Try adding three study branches one under the other on a wall to use as shelves. You can add some garland, fake moss, or leaves to decorate the branches or leave them as is.
- Grain stalks. Adding some grain stalks or thick stalks of oat grass to a large vase can add a gorgeous touch to any decorations. I’ve had the best luck finding these on the side of a country road.
- Pumpkin. Nothing says fall quite like the classic pumpkin. We love the pop of color it adds to any room, but it’s time to think outside the box. Try hollowing out a pumpkin and using it as a vase to hold flowers or you could even put dirt in it and use it to plant your inside herbs. Or if you’re tired of the plain orange pumpkin try a fun-shaped, multicolored squash or dried decorative cobs of purple maize.
- Leaves as a wreath. Pinterest has hundreds of different ideas for DIY wreaths made from leaves, twigs, pine cones, etc. My favorite design uses all three mentioned above with the pine cones coated in glitter. It adds a nice sparkle to all-natural decor.
No matter what part of nature you decide to use in your decoration this year, be sure to sit back, relax, and enjoy it after it’s all hung up, set out, or carved. You can even make yourself a nice cup of hot tea or a pumpkin-flavored drink to enjoy while you watch. Nature truly is beautiful.