7 Ways to Use Natural Materials in the Home
There is something to be said about using natural materials as the finishing touches and furnishes around your home.
Firstly, natural materials have a sense of warmth and beauty that plastics and man-made materials can never compete with.
Secondly, real wood or natural stone are evocative and flexible in design and purpose and are an excellent way to blend the textures of your outdoor and indoor aesthetics.
Thirdly, natural materials can be used literally anywhere in the house and add cosiness and a sense of grandeur to the space. For example a fireplace with a cobbled wall or stone cladding adds an instant age-old cosiness. Meanwhile travertine tiles, with their luxurious textures and cool, contemporary touch, can transform the living room into a majestic palace.
And finally, natural materials like real wood and natural stone pavers, are sustainable solutions for home construction purposes. In fact, reclaimed wood is a booming industry, which makes sense since wood is a versatile material making it a logical idea to reuse it.
In today’s article we share a few simple and effective ways you too can utilise natural materials in your home in such a way that they will turn heads.
Facades and veneers
It might seem obvious, and yet we will say it anyway: adding natural stone to the veneer of the front of your house or side of your house gives the entrance a touch of regal elegance, that no amount of man-made and artificial materials can match. For example, nothing quite compares to the complexity and beauty of a smooth sandstone entrance or a feature wall built from natural stone wall panels.
Fortunately, with advances in technology, installing a natural stone wall is much less labour intensive than it used to be. It also doesn’t require as much investment. The only requisite is choosing the right natural stone for your home and hiring an experienced professional to help you!
Whatever stone you choose, installing a rock veneer to the front of your house will transform it into a striking entrance that neighbours and passers-by will enjoy from close up or at a distance.
Tiling
If you’re looking to add style to your home with a natural material without needing to restructure the entire house, an easier solution is retiling your floors (or even walls) with marble, limestone, or travertine.
In case you want to add elegance to your home, nothing commands this as much as marble does, and with good reason. Each piece of marble has a unique texturing and veining, which is why it is no surprise that it’s been used by everyone from Ancient Greeks to modern day museums.
On the other hand, if you’re looking to add warmth and contemporary style to your space, travertine pavers offer the most versatile solution because they are available in sleek jet black options all the way to the marbled mystique of silver and cinnamon tones. Travertine tiles are an excellent choice for refitting a bathroom that’s seen better days, re-touching a kitchen that lacks character, or transforming the kitchen floor into a cool oasis for the feet during the Australian heat.
Pietra Grey Marble Tiles adding a royal touch to this bathroom.
As a patio
Paving your patio with natural stone tiles or pavers, or even using them as a garden path, allows you to blend the natural space with a natural material. Whether you want to install beautiful stepping stones, or a block of stone with grass running through it, you can achieve either design with natural stone pavers.
If you really want, you can even use natural stone to build a feature wall in your patio or garden. It can be an attractive focal point and when contrasted with the right colour scheme, can work very nicely with the overall design of your backyard.
The same Gazebo Wall Cladding mentioned above, used as a feature wall in a patio setting.
The fireplace
There is nothing in the world that transforms a place into a cosy and snug environment like a stone fireplace. Wouldn’t you agree? Just imagine getting cozy next to one on a cold winter night (okay, it is Australia, so maybe a coldish winter night, unless you’re in Tasmania or Melbourne – it does get cold there). Maybe you have a cup of cocoa in one hand, a book in another, wine works too: either way, a stone fireplace and mantle makes for a romantic – or relaxing – way to enjoy your winter day or night.
Some people pay a lot of money to be able to rug up near the fire, why not have one in the comfort of your home all year around?
Bench tops and tables
Whether you use it for the entire set, or only as a bench top, natural stone is an excellent way to turn a mundane surface or object into a beautiful focal point and feature of a room.
This is actually a very popular design trend at the moment where practical objects are used to influence the overall aesthetic of the home. Transforming a necessary item like a bench top into a decorative feature of a room, allows you to save space on other areas that might otherwise be used for decoration. And even if you’re not trying to save space on the beautifying elements of house, adding a unique natural stone bench top will definitely add character to a room.
On the other hand, tables made of natural materials have been a popular choice for centuries. While wood is a classic choice, outdoor or indoor dining sets made of marble add a majestic touch to any room. Just be mindful that marble tables are very heavy and much like pianos require specialised movers, marble tables do too.
An example of a wooden outdoor table setting.
There you have it!
A few simple ways you can transform your home using natural materials.
If you have any questions about which material or natural stone tile or paver would best suit your renovation and home, reach out to our natural stone experts at Armstone online or calling 1300 560 560. We stock the world’s best quality natural stone pavers and tiles and would love to help you choose the best size and design for your project.
We’ve helped many homeowners and would love to help you too.
