Discover all there is to know about earthy interiors designed to ground your living room and bring us closer to nature.
Earth tones are colours inspired by nature, that soothe and ground the home by bringing the outdoors in. Reminiscent of sandy beaches, forest greens and deep ocean blues, earth tones warm up the home and are now the go-to for anyone who wants to create a stylish and cosy space.
What makes earth tones so versatile is that they are the colour palette of various interior styles that are currently trending. Japandi, mid-century modern and bohemian-inspired décor are just some of the few styles where nature is the key element.
From earthy colours in the living room, décor styles, to what textures to use, discover all there is to know about earthy living room ideas. Once you’ve read our styling tips, browse our range of cream and neutral fabric sofas to get started.
What are earth tones?
Earth tones are relaxing colours that are rooted in nature and take inspiration from the outdoors. Brown shades, rich mossy greens, stone-like greys and deep blues are the key tones in this palette and are often used as the main colours when decorating. While the primary colours are more neutral, earth tones like bright reds, mustard yellows and playful pinks can be used as accent colours to perk up the room.
Brown is all the rage now and it’s the perfect way to introduce earthy colours to your living room. If you want to introduce it as a wall colour, choose muted tones like beige, camel or latte for that luxe feel. You can also decorate with different brown tones like using dark browns to accentuate parts of the room to highlight shelving for an alcove. Besides the wall colour, choose a sofa in a light brown tone or go even lighter with a cream or oatmeal tone. To prevent the room from feeling one-dimensional, bring in other earth tones like terracotta, orange or rust through soft accessories like cushions or throws.
Green is the obvious choice for earth tones especially if you’re in the mood to refresh your space. A light green like sage or mint will add a modern twist to your walls while still grounding the room. When decorating with green, the key is to think of it as neutral. Complement the green walls with neutral tones like cream, light grey or beige - these are great options for sofa upholstery or rug colours.
Lean into the energetic side of the earth tone palette when decorating the living room. Go for a burnt orange or terracotta to inject energy and happiness into your living room and add depth to your interior. After all, terracotta is the trending earth tone if your walls need a dopamine boost. With such a bold wall colour, it’s best to keep the rest of your décor simple. Choose a sofa in a light tone like grey or cream to balance the room and stick to clean, modern silhouettes when accessorising.
Natural textures play a big role in earthy-inspired interiors like Japandi and mid-century modern design. Bring in wooden accents through flooring, furniture or accessories. Different types of wood like rattan, bamboo, oak or mahogany will add detail to the space. If you want to make wood the focal point of the room, introduce wall slats to your living room. The wood tone you choose for the slats will set the mood of your room. Dark wood sprinkles a hint of drama to your living room while oak or other lighter woods keep it understated.
5. Bring nature inside with indoor plants
Furniture And Choice
Bringing nature indoors is one of the key elements to nailing earthy interiors. What better way to do it than with natural greenery? The first step is to decide which plants can bring character to your interior. Do you want them to make a big statement? Monstera or areca palm plants are the way to go. If you have limited space in your living room, use hanging planters or add trailing plants to your shelves to maximise your surroundings.
With nature being a key element to earthy interiors, another way to bring the outdoors in is through natural lighting. Introducing mirrors will help reflect the light and make your space feel more vibrant. When placed correctly, the mirror will enhance the ambience of your room and elevate your living room interior. Take your pick on the shape or size of mirror you want — consider your living room layout and the position of where you want to place the mirror before deciding.
Besides indoor plants, introduce other natural motifs to your living room through prints and patterns. Wallpaper is one of the easiest ways to do this — like botanical prints, floral motifs or palm prints. Style a feature wall as the focal point using big and bold prints. You can wallpaper the whole room or create a feature wall for simple prints or motifs. For more feature wall ideas, check out our guide.
Japandi is an interior style that draws much of its inspiration from natural textures and materials. An earthy palette is the way to go with this interior style — think cream, taupe, beige, oatmeal, ivory and light brown. You can also go darker with browns, stone shades and greys to break up the light base.
