Design to Evoke the Natural World
One of the joys of designing your custom-build or embarking on a major redesign is the ability to get the look and feel that you want. Often, words like “rustic,” “natural world,” or “earthy” are used to describe a room.
Color and design can easily create an evocation of place and a natural landscape. Depending on how creative you want to be, it’s possible to evoke different moods and geographies across rooms in a single home. This isn’t only done through paint color, but through material choices, texture, lighting, fixtures, and more.
Get the “Earthy” Look and Feel
One recent Odom Design client wished to bring an earthy, mountainous feel to a bathroom, in part because it reminded her of her childhood home. In this post, we’ll look at design choices that evoke the natural world along with some options to avoid if “earthy” is what you’re after.
Color Palette: Think of soil, minerals, earthy tones and the hues that complement them. Darker, richer colors can be softened and accented with lighter, creamier tones.
- Earthy hues will bring out the wood and clay of the natural world. Think about colors like chestnut, mahogany, umber, and terra cotta, for example.
- Neutral hues like cream, soft wheat, straw or slate can soften a palette and help brighten a “rustic” room.
- Spice hues like cinnamon, pumpkin, and others bring rustic color.
Materials: In addition to color, choosing the right materials adds texture to your room. Think about texture and shape in the natural world and invite it inside with rough cut boards, exposed beams, natural grains, and stonework.
Natural stone countertops or interior stone walls pair nicely with the natural look of rough beams. Additionally, copper or patina are natural colors that tie together with stone and wood. Fixtures for this look are usually hammered or matte.
What to Avoid When Going for the “Natural” Look
Generally speaking, if you want a rustic-looking room, you won’t find the following design features:
- Bright and wild colors: You don’t need to avoid color, but the look centers on earthiness, so the more vibrant and colorful of hues doesn’t always pair well with the theme.
- Man-made materials: Avoid materials that look molded or synthetic. That’s not to say there aren’t some good fakes in terms of stone or wood.
- High polish finishes: Too much of a shine in your chrome fixtures will make them feel out of place. Keep it muted.
Discover Your Perfect Design
At Odom Design, we spend a lot of time with our clients learning about their preferences and lifestyle. We love to work with clients to create shared “mood boards,” visual collages of designs that “spark joy.” From these board we can design a home or room that we feel best ties together the themes that you love.
If you’d like to learn more about our services or what makes our process different, please give us a call or use our contact form. We look forward to discovering your perfect home design.