Steal Nate Berkus' Easy Decor Idea To Channel One Of Summer's Hottest Design Trends
Nate Berkus has a timeless way of incorporating trends into his designs, making them feel classic rather than part of a fad. One such trend is biophilic design, which uses nature-inspired features to make one's interior more in sync with the outside. This can include using anything from wooden textures to installing massive windows to decorating the space with houseplants. Berkus' take on it is more literal, where he has been enjoying adding authentic tree accents to rooms to make the home feel more organic.
Berkus rounded up three examples on Instagram of rooms where he used large trees as natural accents, writing, "Bringing the outdoors inside." Each of the trees was towering, reaching high up to the ceiling and dragging the eye upward, making the room feel more expansive. Not only did he use a tree to make the space feel more earthy, but the planters he used were also somewhat organic. They looked like they were roughly carved out of a stone chunk and were charmingly asymmetrical and messy. This also helped add to the biophilic feel in the room. Below is a closer look into Berkus's design.
Use real trees as decorative accents
Berkus has been using tree accents in a variety of his properties, really embracing the biophilic accent. For example, he used a tall olive tree at the entrance of his Greenwich Village penthouse, which he sourced from The Old Yew Plant Shop. It's a live Black Olive tree, which was planted in a vintage stone planter. This makes it feel like it has been growing in that planter for centuries and adding gravitas to the space.
But that's not all. Berkus also added a massive olive tree to their vacation home. "When you bring the outdoors in," Berkus wrote in an Instagram post showing his design. "This is our living room in Montauk where we have a large olive tree that I just love." The tree looks to be at least eight feet tall, creating a towering statement. The earthy feel was accented with other pieces in the room, such as the stone fireplace, rough wood coffee tables, and earthenware pottery.
How to incorporate trees into your own home design
If you love the nature-inspired look of live trees, there are a couple ways you can incorporate them into your own home. The first is to add a real tree to a room that gets plenty of sunlight, such as a room with south-facing windows. This will ensure it will survive indoors and that it will continue to be bushy and green. To source the trees, go to your local plant shop, which will have a large variety to choose from. However, if you want a common indoor tree such as a ficus, you can also go to a home improvement store like Home Depot.
Suppose you don't have a green thumb or want to avoid the added responsibility of watering it weekly. In that case, you can also get artificial trees. However, there is an art to making faux plants look real, so you don't want to buy the first tree you spot. First, make sure it has a believable trunk. You want it to have a variety of textures and colors so it looks natural rather than plastic. You can even invest in a faux plant with a real wood trunk if you want to go the extra mile. Next, make sure the leaves are made from a fabric-like silk rather than plastic. This will make it appear more natural, making it more believable. Some stores to consider for natural-looking faux plants are The Sill and Nearly Natural.