Bringing the outdoors in

A few years ago, I wrote an article about a house off Highway 195 for Inland NW Homes & Lifestyles magazine. It’s a gorgeously modern house that was designed with the earth in mind. Not only are there several energy-efficient features (not the least of which are the 20-inch thick straw-bale walls), but the homeowner’s décor and the art he displays are inspired by—if not directly taken from—nature.

For one, the family collects the skulls of dead animals—deer, dog, marmot, mice and raccoon among them—and displays them as a sort of homage to nature. The drawer and cabinet pulls in the kitchen are made from river rocks the family collected during rafting trips. Even the home’s paint colors are inspired by nature. To choose his palette, the homeowner collected rocks, pine needles, dirt and other items from around the property.

Decorating with objects from the outdoors not only surrounds us with natural beauty, but it can be downright cheap (or free!) to accomplish. So why not invite Mother Nature in from the cold?

Consider some of these ideas I found around the Internet:

- This article from eHow has several suggestions, including displaying collections of rocks or seashells in glass containers on a mantel or shelf or creating a table centerpiece with a birdhouse or bird’s nest and some rustic candlesticks.

- This info from Dutch Boy paints discusses how environmentalism and the economy are driving paint color trends in 2009. Let’s hope that homeowners choose a low- or no-VOC paint to go with those earthy colors!

- This article suggests replacing curtain rods with sturdy tree branches of the same length, among other tips.

- This post from Apartment Therapy shows some tablescapes from West Elm with clever use of logs, as in the photo above, and rocks.

- This project is intended for a baby’s nursery, but I think it could work almost anywhere in a house. It pairs a tree branch with fabric birds that can be sewn either by hand or with a machine.

-If all signs of nature around you are still covered in snow, just fake it with these log pillows from Mahar Dry Goods or with nature-sounds CDs .