Weed out the uninspiring aspects of your interior and give your home a WILD boost! Inviting the outside in is easier than you think. With a few additions to your home, you’ll easily invigorate your living spaces into beautifully flourishing, botanical interiors.
Fancy intertwining some elements of nature into your interior? Keep reading…
Botanical interiors tend to mean using plants or nature-inspired pieces in your home to ‘bring the outdoors in’. Of course, there are plenty of ways you can add a dose of flora and fauna into your rooms; be it exotic wall coverings, a natural palette of tones, motifs of tropical or traditional wilderness. Often combined with wooden textures and rattan or wicker elements, the botanical interiors look works perfectly within crisp, white environments – They serve as a really reliable base to build upon. But then, we all know how much I love the minimalist monochrome look…
This look certainly provides an effortless way to reconnect with nature. With topics of sustainability and an urge to ‘unplug from the modern world’ only ever gathering momentum these days, this interior look is one I think you’ll love to discover…
Will you instil some serenity into your home or a dash of wild escapism?! Either way, let’s peruse how you can bring nature indoors, and cultivate your own horticultural, botanical interiors…
Let It Grow
Nothing beats the real thing…
Both great for our health and aesthetically pleasing, real plants are the obvious boost here in your quest for a nature-inspired interior. They’re extremely ‘insta-worthy’ (whatever that means these days!) and, more importantly, tick the all-important wellbeing box too with a sense of achievement & pride when you see a new bud appear or an unfurling fern.
Your go-to website ought to be Patch Plants where each potted personality bears a human name, building that ‘I will TRY and care for you’ bond from the get go – Maybe your plants will at least stand a chance against your forgetfulness for watering or a feud with your mischievous pet cat.
Be sure to check out the offerings of Canopy Plants and Beards & Daisies too as their websites and plants are both fantastic!
One of my absolute favourite potted plans is the Calathea Ornata – Pretty pink pinstripes line its leaves! It’s nicknamed the prayer plant as the leaves fold up overnight as though it’s in prayer position. Something about this plant must have been super inviting to one of our cats, Finn. He absolutely shredded it to pieces! As you can tell, I still haven’t gotten over it.
If you can’t keep plants alive (or they lose the battle against your pets too), fear not – You can always aim for some faux foliage or get those green fingers in action otherwise with the hints that follow for your very best ‘go’ at the botanical interiors trend…
Wallflowers
(Flowers For Your Walls)
Tapestries and murals can look really cool in a botanical interior, but really any sort of wall-adornment will amplify your personality in the space! Botanical wall art often reminds me of a Parisian exhibition hall. Adorn your walls and let the triffids climb.
For photography posters, try the creations of German photographer Karl Blossfeldt for his 1929 monochrome, graphic close-ups entitled ‘Urformen der Kunst’, or discover the work of Michigan’s Laurie Tennent if you prefer an intimate peek of colour. For wall art on a budget, you can still nail the effect with the ‘old faithful’ and ever-popular poster sites, Desenio and Juniqe.
Have you thought about adding some framed illustrations or postcards? Find an artist you like the work of and check through their online portfolios and e-shops to see if there are any suitable pieces which would add love to your walls. My top tip is to keep your peepers peeled for up and coming creators on your own Instagram Explore page!
Here are a few of artists and their botanical creations that I’m really loving right now…
- Local Essex artist, Lucy Tiffney’s absolutely stunning online shop: Click here,
- I just LOVE the illustrations of Liverpool-based, Rachel Victoria Hillis. Her designs focus on nature and wellbeing which you’ll know is right up my street. You can get your hands on one of my fav’s here thanks to Monday.
- Alexia Claire’s beautifully varied wildflower and nature illustrations: Click here.
- A contemporary take on the botanical artwork theme from The Print Florist: You can also have them personalised if you click here.
- The wonderful creations from Gillian Arnold! Click here to discover fabrics, lamps, armchairs and more.
- The birthflower mandala print from Lottie Maddison of Floss & Co. – Which one is your birthflower?!
Interior Injectors
For a super quick and easily maintained update, choose a mixture of cushions with botanical patterns – You might find they work best on a plain sofa of neutral tones. It’s worth checking out the likes of Terrain and Maisons du Monde. Oliver Bonas can also be a fantastic place to look for jewel-tone elements to add into your botanical interiors for a bit of depth! For soft furnishings, you could start off by aiming for tropical foliage printed on colour cotton. Bedspreads are great for eliminating a chill, but also for adding a pop of colour to an otherwise fairly muted botanical interior – Especially in a rental or student property! On a budget, Homesense will be your absolute best friend.
Channel your inner Blathers (the Animal Crossing Museum Curator!) and collect your own display of wild curiosities. Make like a magpie for all things botanical and curate your own display of natural objects you love. Be careful not to gather too many odd bits and bobs here and then as that can swiftly become cluttered and messy. Steer for different height and textures amongst your collection and always bear the tone in mind – A palette of greens, creams and earthy tones should do the trick! Play around with wooden photo frames or trinket dishes with nature-inspired engravings – Perfect for instilling some botanical feelings to your mantelpiece or windowsill. If you fancy spending some time scrolling through dreamy trinkets and quirky statement pieces for your botanical interiors, you’ll want to browse Anthropologie’s homeware section and Rose & Grey.
Tonal Touches
You might remember allllll the way back in 2017, Pantone announced Greenery as their Colour of the Year? Well, I feel like the interiors world has learnt to embrace green tones all the more since then – Much to my delight!
I’d steer for some different shades of the same green tone for a coherent interior look but feel free to explore the more vibrant limes and punchy tastes if you prefer some boldness! For a serene and calming feel, you could try some pale, pastel greens but don’t forget the texture to keep it from feeling washed-out.
Check out the following links to find your dream shades:
- Farrow & Ball’s offerings make for very aesthetically-pleasing scroll time! They also have a fantastic range currently in partnership with the Natural History Museum. Of their latest collection, Verdigris Green is just my absolute favourite shade of green… It’s also super similar to one of my favourite colours to wear onmy nails!
- I present to you, the ridiculously lovely designs of Pickleson Paint Co.
- A new player has entered the game! Lick Home also have a fab range of paint you ought to check out. The growing company launched the day we went into lockdown in the UK… Thank goodness 2020 seems to be a prosperous year for some, eh!
I’m especially a fan of their shade Green 08:
Whilst this is quite a popular trend amongst the modern design scene, botanical interiors and all things natural has been covered over and over again in all the big publications for decades. As with any trend, it develops and adapts each time a new mag feature or online publication writes another ‘how to’ guide. I personally feel like the botanical interior look especially is reimagined each time, with tweaks and ideas cropping up for so many different interpretations – You might see Ideal Home mag give it a tropical, vibrant spin and the likes of House & Garden opt for a more traditional, horticultural angle. As for within your own home, I’d say you ought to find which elements you personally like and connect to, and then figure out which ideas to implement to achieve the ‘botanical interior’ feel that you’re after!
Don’t stress if this interior look wasn’t for you, check out some of my other design posts or perhaps this timeless trend is more your sort of thing?
Hopefully though, this post has got you feeling ready for all things botanical! You could even forage for some naturally-occurring flora and fauna whilst out on your next wild walk (be sure to check what you’re picking before you even think about it though). And if you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to fully-submerge into a tropical world, check out this post where I dined inside a Mediterranean biome at Cornwall’s Eden Project! I still day dream about it…
Has all this foliage and frond fun has got you dreaming of sunnier shores and tropical climates? Don’t forget you can still explore the world from your armchair.
Are you tempted to try the botanical interior trend in your home? Let me know how you get on!
Leave a Reply