Decorating
Trends: How to Get the Back-to-nature Brooklyn Look
Mix white walls, lush green plants and wooden pieces to get that laid-back, nature-inspired scheme you’ve ogled in hip Brooklyn apartments
Winging its way over the pond from thrifty Brooklynites and their cool, pared-back lofts is the natural trend. Relying on the combination of three tones – white, wood brown and foliage green – this look is pretty easy to achieve and can be interpreted in many ways. Whether you like the simplicity of Scandinavian style, the 1970s houseplant-haven look, a more eclectic, vintage feel or an injection of rustic charm, you can play with this trend, but whatever you do, be sure to keep it laid-back and natural.
Create a collection
If your shelves aren’t crammed with books, they could be the perfect space on which to create a display of calming, natural colours and tones.
Paint the shelves and back wall white, then start adding any wooden and white items you have – choose old crates and boxes for vintage character – along with some green plants or fresh cuttings from the garden. A few books here and there won’t hurt, either.
If your shelves aren’t crammed with books, they could be the perfect space on which to create a display of calming, natural colours and tones.
Paint the shelves and back wall white, then start adding any wooden and white items you have – choose old crates and boxes for vintage character – along with some green plants or fresh cuttings from the garden. A few books here and there won’t hurt, either.
Stay simple
This beautiful bathroom demonstrates how easy it can be to turn a blank canvas into a natural, Scandi-style haven – one that could be straight out of a Williamsburg apartment.
Add in a pop of green with a hessian-potted houseplant and place a plain, wooden stool in front of a minimal white background and you have a natural delight. If you have an all-white suite, the bathroom is the perfect place to try out this look.
This beautiful bathroom demonstrates how easy it can be to turn a blank canvas into a natural, Scandi-style haven – one that could be straight out of a Williamsburg apartment.
Add in a pop of green with a hessian-potted houseplant and place a plain, wooden stool in front of a minimal white background and you have a natural delight. If you have an all-white suite, the bathroom is the perfect place to try out this look.
Play around
White, wood and green don’t have to stick to their traditional platforms of walls, floors and plants; you could take these colours and combine them elsewhere.
This light green dresser, with accompanying white crockery and wooden wall art and chairs, is a clever example of how to introduce this winning trio of hues in other ways. Add in a leafy plant and you’ll be ticking all the on-trend boxes.
White, wood and green don’t have to stick to their traditional platforms of walls, floors and plants; you could take these colours and combine them elsewhere.
This light green dresser, with accompanying white crockery and wooden wall art and chairs, is a clever example of how to introduce this winning trio of hues in other ways. Add in a leafy plant and you’ll be ticking all the on-trend boxes.
Make it midcentury
Wooden midcentury designs work with this trend beautifully. If you’re furnishing a white room, think of adding a piece of brown midcentury furniture, then top it off with a verdant plant and you needn’t do much more.
Here, the warm tones of teak, so often found on classic G Plan sideboards and 1950s and 1960s coffee tables, are enhanced by a white backdrop, while the addition of dark green plants – especially the stylist-favoured fiddle-leaf fig in the corner – adds a fresh, woodland feel that’s perfect for lifting a previously plain urban apartment.
Wooden midcentury designs work with this trend beautifully. If you’re furnishing a white room, think of adding a piece of brown midcentury furniture, then top it off with a verdant plant and you needn’t do much more.
Here, the warm tones of teak, so often found on classic G Plan sideboards and 1950s and 1960s coffee tables, are enhanced by a white backdrop, while the addition of dark green plants – especially the stylist-favoured fiddle-leaf fig in the corner – adds a fresh, woodland feel that’s perfect for lifting a previously plain urban apartment.
Turn up the tropical
If you love the 1970s houseplant revival, don’t just leave the ferns and palms in pots; use a print of their pattern in other places, too.
Go for a whole papered wall if you love the bold tropical look, or you could choose a few cushions, a throw or a framed print to inject a dash of 1970s jungle into your home.
Tour a Dublin home filled with tropical touches
If you love the 1970s houseplant revival, don’t just leave the ferns and palms in pots; use a print of their pattern in other places, too.
Go for a whole papered wall if you love the bold tropical look, or you could choose a few cushions, a throw or a framed print to inject a dash of 1970s jungle into your home.
