Create a living space that’s modern, yet full of natural elements and life.
In recent years, organic modernism has become more popular, particularly when many people around the world are spending most of their time at home. Our living spaces have become our workspaces and our social centers, yet it’s still the place that we retreat to for rest and relaxation. It’s no surprise that welcoming and cozy aesthetics have become a must-have.
Cue the rise of natural elements and minimalist design.
This contemporary style blends rustic elements, like neutral colors and natural materials, with the modern furniture and style that has dominated interior design for decades. While clean lines remain popular, décor has shifted to include elements like reclaimed wood, stone, linens, and other natural materials that don’t appear overly artificial. The idea is ultimately very simple: an unfussy living space that’s cozy, clean, and natural.
Keep reading to learn more about how you can create a beautiful, luxe organic modern design.
We talked about how our homes have become places where we spend a significant amount of time, and how important comfort is because of that. But, there’s more to it than simply being in an environment where you can wear your pajama bottoms all day.
A cluttered, disorganized environment can lead to health issues, too.
Numerous studies have been done to show that a cluttered and disorganized home may lead to anxiety, sleep problems, and other mental health issues that impact our quality of life. It’s plausible that the reason this style is so popular is that it’s quite the opposite of clutter and chaos. Organic modernism encourages a comfortable living space that’s airy and minimal, free of visual reminders that cause many people to experience anxiety.
In addition to potential mental health benefits, many people simply like the style. It incorporates the warmth of Scandinavian design with mid-century modern and artistic styles to create living spaces that blend sophistication and comfort with nature. And, it’s important for every living space—bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, and beyond, every part of the home should be a perfect balance of design and comfortability. Beyond understanding why clients love this style so much, color is possibly the first step toward creating an organic modern style.
The key to creating the perfect organic modern design is the color palette. Unless you’re going for a distinct look, white walls in any design is usually a good choice and the same applies to organic modernism. Fresh, white paint is a good base for the room. To add even more warmth, creamy off whites may be an option as well.
Beyond the walls, greens, beiges, very light grays, and other colors seen in nature are a popular choice. Bold colors can occasionally accent the room, but it’s still a good idea to stay with natural colors. Neon pink, for example, doesn’t really have a place in organic design, but pale red might.
Natural wood colors, like teak or walnut finishes, are also popular in this contemporary design. It adds richness to the design and brings a sense of nature and the outdoors inside. Look around nature for color palette ideas, or browse some of the palettes we’re fond of.
We love these colors, and some of our furniture designs reflect that! Take a look at our luxury furniture that works best in an organic, contemporary design.
Aside from color, another cornerstone of organic modernism is shape. Gone are the harsh lines and uncomfortable perceptions of elevated home décor. Instead, people want clean curves and minimalist designs that feel spacious yet cozy. Natural materials and textures, which we’ll go over next, and clean lines do the trick with this style.
Choose furniture that doesn’t overcrowd the room, and curate a handful of accent items that add interesting colors and textures to the design. Here are a few ideas:
Mid-century modern furniture boasts clean lines and an uncomplicated design, which is why this style was just one natural evolution of the original. Because of this, items that belong in the mid-century modern category are often closely aligned with this style as well.
Both of these styles are beautiful, yet distinct. Here are two stunning designs from our archives showcasing these two related, but unique styles.
This design was done for a client that wanted a warm, inviting home. Sarah used natural colors, living accents, and multiple textures to create this organic modern design.
Unquestionably modern in design, David mixed edgy colors and patterns to create a unique living space. It’s a beautiful example of mid-century modern décor.
Our Favorites: The Misty Dining Table & The Granta Chair
Sometimes textures are an afterthought in design. We’re visual, and we typically think about how something looks before we consider how it feels. But, texture is just as important as the colors in a design. Like the rest of the design, the key here is simplicity. Here are three textures that work best in organic modern style. Read about other textures that are popular in luxury furniture with our blog post Now Trending: Textured Furniture.
