Even though the weather isn’t quite yet ideal for outdoor living, that doesn’t change the fact that many of us are filled with a longing for all things outdoors.

There’s a lot to consider when buying a home including: location, size, area, amenities, features, maintenance, utility costs and the list goes on and on.

And just because the weather isn’t perfect, that doesn’t mean you can’t still enjoy the feelings that nature brings. You can start by choosing to bring the outdoors in.

When it comes to decorating your home, there are a million articles about the “dos and don’ts”, but we believe that everyone’s space should reflect their personal taste. So if you love nature and all its beauty, there are plenty of ways the inside of your home can reflect that.

Here are six ideas for how you can bring the outdoors in.

#1. Plants, Plants and More Plants

House plants are amazing in that they serve not only as amazing natural decor and an easy way to bring the outdoors in, but they also offer real health benefits. Live plants purify the air, increase oxygen and add moisture and so much more.

If you aren’t sure you have the skills or the time to care for live plants, start slow and with something simple, like a succulent. Do some research and figure out which plants are suited to your space, taking into consideration things like how much natural light they’ll receive.

For the more advanced plant owner, a living wall (also known as green walls or vertical gardens) can be one of the most visually stunning projects you can have in your space. Not only are you getting the benefits of the live plants, but you are creating something that the eye will be drawn to.

Should keeping and caring for live plants not be something you can’t or don’t want to deal with, don’t underestimate how much impact fake plants can make.

Plants tell our brains to feel relaxed and calm, and fake plants can have the same impact as a real one.

Also, home decor has come a long way since fake plants became popular decades ago, to the point where in many cases it’s nearly impossible to tell apart fake and real ones.

#2. Use Natural Materials

Wood or stone are two finishing options for creating a home with a natural feel. From floors to countertops, both of these materials can be used in rooms throughout the entire home to give it a natural yet unified look.

In terms of decorating the space, jute, wicker and rattan are all materials inspired by nature. Rattan furniture, a jute rug and bamboo blinds are all excellent options for enhancing the natural feel in your space.

Feeling a little more bold? Choose a wall or entire room to update using wallpaper made or seagrass, or that has a nature-inspired print.

Finally, wooden bowls, woven baskets or other decor items made of natural materials are all small ways you can build on the look and feel you’re creating.

#3. Buy or Create Artwork that Captures Nature

Finding paintings, photographs or other prints that capture the beauty of everything Mother Nature has to offer is one of the easiest ways to bring the outdoors in.

Whether it’s a mountain range, a sparkling lake or your favorite flowers in bloom, artwork depicting nature adds warmth to a space. Consider finding work that depicts your most beloved vacation spot or beautiful images of the nature that surrounds the area you live to make the space feel even more personalized.

If you have favorite photos, consider having them professionally framed, or printed on a large canva to add a special something to your space.

#4. Find Decor Outside

Have you ever been walking on a beach and found seashells you just had to take home? Or hiking a local trail and found a piece of wood that just looked so cool you picked it up?

Using things you find outdoors and bringing them inside your house is both a simple and fun way to enhance the natural look of your home. These items could be placed in a glass bowl or placed on a coffee table or mantel for display.

Using outdoor materials is a fun way to update your decor seasonally. Look at what is going on outside your door, and what could be repurposed for decor. Press leaves in a frame during the fall, collect pine cones in the winter, dry some wildflowers in the spring and grab an interesting piece of driftwood at the beach in the summer.

There are no rules here, so choose things that speak to your sense of style and will bring you happiness when you look at them.

#5. Choose Your Color Palette from Nature

Nothing can make an impact on the way a room looks and feels as quickly as a new coat of paint. And when we talk about choosing your color palette from nature, we mean ALL the colors that nature brings us — not just beige, brown, green or blue.

Think of the last holiday you took — what spoke to you? Was it the crystal clear blue of the water? The burnt orange of a sunset? The rich purple of the flowers?

The key to using color is about finding something that invokes the feeling you want. Do you want serene calm or bright, cheery, and energetic? What’s the room being used for?

Once you decide on what you’re trying to create, then you can choose the nature-inspired color that best reflects that.

#6. Bring in Plenty of Light

Nothing quite says the outdoors like a bright, sunshine-filled day. And depending on the layout of your home and placement of the windows, that sunshine outside may or may not translate to sunshine inside.

To make your space more light-filled, look at the windows and doors you have. What sort of coverings are you using, and do they maximize the amount of light coming into the space?

For windows that require treatments to ensure privacy, sheers or blinds are often the better option over heavy, dark curtains. If you need to block light or have the ability to create a totally dark space at certain times of the day or night, you can double up and use sheers AND curtains for the best of both worlds.

Once you’ve figured out what you’re working with for natural light, then you can begin to layer in other lighting.

Look for areas of the house that lack natural sunlight, and then consider what option would work best to give it a boost. Floor lamps, table lamps and ceiling lights can be used in combination to create a space that feels just as bright as the sunshine outside.

Find What Speaks to You

The list we’ve shared is just a snapshot of how you can bring the outdoors in, and there are many other ways you can accomplish this.

With a little creativity and a willingness to figure out what works best for your specific space, you can create a home inspired by nature that keeps you feeling the warmth of the outdoors all year round.