Tour a Dublin home filled with tropical touches
Opt for off-white
For a more grown-up and understated angle, why not incorporate several key off-white features, rather than sticking to brilliant white throughout?
Of course, lashings of daylight and a New York-style warehouse flat would help, but this peaceful scene is transferrable – you could even seek out a trompe l’oeil wallpaper to replicate that creamy bare brick wall, which adds a lovely warmth.
Now choose a soft-toned neutral sofa – one with wooden legs ideally – and surround with simple shapes, splashes of white and muted tones to keep things subdued. Perhaps introduce a wooden ornament or two if you’re lacking in texture. Now simply add one or two lush houseplants and the look is complete.
For a more grown-up and understated angle, why not incorporate several key off-white features, rather than sticking to brilliant white throughout?
Of course, lashings of daylight and a New York-style warehouse flat would help, but this peaceful scene is transferrable – you could even seek out a trompe l’oeil wallpaper to replicate that creamy bare brick wall, which adds a lovely warmth.
Now choose a soft-toned neutral sofa – one with wooden legs ideally – and surround with simple shapes, splashes of white and muted tones to keep things subdued. Perhaps introduce a wooden ornament or two if you’re lacking in texture. Now simply add one or two lush houseplants and the look is complete.
Heat it up
Warm reds, oranges and yellows mix here to give this trend a little bit of a sunny, Mediterranean flavour. Set terracotta plant pots, cacti and raw wood pieces against white walls to create a more exotic feel.
Warm reds, oranges and yellows mix here to give this trend a little bit of a sunny, Mediterranean flavour. Set terracotta plant pots, cacti and raw wood pieces against white walls to create a more exotic feel.
Pare it back with pastels
You don’t have to go with rich, dark browns and greens to make this trend work; lighter woods, such as pine, can also be used.
Mix with delicate green plants and a few muted pastel colours, along with the classic white, and you’ll have a tranquil, pared-back space.
See how you can soften a Scandi scheme with dusty pink
You don’t have to go with rich, dark browns and greens to make this trend work; lighter woods, such as pine, can also be used.
Mix with delicate green plants and a few muted pastel colours, along with the classic white, and you’ll have a tranquil, pared-back space.
See how you can soften a Scandi scheme with dusty pink
Make a centrepiece
The classically simple furniture in this room has done the majority of the work here, as the elegant Wishbone chairs incorporate both white and natural brown tones. But the look is set off perfectly by the splash of green as the centrepiece under the pendant light.
Try adding a bold, leafy green plant to your dining table if you have a white-based dining space, or, if not, use a large white vase or plant pot to really make an impact.
The classically simple furniture in this room has done the majority of the work here, as the elegant Wishbone chairs incorporate both white and natural brown tones. But the look is set off perfectly by the splash of green as the centrepiece under the pendant light.
Try adding a bold, leafy green plant to your dining table if you have a white-based dining space, or, if not, use a large white vase or plant pot to really make an impact.
Mix with monochrome
While wood, white and green are a happy trio, there’s no reason why you can’t introduce a couple of other tones. Natural monochrome shades can slot in sweetly with subdued wood and silver-green plants for a sophisticated take on the trend.
The soft grey used in the artwork, headboard and bedding here is a great example, but you could also add stronger black-and-white pieces, such as a striped rug or some zigzag cushions, for a bolder look.
TELL US…
Do trends from other countries inspire you? If so, what have you spotted and what do you love? Let us know in the Comments below.
While wood, white and green are a happy trio, there’s no reason why you can’t introduce a couple of other tones. Natural monochrome shades can slot in sweetly with subdued wood and silver-green plants for a sophisticated take on the trend.
The soft grey used in the artwork, headboard and bedding here is a great example, but you could also add stronger black-and-white pieces, such as a striped rug or some zigzag cushions, for a bolder look.
TELL US…
Do trends from other countries inspire you? If so, what have you spotted and what do you love? Let us know in the Comments below.
White walls, wooden floorboards and a few dark, leafy plants are the winning combination for this trend. Add in richer brown elements, such as a vintage-y sofa, chair or coffee table, to boost the natural colours and create a sophisticated yet comfortable contrast against white walls.