Also called jute, rattan is a material made from the bark of the white and tossa jute plants. With multiple uses in furniture and casegoods, it’s a popular choice for manufacturers. We like it for the aesthetics and added texture that it gives furniture. The look and feel of rattan fit in perfectly with organic modernism’s use of natural materials as well as the color palette.
Our Favorite: The Simon Mirror
A valuable resource in the world, metal is essential, but it isn’t always pretty. With organic modern styles, dimpled and hammered metals can create a bold focal point using very little in the way of manufacturing. It certainly takes effort to create a one-of-a-kind piece, but utilizing a raw material, and letting its best qualities literally shine in a design, is a great way to tie a room together.
Our Favorite: The Hera Chandelier
The texture of wood can add an unmistakable, essential element to any piece of luxury furniture. With this particular style, paying attention to the way a wood surface feels when one slides their hand across it is as important as the stain used with woods in furniture design.
Stains can add a rich, deep color while still preserving the grainy feel of wood. For some of our items, like those in our Belmont collection, the texture is as equally important as the design.
Our Favorite: The Belmont Bed
| Two Beautiful Finish Options: | |
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| Elm | Pine |
At the beginning of this article, we talked about how clutter is believed to be linked with quality of life. Taking a minimalist approach when curating one of these contemporary spaces is essential for a beautiful design. Many homes designed with comfort in mind feature open layouts and utilize the indoors as well as the outdoors to create a living space that can be enjoyed year-round.
While it creates a lovely design, it can be challenging to tie together a space that has multiple uses. When incorporating different styles is unavoidable, such as harsher, hard lines that can be found in a kitchen, color becomes a great tool for unifying a design. Consider stained wood furniture and kitchen cabinets with the same stain, or use a common material on lighting and casegoods to organically lead the eye around the room.
For rooms that are smaller or more blocked off, you can create the illusion of more space with lighting. Strategically positioned light fixtures and the right color in the perfect place can make the smallest rooms feel more open.
The last few years have given way to the rise of the home office. Arguably potentially one of the more stressful areas of the home, the office needs to be relaxing. Here’s an example of a design that’s functional and peaceful.
While the home office can be a stressful place—although hopefully less so with the right décor—the living room should be filled with fun, laughter, and relaxation. An organic modern living room promotes these attributes, along with a more natural vibe, very well. Here is an example of organic modern furniture and colors for a living room:
It can be difficult to describe a style that’s organic and natural, yet so clearly modern and clean. For clients that aren’t sure what they are looking for, beyond a comfortable and clean living space, it may be necessary to introduce them to this style. Here are some of our favorite ways to describe organic modernism for clients, as well as some images that might help.
“Organic modernism isn’t necessarily bohemian, but it isn’t minimalism either. It borrows from numerous styles to create a setting that feels unencumbered…but organic as well.”
“The organic modern style incorporates colors and textures from nature with the styles we see from mid-century modern to create a functional and cozy trend in home décor.”
Updated on August 5th, 2022.
Have questions about organic modern furniture and how the design style is used in 2022? Browse our most commonly asked questions below for more insight into this design style.
Organic modernism incorporates elements of nature, such as wood, stone, leather, and metals, as larger elements in the overall modern design. It has clean lines, rounded shapes, and a plethora of textures to mimic the natural world.
The term organic, when used in home décor, is design that takes inspiration from nature. Things like natural forms, materials associated with nature, and textures and forms that draw the natural world inside are all elements of organic design.
Answer #1 Organic style places an emphasis on blending nature with man-made environments. This movement incorporates the feeling of the outdoors inside a home to create a more relaxing living space.
Modern style incorporates natural light and clean lines, along with a minimalist approach to design and often a monochromatic color palette to create an environment that is comfortable, functional, and stylish.
Organic minimalism is a newer branch of organic modernism. This movement uses decorations very sparingly in different designs and creates a comfortable space that is tasteful, sophisticated, and easy to maintain.
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