How to Decorate a Living Room With Natural Outdoor Motifs

Beach Motif

• If the beach is your happy place, decorate your living room to reflect it. Use natural motifs associated with a beach, such as palm trees and seashells, to enhance the space. You can fill room corners with potted palm trees and other tropical foliage for a castaway look. For another idea, fill a clear glass bowl with sand and a sprinkling of seashells then nestle a votive inside for a creative candle holder. Update a neutral-hued couch or love seat with seashell-patterned throw pillows and hang breezy curtains in the same design. Furniture that features blue and white-striped cotton upholstery will give a space a casual cabana feel. Wallpaper borders with green palm trees are ideal ways to jazz up plain white walls. Another way to update walls is by hanging beloved photos of family beach vacations in whitewashed picture frames.

Garden Motif

• Give your living room a charming garden cottage feel with colorful flower, bird and insect motifs. Paint the walls a sunny shade of yellow and choose white wicker furniture, such as a love seat and chair, to enhance the style. Choose seat cushions or decorative pillows that feature flower, hummingbird or ladybug patterns. Hang paintings or sketches in coordinating designs on the living room walls for a cohesive look. Make a sweet-smelling coffee table centerpiece by filling a vintage vase with an arrangement of fresh roses, tulips, gardenias or daisies.

Forest Motif

• A forest-inspired theme will give your living room a serene feel. Set the stage for the look by painting the walls a soft, fern green shade. For a fresh look, choose a white couch with green fern leaf or pine needle patterns. Work other forest motifs, such as pine cones, owls and squirrels, into the design with paintings, rugs and throw blankets and pillows. Place a wooden bowl filled with pine cones and acorns or a redwood burl in a shallow glass dish on a coffee table for a rustic centerpiece. If you're artistic, paint a green and brown forest motif that features trees and leaves on a plain white living room wall or apply a removable mural if you want something less permanent.

Desert Motif

• Create a southwestern-styled retreat with a desert motif. Paint your living room walls in an earthy shade reminiscent of a desert sunset, such as warm yellow, coral or deep red, to provide a backdrop for the look. Use green cactus-patterned pillows to give a sand-colored couch or love seat a pop of color. For a touch of whimsy, place plants in terracotta pots decorated with green and red gecko designs. Work Native American elements, such as turquoise and silver, into the decor. Accent a bookcase with turquoise and silver bookends or place a turquoise sculpture on your coffee table. For a decorative window touch, hang a dream catcher in the space.