Bring Nature Indoors

It's finally winter here in Dallas. The grass is drab. The trees are bare...or crispy brown. And no flower in its right mind would even try to bloom right now. But that doesn't mean there's nothing to look at. That's because, like many times of the year, I've brought nature into our home.

Now, it's not nature in its full-blown colorful glory. But it's nature nonetheless. Here are a few examples of things I do throughout the fall and winter seasons to make our home a more beautiful space.

Nuts
Here in Texas parks are full of people with plastic grocery bags grubbing along the ground for pecans. I cheat a bit and hit the grocery store. I'll buy a couple pounds of mixed nuts--pecans, walnuts, almonds in the shell--and put them in pottery and wooden bowls throughout our house. Of course, sometimes I'm practical and put a nutcracker next to them so we can help ourselves to a quick snack. Sometimes I just leave them for us to look at. (And if there are leftovers and we're tired of looking at nuts, I'll throw them out into the front yard for very grateful squirrels.)

Pine Cones
I recently took a trip to Houston to visit friends and their new baby. They have a huge pine tree in their front yard, so I scavenged a great big bag of pine cones to bring back home. They're now in several bowls and baskets throughout our house. Just in time for the holidays. If you don't have a pine tree nearby to harvest, hit the craft store. There are plenty out there to be had.

Fruit
Just because it's cold outside doesn't mean you can't bring a touch of summer inside. How about a bowl of limes? A tall clear glass vase overflowing with lemons. Or even just a beautiful specimen of a pineapple. Of course, more seasonal choices are pomegranates or the many types of apples hitting your grocery produce sections. Even those little clementines that you can buy right now. Once you start to treat things from nature like the works of art they are, the possibilities are endless.

Rocks
Yeah, I said rocks. One of the things that my partner and I have made a tradition is bringing back rocks as souvenirs from trips. Whether it's a piece of quartz from an Oklahoma lakeshore or a piece of coral fro a Florida beach, they're not only beautiful but great reminders of wonderful times together. Of course, you can buy rocks too. Beautiful colorful examples of geodes and minerals. While you certainly can have a rock garden outside, consider bringing a few choice specimens inside.

Now, to stick with the Life Should Be Beautiful vibe, it's important that you take the time to appreciate the things you're bringing into your home. Look at them. Feel them. Even smell them. You'll quickly conclude, as I have, that Mother Nature is one of the best design consultants you can have on your team.