One of homeowners’ all-time favorite design choices is to “bring the outside in.” Adding natural elements to your home’s interiors is an excellent way to elevate your home design – and in Florida, this concept can be reflected in all sorts of ways. Kitchens often have aquarium windows looking out into the garden or pool area or walls of sliding glass doors to show off the lake out back. Natural light can significantly transform the ambiance of a space, and here in Sarasota, we have plenty of sunlight to pull it off! Bringing nature’s aesthetics inside our walls introduces an organic and serene feeling to our homes. In addition to light, natural stone, brick, seagrass, and plants are all design elements easily integrated. All styles of home interiors can benefit from more natural features.
“Nature employs the mind without fatigue and yet enlivens it. Tranquilizes it and enlivens it. And thus, through the influences of the mind over body, gives the effect of refreshing rest and reinvigoration to the whole system.” – Frederick Law Olmstead
We are just beginning to understand the benefits of natural sights and sounds in our living spaces. Here are some easy ways to incorporate these elements into your home.
Ways to Use Stones: Brick and stone can be used in expansive, dramatic ways or implemented as an accent detail that makes just enough of a statement to be noticed. You can choose to install a flagstone or slate accent wall or add stone only to your backsplash. Use for kitchen countertops, or install a gorgeous stone floor. The stone works in contemporary and traditional kitchens and can be incorporated into industrial and farmhouse designs. But best of all, stone provides a natural look that invokes nature and elements from the earth itself.
Wood Never Goes Out of Style: Wood is one of the most popular ways to integrate natural design elements into your home. Wood can be utilized for many kitchen components, from cabinets to seating, flooring, decorative accents, and furniture. Recently a more rustic wood aesthetic has come back into style, sometimes evidenced by wood beams across vaulted ceilings. Wood flooring is classically traditional and, depending on the stain, can fit into almost any look. For a more natural feeling, leave the wood cabinets, flooring, or furniture stained instead of painted.
A Little Greenery goes a Long Way: One of the most intuitive ways to add nature to your home’s interior design is to add plants and greenery. Easy-to-care plants such as cacti or succulents are ideal for those without a green thumb and can be paired with stones and pebbles for a desert feel. If you have gardening skills, the possibilities for interior plants are endless – consider a snake plant, peace lily, or pothos plant that will help cleanse and purify the air. Adding colorful cut flowers once or twice a month can brighten up a space and invoke the beauty of nature.
Florida home design often includes a combination kitchen/great room with soaring space and lots of light. These elements can easily continue into this area, with a stone fireplace, rustic wooden flooring, tall ficus plants, and fig trees. Water features such as standalone fountains can fill the senses, benefiting sight and sound.
Kitchen Cabinets Invoking Natural Elements
While you may not consider kitchen cabinets to be a creative aspect of the overall kitchen space, you may be surprised to learn about all of the innovative design choices you have at West Coast Design Build Florida. Call today to learn more about how your cabinets can transform your room and home.
