How I bring more nature elements into my city-home
At the open stairwell in the living room we used small stems of birch trees as a natural divider and to make it more cosy
Full of wonder I admire the typical Swedish cottage of Linda, an inspiring woman who wrote books and hosts workshops and retreats on Plant Based Living. I visit her with my sweet friend Sanna where I stay while I’m visiting Sweden. Although I’m Dutch, Sweden is a country where I have many friends and that creatively inspires me so deeply. The huge vegetable garden is amazing and so is the homemade meal, that are leftovers from the day-retreat on fermenting that Linda held in her home for a small group of women.
Linda lives and breathes her brand and the simple lifestyle in nature. She knows all about living with the seasons and in this early autumn often goes into the Swedish woods to chop the powerful mushroom Chaga of the trees, like a real woodchopper forest fairy. Needless to say I bought a bag to take home to The Netherlands with me, so I can make the Chaga lattes Sanna and I made daily while I was in Sweden. Chatting at the dinner table with Linda’s cuddly dog Budda on my lap, I feel how nourishing it is to spend time with people that inspire us. It provides new narratives and perspectives on life. It can open us to new possibilities.
“I feel how nourishing it is to spend time with people that inspire us. It provides new narratives and perspectives on life. It can open us to new possibilities. ”
Linda’s amazing herb and vegetable garden in Sweden
My sweety friend and fellow creative Sanna
Fresh Chaga for daily Chaga Lattes (and do you remember the Dymo Labelwriter? I bought it again, so fun!)
When we walk towards the car to head back home, I say to Linda how inspired I am to bring even more of nature and seasonal living into my city home. She gets excited and encourages me to start with just a tiny herb garden on my rooftop terrace and start to follow the seasons at a micro-level right there. So that will be my next project for sure.
Nature vibes in my city home
At around the same day I got a message from a woman on Instagram asking me how to incorporate more nature into a very small apartment. So although this is still in progress in my own house, I was inspired by that question. Cause first of all: nature is such a color inspiration for your interior. I used many soft sandy tones as a base and some brighter splashes of yellow, pink or salmon like random growing wildflowers. Muted nature colors give my rooms a peaceful and soothing vibe. Moreover this color scheme is very timeless.
“I used many soft sandy tones as a base and some brighter splashes of yellow, pink or salmon like random growing wildflowers.”
To create a natural look I use both different textures and materials. Worn and used wood next to plain colored walls, metal next to wood, soft wooly rugs on a sisal carpet, linen bedding next to a wooden floor or chalk painted walls next to a white wooden floor. These contrasts create aliveness in the house. Of course I have fresh flowers often, but also I use dried flowers or branches where I can. I even stuck some in tiny holes that were there in the brick wall. At the open stairwell in the living room we used small stems of birch trees as a natural divider and to make it more cosy.
While I sit in the warm late September sun at the rooftop terrace I start to ponder on the next projects around the house. More plants inside and the tiny herb garden… Step by step I create my soft natural barefoot lifestyle in the midst of the urban aliveness.
More green in the house or on the house or… eh…
IN the house… green IN the house :)
Huge leaf from Flower Atelier Klavertje Vijf