Natural materials & green - a décor trend to make your own

It’s no secret that the mega-trend of 2020 is Green. Whether you call it a movement or the Green Wave. One thing is for sure: it is BIG!

I was lucky enough to attend the presentation by futurist, Li Edelkoort during the Design Indaba Festival in February. And this is what Li says: “Maybe the most important thing about green is its capacity to bring joy. Its energy & charisma are compelling & will help us be, combatting despair with optimism & happiness: joy seen as another form of activism.”

Think of how people are making greener travel choices, choosing more environmentally friendly lifestyles, greener homes & greener diets.

Let’s talk about an aesthetic green, shall we? Mix it with earthy textures like cane, grass & raffia & you have an easy recipe to turn your home into an oasis.

“It is now so easy to create a dreamy Mediterranean feel in your home. A room that is neither inside nor outside. The type of room where you want to spend all your time,” says Carike Greffrath, owner of Wanderland Collective, a South African art into design business that produces wearable, liveable art.

Green, Green, Green

Adding plants is by far the simplest way to create the inside-outside feeling in your living space.

“I personally love the colour green. My happy place is anywhere outdoors amongst the grass & trees,” adds Nikki Tyack, who owns the gorgeous online decor store, Esque Online. “I’ve used the colour green in my scatter cushions in my lounge to bring the outdoors in further. I love natural materials like rattan, raw timber & concrete.”

“Green effortlessly creates a fresh outdoorsy feel in any space. Use lighter lime tones in spaces where there is more natural light & deeper moody emeralds in darker spaces to create a sense of drama,” says Carike.

Tip: Paint colours to try include Duram Smart Paint’s Kentucky Blue Grass (146-6), Plascon’s Mulberry Leaf (G1-C1-1) & the Annie Sloan Amsterdam Green.

Woven & Natural Materials

Think back to your childhood & you will probably remember a lot of woven furniture pieces. Yup, anything from cane, wicker, rattan, raffia & grass is just so hot right now. With woven lampshades taking the lead.

Nikki says that Esque’s cane pendant lights are a top seller & literally fly out of their (online store’s) doors! “Natural materials like cane, raw wood & concrete work beautifully together,” says Nikki, who also believes that you cannot have enough cane in your home at all.

Tip: Look through your store-room or pop in at second-hand shops for items made from raffia, grass & cane. Add baskets, grass hats on your wall or a woven side table.

Green Linen & Printed Motifs

Edelkoort also says that we will see more dark linens & printed motifs going forward.

When adding bold prints to a room, the key is contrast, contrast, contrast! Says Carike: “Start with earthy tones as a base on larger surfaces & then create accents with more daring designs & colours on smaller upholstered pieces & scatter cushions,” she adds. “Place simpler, larger-scale designs alongside more detailed designs. I’ve always loved how interesting scatter cushions have the ability to transform a room.”

Tip: First, see what items you can upcycle with a layer of paint or try styling your current furniture in a different way before buying something new. Surfaces such as walls, cupboards & even candle holders can easily be transformed with chalkboard paint. Personally, I love the Annie Sloan range because it requires almost no preparation.