Design elements inspired by nature can bring a calm, warm and welcoming atmosphere to your kitchen.
Designers have strived to bring the best parts of nature into the home for years. From the use of natural materials to making the most of natural light, we are all – at least subconsciously – aware that the feel and beauty of nature cannot be duplicated or bested.
Organic design elements make us feel at peace and therefore welcomed into any space. They can make the cold and impersonal feel warm, and the stale feel fresh again. If you’ve been looking for ways to bring the outside into your kitchen, then talk to a contractor who specializes in remodeling work. You could find plenty of them online, on websites such as https://generalcontractoratlanta.com/ and other similar ones. But before you do that, to get your mind racing, here are a few of the most effective additions and changes you can make.
Natural materials
Surrounding yourself with the organic materials of the outdoors, such as wood, stone and cotton, will help bring warmth to your kitchen space. However, when choosing how to incorporate these materials it is important to select pieces that resonate with your personal style. It may be that you want to achieve a more rugged aesthetic, in which case a natural rock wall or leather seating might be worth your consideration. On the other hand, your taste might lean more towards the sophistication of a dark mahogany floor, or the bright clean look of unlined cotton curtains around a French door. Natural materials never go out of style, but be sure that they adhere to yours.
Floral displays and houseplants
Having live plants in your home needn’t require a lot of upkeep. Flowers and plants bring instant cheer to any kitchen table, and indoor bulbs, cacti and succulents are all very low maintenance. A fresh bouquet every now and again is also a clever way to see your kitchen with a fresh eye; contrasting different colours and textures with the surrounding space.
Sustainability
As natural resources continue to become more and more scarce, the need and trend for sustainable furniture and building products will only increase. Green living can be beautiful, as well as practical, and allows you to stretch your creative muscles. Bringing reused or recycled furniture into a new space can give the item and the space a new lease of life, while using older products for new purposes can help you attain your desired look, for example, using old Moroccan style tiles as a colourful splashback to bring a bohemian feel to the room. Search through local charity shops and salvage yards to find perfect, one of a kind items to tie your kitchen together.
Brick backdrops
Brick is an excellent focal point to any room. It’s uniformity of pattern brings unrivalled colour and texture. It can be left in its natural state for a rustic or bohemian aesthetic, or else painted over for a more subtle contrast with the rest of the wall space.
Natural light
Sunlight is cheap and beautiful. What more could you want? It is often forgotten in the design stage, but it makes colours and textures appear more alive, so make the most of any available wall space for windows, and perhaps consider adding a skylight as a more affordable and warmer alternative to artificial overhead lighting. Here are some pros and cons of light solar tubes that you can take a look at before you install them on to your roof. Additionally, bi-fold doors are also an extremely effective way to bring nature into your home, as well as to more generally break down the separation between the indoors and outdoors. On a gorgeous summer day, having an entire wall of your kitchen open to the garden could prove beautiful, practical for outdoor eating, children who wish to play out, and pets, as well as being a bold design statement. Bi-fold doors frame a picture that changes with the seasons. Even in winter they can seal in heat while also maximising the available light and colour.
If you’d like to find further inspiration for ways in which to bring the natural world into your kitchen, browse through the beautiful bespoke kitchens available in the EKCO collection.
