Decorating with nature

I am a collector. One of my favourite things to collect is things from nature. I guess it is the artistic side of me that sees beauty is so many things. I love stones and leaves and feathers and shells, each with their own unique beauty. I love bringing these things into my home, decorating with nature, displaying my finds as a thing of beauty and a point of interest. Not only is it a great thrifty home decoration tip I think if done correctly it can look absolutely beautiful.

Recently I visited Kettle’s Yard in Cambridge, the former home of Jim and Helen Ede. Jim was a curator at the Tate Gallery in the 1920’s and 30’s and collected artwork throughout his life. After travelling for much of his life (after his retirement from the Tate) the couple settled in Cambridge. They chose the house at Kettle’s Yard as a place to display his art, furnishings and natural objects. They wanted to create “a home and a welcome, a refuge of peace and order, of the visual arts and music… a continuing way of life… in which stray objects, stones, glass, pictures and sculptures are arranged in light and space.”

The house was donated to The University of Cambridge in 1966 and is now open for visitors. Neither a gallery nor a museum, it is intended as a place people can enjoy art and feel at home. The house is very much arranged as it was left back in the 70’s yet amazingly the style and design still very much transcends into today. The light, bright white walls bounced light off in all directions creating a magnificent back drop for the art. The wooden floors and old patterned rugs give the house a warm, informal feel.

There is such a peace in the place, I would have loved to sit in a chair and read a while or take a nap in one of the beds. I felt incredibly at home.

One thing I did notice was the arrangement and decoration of the house using objects from nature, just as I do in my house. The Ede’s have displayed lovely stones and objects from nature around the house and I think they looked simple beautiful, don’t you agree? Why not try displaying some of your finds inside like these people?

Image source: Home and Gardens

Image source: A day in the land of nobody

Image source: Modern Baby

Image source: Sue H – Flickr

For more inspiration visit my pinterest board.