5 Inventive Ideas for Bringing Natural Elements Inside to Create an Indoor Oasis
The call of nature is loud and demanding to many of us and the idea of spending all day stuck indoors just doesn’t sound like fun at all. If this sounds like you, or you just want to make your home a more relaxing and calming oasis, then adding plants and natural elements to your home is a great solution. When the weather, work, or just life in general pulls you indoors, adding more nature into your space can be a wonderful comprise.
Science has shown that nature is an important element in our lives. Regular forays into the natural elements can help reset our minds and our bodies, which can help reduce stress and support healing. But when necessity requires us to spend our time inside, studies have shown that adding plants can also reduce stress and increase productivity.
We don’t need science to tell us that adding plants and other natural elements to our homes creates a warm and inviting atmosphere. We instinctively know this. Some may need guidance on creative ideas for adding plants and nature to the home though, and that’s where we come in. Use the suggestions below to get inspired.
5 Ideas for Adding Plants and Natural Elements to Your Home
- Natural Room Scents – Smell is a very integral part of how we experience nature and adding natural scents to your home can help trigger those calming and relaxing reactions.
- DIY Terrarium – If you like the idea of adding plants, but not necessary the mess or upkeep of plants, consider a terrarium instead. You can get the same effect by adding traditional planters, but also get the fun of making your own terrarium. By the way, succulents make the perfect terrarium plants.
- Living Walls – Instead of hanging art from your walls, try hanging a garden instead. The latest trend in indoor plantings is to create a living wall. Ideas include planting succulents in a pallet that is then hung or attaching mason jar planters from a wooden plank.
- Driftwood Mobile/Wind Chime – Driftwood reminds us of the ocean, which for many is a calming memory, and pieces of driftwood can easily be made into a stunning mobile or wind chime.
- Herb Garden – An indoor herb garden is a double duty garden. Not only will it add some gorgeous and mood-enhancing greenery to your space, but you can use it to make dinner too!
Resources: http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/03/how-nature-resets-our-minds-and-bodies/274455/
http://public.wsu.edu/~lohr/hih/productivity/
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