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Foraging: Creating A Sustainable Interior

Foraging: Creating A Sustainable Interior

Ana Zuravliova

By Ana Zuravliova

Trend Specialist at Blinds Direct
Fri 11 Nov 2022

For most of our time on the planet humans have been hunter gatherers, foraging for food and shelter from what nature could provide. Today, there are only a handful of remote communities that still depend solely on their natural habitat to survive. That said, as we become more environmentally conscious and look to conserve our resources, many of us are turning to more sustainable practices. As a result, foraging for both food and home decorations has become a popular pastime.  In today’s blog we will be looking at the different items you can forage and how to implement them into your décor…

Foraging in the UK

In the UK we have an abundance of natural resources we can forage for, with berries, mushrooms, and nuts being the top picks. Nonetheless, there is an abundance of items we can forage from both our forests and coastlines, from tree stumps to oyster shells. Foraging isn’t just about finding food, it can be a sustainable way to add interesting and decorative touches to your home. So, let’s dig in, and see how foraged items can make your home a truly unique, and sustainable, living space.

room set image to show how to use foraging in interior decor

Nuts & mushrooms

Some of the most sought-after items when it comes to foraging are nuts and mushrooms. Not only are they great fun to search for, but tucking into them later gives added satisfaction. Just make sure you pick the right mushrooms!

You can also bring these delicacies into your interior design. Capture their essence by incorporating nutty colours, shapes, and finishes within your décor. Opting for shades of browns and creams will invoke the natural tones of an array of nuts, from light walnut to deep rich conker, creating a cosy, almost textured look to your space. Complement the colour scheme, and replace the potpourri with a tempting bowl of nutty heaven!

Using mushrooms to influence your scheme also provides some interesting options, with their unique shapes and more adventurous colours. For example, a red and white polka dot will recreate the look of a fly agaric mushroom – get the look with our Spotty Gingersnap Roman Blind.  

Berries

The onset of autumn is the prime time for foraging berries, from blackberries and raspberries to rosehips and sloes. Foraging for berries is a classic British autumn pastime, whether you graze on your findings while out on a walk or take them home to transform into jams, pies or even gin!

Berry colours

Berries themselves won’t last long as decorative items, but a wonderful way to bring the essence of these fabulous fruits into your decor is by using their enriching colours, from deep shades of purples to vibrant reds. Using rich berry tones as accents will create a warming atmosphere while adding a vibrant pop of colour to your home – fabulous all year round, but especially lovely in the colder months of the year!

berry type room set image of living room ispired by foraging decor
image to show how you can forage seashells and use them in your home interior

Seashells

Collecting shells and washed-up bits of driftwood has always been a popular activity, particularly on family holidays, and items collected will often have fond memories associated with them.  Implementing these into your home for decorative purposes will also give a coastal slant to your décor, a look that is always on trend!. 

Driftwood can be transformed into a fabulous mantelpiece decoration or even a coat hanger for when guests come to visit.  Or use oyster and mussel shells as cute salt and pepper holders, or jewellery plates, with their pearlescent insides adding interest and light reflections.

To avoid your foraged coastal items looking “bitty” create an impactful coastal scheme throughout, and pull together with our Voyage Mussel Shells Marine collection – a fun choice for those who live away from, but still want to capture the energy and essence of the coast.

 

Forest finds

You can’t beat a forest walk in the autumn, with leaves crunching underfoot and the strong smell of pine. Next time you have a walk-in nature, keep your eyes peeled for some of the following forest finds to implement into your home.

Foliage and flowers

With Christmas looming, thoughts of mantelpiece decorations, table centre pieces and garlands all come to the front of our minds. Going out into the forest and foraging for evergreens such as pines and holly, are all wonderful items for creating your sustainable Christmas décor.

For an ‘all year round’ approach to decorating, leaf print and floral furnishings will have the same impact without the risk of being pricked by holly leaves, and removing the never ending shedding of pine needles!

Shades of the forest

As always, Mother Nature knows best, so turning to our woodlands for colour inspiration is a top tip. With a wide range of green tones and leaf prints to select from, bringing the essence of the forest into your home has never been easier.  Use woodland walks to help determine the shades of green that complement one another, and those better to avoid, when deciding a green colour scheme. 

Wood

Tree stumps can be transformed into a wonderful side table, just make sure to debug and dry them out before bringing them indoors. Then with just a gentle sand to smooth the surfaces, lo and behold, you have a bespoke table, designed by you!

image of living that has inspired by foraging flowers

Foraging is not only an ancient human survival tactic, but in the modern day it is a wonderful way for finding unique items to implement into the home as well as a fun activity. Being outdoors on the hunt for items helps to reconnect us with nature while providing inspiration on colour schemes and contrasting textures… Why not get outside this autumn and find a truly unique item for your home!


Shop some of our products inspired by foraging:


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