The desire of a modern person to reconnect with nature, the craving for a green oasis in the middle of a dusty metropolis of glass and concrete, a pandemic that forced many of us to spend more time at home – all these factors influenced the formation and popularization of a new interior trend, called Urban jungle (“urban jungle”).
“Green” way of thinking
At some point, the passion for landscaping in European interiors became so noticeable that designers felt the need to talk about it as a new interior trend. And when a book by Parisian bloggers Judith De Graaf and Igor Yosifovich was published in 2016, the direction got its name.
The book “Urban Jungle: How to create a cozy interior with plants” gave a lot of useful tips for greening your living space and quickly became a hit. And in 2020, as the world faces forced self-isolation, the urban jungle has become one of the hottest trends in interior design.
The urban jungle is not an interior style, but a certain approach to the design of a space that does not have strict rules and plot “frameworks”, but has important tasks: it has a beneficial effect on the psyche, makes the air in the apartment cleaner and teaches us to care for nature, at least in room-scale.
Gardening Secrets
It is not necessary to turn the whole apartment into a blooming garden or a forest glade, only one room can be made “green”. The main thing is that you have a corner of wildlife.
In their book, “green” bloggers recommend starting gardening with unpretentious plants: tenacious cacti and succulents. These preppers are especially interesting when grouped together and make good company for books, pottery, records, and photographs on your shelves.
Having collected the basis of the collection from unpretentious representatives of the plant kingdom, gradually supplement it with more difficult-to-care specimens. But sensibly evaluate the needs of green tenants and your willingness to spend time and effort on this.
The effect of wildlife can be achieved by placing plants at different levels. Hanging pots that are attached to a wall or ceiling are a good idea. They will save space on the floor, become the main characters of the interior and allow you to create a spectacular photo zone in the apartment.
“Jungle” can be arranged in any living room, on the balcony, in the bathroom, and in the kitchen. For the bathroom, choose plants that prefer a warm, humid climate. In the kitchen, edible herbs are a good solution: basil, thyme, mint, lemon balm, and other plants that you add to food and drinks. Not only beautiful but also useful.
If you want more exotic, pay attention to the monstera, which, thanks to its graphic leaves, has become an absolute favorite of designers and decorators. There have been a lot of monsteras in interior design over the past few years: we have seen its“portraits” on posters, wallpapers, and textiles, but nothing compares in showiness to a live monstera, which, fortunately, is quite unassuming in everyday life and can grow even in the shade.
Not only plants
The bio-theme in the interior can be emphasized with a floral print on wallpaper, textiles, and dishes, a trendy green tint of painted walls, and furniture upholstery. Any natural shades will go well with a living corner, it is not necessary to choose exclusively light colors: the plants look spectacular against the background of dark walls.
Crown mark has a wide assortment of furniture pieces in a natural color palette.
Living decor can make friends with almost any interior style, with the exception of urban hi-tech. But plants do best when paired with charming vintage, boho, and handicrafts.
Indoor plants thrive next to handmade ceramics, natural textiles, vintage photo frames, vinyl players, wicker furniture, macrame, and jute rugs.
Instead of standard pots, you can use all the same handmade ceramics, wicker baskets, and bags, vintage vases, cups, and mugs. By the way, chips will only give them individuality.
Let’s not forget that such an interior can be beautiful in theory and become a source of stress in practice if you do not have the time to provide the green family members with the necessary care: watering, replanting, dusting, protecting from encroachment by pets. But if the soul lies in gardening, it’s still worth a try. Let’s finish with a quote from the book “Urban Jungle”: “If the plant died, it’s not the end of the world, it’s a reason to choose a new one!”.
