Ideas for Creating Nature-Inspired Outdoor Decor

If you love the feeling of being surrounded by nature, why not let that inspiration guide your outdoor decor? Whether you have a spacious backyard or a small balcony, incorporating natural elements will help create a natural, welcoming space that reflects the beauty of the outdoors. In this post, I’ll share ideas for creating nature-inspired decor. Don’t be afraid to weave in organic textures, earthy tones, and found and vintage objects into your outdoor styling so you can enjoy a space that feels grounded, timeless, and seamlessly connected to nature. Let’s chat about ideas for creating nature-inspired outdoor decor.

Ideas for Creating Nature-Inspired Outdoor Decor

Embrace the Color Palette of the Surrounding Landscape

I am drawn to exterior spaces that seamlessly connect the outdoor decor to the natural environment. Draw inspiration from your surroundings. Think soft earth tones: greens, browns, warm whites, and muted grays and blues. Repeat the colors in your plants, soil, hardscapes and your exterior house palette in your outdoor living space. Layer neutrals with texture for visual interest.

We tried to repeat the colors in the stone, the iron fixtures and the shutters in our “courtyard outdoor living room”. We added the umbrellas from Midtown Umbrellas a couple years ago. This patio would be unusable during the dog days of summer without these umbrellas. We brought the black outdoor chairs from our fixer upper. I may not have chosen black if I were starting from scratch. The sofa and chairs is no longer available. Pillows are from Etsy here. Vintage planters are from Atelier de Campagne. The side tables are no longer available but Pottery Barn has very similar ones here. Steve drilled holes on the top and bottom and inserted the umbrellas and stands. You can read more about that in this post 10 Ideas for Creating an Inviting Courtyard Oasis here.

The outdoor fireplace area of our former home. The pillows echoed the color of the shutters on the house. The floor tiles, fireplace surround, echoed the color of the roof tile on the house. The table base was purchased in Mexico and we had the stone top made (similar on Etsy here). You can find similar outdoor chairs here.

Incorporate Organic Materials

I know this one sounds like a no-brainer. Wood, iron, stone, or brick that echo the colors in the natural landscape offer continutity.

Thi is one of the seating areas of our outdoor space. Comfort is key. The poles on the umbrellas repeat the color of the chairs, and the coffee table’s vintage tabletop, which all relate to the colors in the stone wall and fountain. The copper trellises were made by my brother in law. You can find his Etsy shop here.

At our former lake house, we carved out a small patio area that became one of our favorite spots. This is the “dining room” of that small but mighty space. You can read about this area in one of my first posts Lake House Patio Update here. Excuse the poor photography. The gravel we chose echoed the soft tones of the stucco, creatindeas for Creating Nature-Inspired Decorg a cohesive, calming palette. We added vintage shutters to the window for a bit of charm, and the table—lovingly crafted by our dear friend Jim, who has since passed—was the heart of the space. We brought that table with us to our fixer-upper, and it continues to be a piece we cherish and enjoy every day here. Pottery Barn has a similar table on sale here. Similar chairs can be found at Willaims Sonoma here, or at Crate and Barrel here.

Ideas for Creating Nature-Inspired Decor

Repeat Plant and Foliage Colors

All shades of green, blue grays, and whatever flower colors you have are worth repeating, in your accents such as throw pillows, and or napkins or throws.

The perimeter of our courtyard is covered so we were able to incorporate a few antiques for character. Pillows from left to right, black and white, tan and white, green and white, and faux jute.

Soften the Space with Textiles

This is our favorite spot for dining al fresco with friends in the summer months. The vine orb was purhased at Atrium Mercantile, and fashioned intto a battery operated chandelier. The round table was in our fixer upper diing room. This area is covered, so we just give it a good coat of oil once a year. .Similar chairs can be found here but they are not outdoor. Tablecloth is by Fete Home here. Throws are from Libeco Home and can be found at Bloomist here. Pillows are no longer available.

Ideas for Creating Nature-Inspired Outdoor Decor

Add Some Vintage Items

For me, this is less of a design rule and more a reflection of my personal style. While it’s certainly not a requirement, adding a few well-loved vintage pieces brings a sense of character, warmth, and history to any outdoor space. The natural decor and items tell a story and lend a charming, collected feel that can’t be replicated with something new.

In the entry to our courtyard houses a vintage console we purchased from Habitat Home and Garden. The hat rack was in the entry of our former home. I found the old sombrero on Ebay. We purchased the wine hotte from Patine several years ago, the zinc bowl is from Atrium Mercantile. I swap some of the things out seasonally, and this piece serves as a bar when we entertain large groups.

Ideas for Creating Nature-Inspired Outdoor Decor

Add a Water Feature

Ponds, pools, bird baths or fountains are calming and add a sense of well-being and ambiance. We have had some sort of water feature in every home we have owned. If your space is small add a small wall fountain.

Our fountain at the lake that Steve and Colin created from designer Katie Denham’s plans. The outdoor furniture is a collected mix of treasured pieces constructed by our friend Jim and Kouboo chairs purchased from World Market years ago.

One of the fountains at our Chualar home echos the hues of the natural materials in the pathways and sidewalks.

At our former home we were continually adding details to our garden. This fountain was added to the back of our outdoor fireplace.

We Created this fountain from a large pot from Potstop Moss Landing and surrounded it with pots purhased there as well for our Fixer Upper. It now resides here at our current home. You can read more about the evolution of that garden in the post, Before and After Backyard Transformation here.

Our courtyard fountain at our current home . The former owners purchased the bowl in France.

Our front fountain in our Chualar Canyon home. The front garden was filled with rock roses, landscape roses, catmint, lavendar and teucrium.

Ideas for Creating Nature-Inspired Outdoor Decor

Create Collected Inviting Vignettes

For me, it’s all about layering textures, incorporating natural elements and vintage finds, and choosing pieces that reflect the same casual, collected style I love indoors

The entry to our courtyard in our current home. We purchased the console at Habitat Home and Garden locally. All of the other artifacts we have owned for years. The vintage grape harvester filled with grape leaves is from Patine. You can find similar on Etsy here.

The outdoor fireplace area in our former Chualar home.

I hope you enjoyed reading,Ideas for Creating Nature-Inspired Outdoor Decor. Bringing a touch of nature into your outdoor decor doesn’t have to be complicated—it’s really about creating a space that feels peaceful, grounded, and true to you. Whether it’s layering in organic textures, repurposing vintage treasures, or simply using what you already have, the beauty lies in the imperfections and the personal touches. Have you created your own outdoor oasis? Your creativity always inspires me!