How to feel more connected to nature in your home.

Prestigious Textiles - Reflections Collection

Thankfully Spring has now sprung and the sun seems to be making a regular appearance. This will no doubt help us feel brighter and more optimistic as we cope with the current situation. We’re finally able to get outside in the brighter weather, start enjoying the garden and local little havens of nature, albeit socially distanced from others, and this year we will appreciate this in a way we have never experienced before. 

In previous blogs we’ve referred to The Good Home Report, an international study into the links between our happiness and our homes. This report shows that there is a strong link between access to green space and our overall happiness, both for adults and children. 

The report states that ‘no matter where we live, access to green space makes a big difference to our happiness levels’. Importantly, that space does not have to be big, but simply to allow us to create a connection with nature.  

Different cognitive psychology studies explore the idea that when we find ourselves in nature, we feel calmer and more satisfied. Colour psychology suggests that different colours invoke different emotions, that green has strong associations with nature, and is often said to be calming, soothing, and relaxing.

In the 1980s, biologist E. O. Wilson began using the term biophilia to describe the ways that we as people need and seek out connections with nature, and there are a great many positive effects on our mental health and wellbeing from being in nature. 

If you ask people how they like to relax or think about how you might choose to destress, you’ll quickly find activities such as walking outdoors, doing some gardening or simply being out in fresh air being mentioned. Think about a time when you’ve been walking in the forest or sat outside on a sunny day, with a gentle breeze in your hair and warmth on your face. It’s that calm feeling of being in nature that boosts your wellbeing, and it’s what we want to bring inside your home. 

No matter what your space looks like, there are lots of ways that you can bring these happy, calming influences into your home, and we’re going to show you how!

Prestigious Textiles - Grand Botanical Collection

Flow

Start by thinking about what elements you have in your garden or outdoor space, or even which elements of nature you love, and how you can bring these in. The idea is to create a flow from outside so that there is a consistency and calm connection between the two spaces. This will help it feel like a natural movement from one to the other, and reduce a sense of any change of space, so that the feeling you have being outside can continue when you come in.  

Lighting

Bringing more light into a room can have a strong effect on the way we feel, and particularly in the darker months when there is less light available during the day. Adding skylights or bifold doors will make a big impact, but you don’t need to undertake structural changes to make a difference. Using combinations of lights, through lamps, candles and dimmer switches will all give you options to change the lighting levels to suit your mood. 

Colours

This option is a very straightforward one; how you choose and use colour. Some people might go for bold statement colours, and others might prefer more muted tones, but adding some green to your colour scheme is easily done. If it’s not your first choice you can add some green without colouring an entire room or wall. There are some fantastic print wallpapers featuring foliage or greenery that would create a feature and a sense of nature all at once, or you could simply make green an addition through your furniture and accessories. Take a look on Pinterest or online for some inspiration and you’ll see that there are countless ways you can inject some green colour into your home without too much of a change, and there are options to suit every taste. 

Shades of Little Greene paint

Textures

The materials you choose to bring into your house can also help evoke a sense of the outdoors and help you feel more connected to nature depending on what you choose. Using organic, natural products that are easily available can make a noticeable difference. Wooden flooring and furniture, for example. For smaller touches, why not try using hessian around plant pots or as a runner on the dining table, and use an unpolished wooden box as storage for magazines, toys or blankets. Driftwood can also make for a lovely ornament or piece of wall art, whether you buy it or find it yourself!

Plants

Using plants in your home is a brilliant way to bring the outside in, and they are good for your health too. Plants absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen, which helps clean the air we breathe. Because plants also release tiny amounts of moisture into the atmosphere, studies suggest having plants indoors can also reduce dry skin, colds and sore throats as well – they are very hard workers! NASA researchers recognise the benefits of plants indoors, and recommend one potted plant per 100 square feet of space. If you don’t fancy quite that many plants inside your home or you aren’t confident caring for them, an easy way to start is with a few succulents. These are very hardy and very attractive, and don’t trail or grow too big, making them a wonderful starter plant for bringing some green into your home. 

Mixed succulent arrangement

As with any change in your home, you have so many options. From a few small touches that will make a start on bringing the outside in, to big projects that could change your entire space. Whatever your idea or budget, there’s a way to make it work, and you can create a beautiful sense of nature to enjoy whatever the weather is doing outside!