Inspiration Behind The Urban Natural Interiors
The urban natural interior is a subgenre of earthy industrial design, which gained popularity in the 1990s in New York City as young people abandoned the traditional property market and moved into empty lofts and warehouse spaces. Living in a loft is currently the height of fashion. Many abandoned docklands and industrial areas have been revitalized due to this lifestyle’s global adoption.
With plenty of open space, exposed metal beams, steel staircases and few home comforts, the hard-edged appearance of the earthy industrial architecture was initially excellent. However, as time passed, cool began to seem chilly, and there was a new yearning for comfort. This is where the urban natural interior style comes in. This modern interior softens the earthy look and amplifies the comfort level. Hard surfaces can be mellowed with soft chalky distemper-based paints in natural colours for an urban industrial living room. All of those are old-fashioned, water-based paints that can be applied directly on bare plaster or brick walls. These are porous surfaces that allow the walls to breathe. When sheepskins, felt or woven rugs are spread on wooden or matted floors, they appear much more foot-friendly. Large leather sofas can be softened with piles of plush cushions covered in lamb’s wool or soft cashmere blankets. Pleated paper, calico, venetian blinds, or vertical slatted blinds are used to dress down windows. Simple pale, basic materials like loose weave linen, fine cotton or fine voile are used to make curtains.
Urban Natural Interior Style
According to Georgio Daccache (2019) (Author of the book “Create Your Home Interior Design Styles Like a Pro: Interior Design Styles Demystified”), modern urban style is all about creating a soothing and serene yet gorgeously decorated home featuring a lived-in sense of charm for everyday life.
In urban design interiors, lighting is low, subtle and ambient, concealed behind green-tinted glass screens or under shelves. Scented candles, tea lights or large multi-wicked candles are a mandatory feature.
Houseplants contribute to the natural style as long as they make a design statement – think orchids, sculptural desert cacti, or luscious ferns. And if the budget doesn’t stretch to orchids and cashmere, we can compromise and enjoy the best-looking bits of the urban style interior design without losing too much sleep about whether our throws are cashmere or a polyester/wool mix. Urban natural interiors is a chill-out style where comfort is king.
Urban Style Living Room Ideas
Look out for mohair shawls and hand-knitted jumpers to convert into cushion covers. Prominent unbleached-cotton decorator’s dust sheets make great curtains or sofa covers. Make use of natural textures like stone, wood, glass and leather. Stick to the key colours of dark brown, tan, mushroom, stone, olive, spring green and yes…even beige!
What to Avoid in Urban House Design?
Avoid strong contrasts by having progressively darker or lighter shades next to each other so that the whole look is harmonious and easy on the eye. Repetition can look very stylish – a long galvanized metal container planted with a perfect row of African violets, for instance, or a row of pebbles on a window sill. The overall effect of urban house design should be more meditative than passionate, creating a calm environment to ease the stresses of city living. With the background of your life in place, it’s time to light a scented candle, put on some music, and relax!
Finally, the urban natural décor should create a calm environment to alleviate the stresses of daily life. Soft and natural colours are used for the walls, and the correct lighting is essential – it should be very subtle. A few well-chosen houseplants will contribute to the urban natural interior style.
For more insights on natural style check out the below links:
Why You Should Integrate Nature into Your Home Décor?
10 Ways of Bringing Natural Décor to Your Room!
Author Bio
Huta Raval – An English Literature and Journalism Topper, Huta Raval has graduated from the L D Arts College, Ahmedabad. Post serving for 23 years in the NBFC and Public Library Sectors her desire for ‘writing the unwritten’ brought her to the creative field of content writing. Her clientele comprises of NGOs, Blogging Platforms, Newspapers, Academic Institutions, et al.