Textured wallpaper is one way to highlight Japandi’s earthy elements. Another tip is to choose a sofa that will serve as a calming anchor. Pick a beige or cream sofa in a cosy texture like boucle to add depth to the room. Bring in subtle hints of colour through accessories like pale pink, light green or darker accents like black to contrast the earth tones.
Bohemian-inspired décor is another interior style that works effortlessly with earth tones. Take the modern boho route with calming earth tones as your colour palette while incorporating boho’s love of prints, patterns and textures. Pick a calming (but expressive) colour for your sofa like dark green or navy blue to make a statement. Prioritise natural textures whether it’s wood, cotton, clay or rattan. For example, layer with boho’s fun, free-spirited style through accessories like colourful cushions, rattan lighting and a shaggy rug.
With mid-century modern design placing importance on choosing furniture made from natural materials, pick an earth tone palette to complement this. Off-whites like cream, beige or brown undertones are top picks for the backdrop if you’re bored of white walls. Since it is mid-century modern design, choose furniture with unfussy silhouettes and clean, uncluttered lines or soft curves which will help make your space look bigger. For example, choose a sofa with a slim profile and sleek, tapered legs to make the room feel more spacious.
If you want to shake things up, introduce touches of red. There’s so much red to be found in nature — roses, spices, tomatoes and autumn leaves are just a few that come to mind.
Use red or burnt orange as an accent colour as it can easily overwhelm your space. This can be a neutral sofa with red or burnt orange accessories or white walls with bold curtains. If you’re thinking of adding red to the walls, a good idea would be to paint the inside of an alcove and keep the surrounding space neutral to create a focal point.
On rainy days, we look to the sun for inspiration. A dose of sunshine is just what the doctor ordered with bright yellow accents. If you’re unsure of where to start, accessorise with cushions or artwork. For those in an experimental mood, painting your staircase yellow will uplift your space and transform your living room. Keep the rest of the room simple with contemporary silhouettes and clean lines. If you think sunshine yellow is too bright, go for ochre - a pale yellow with deep brown and red undertones. It will also complement any wooden textures and pairs well with light greys and warm reds.
We’ve mentioned a lot of neutrals and greens so far but we haven’t forgotten about blue. Take inspiration from coastal décor where blue is the accent colour of the living room. Make blue the focal point with a half-painted wall. Focus on clean simple lines and keep the rest of the décor neutral, think beige, cream or off-white. Choose natural elements such as a linen or cotton sofa alongside rattan accessories and a jute rug. Bring in other pops of blue through pillows and throws to break up the neutrals.
Layering is an important part of earthy interiors as it adds texture and makes the room feel less one-dimensional if you’re decorating with a standalone colour. Decorating with rugs and carpets helps to zone the living room and soften your space. Choose a light earth tone for the rug like light grey or beige to ground the room. Besides fabric rugs, jute or sisal rugs are great options for emphasising texture and help invite nature into the living room.
Contrasting different textures is essential to earthy living rooms. Stone textures on the walls or marble flooring help connect us back to nature and ground us in the present moment. Meanwhile, soft textures like cotton, velvet and boucle stylishly contrast these raw materials. A velvet sofa or a boucle armchair will stand out against the walls and elevate your living room style. Complete the look with soft lighting and bring in raw finishes and curves such as clay vases or stoneware.
FAQS
How to make an earthy living room?
Start by choosing from a palette of brown shades, rich mossy greens, stone-like greys or deep blues. Bring in textures like wood, stone, rattan, cotton and jute to create a relaxing look.
What are earthy tones for interior design?
Earthy interiors bring a sense of calm and ground the room with their natural colours and texture. Earthy interior design emphasises natural textures and organic elements that connect us to nature.
What style is earthy?
Earthy décor is designed to embrace the beauty of nature through interiors. Interior styles like Japandi, mid-century modern design and bohemian-inspired decor have a lot of earthy elements in their interiors.
How do I make my home more earthy?
Decide on which earth tone colour palette you want to decorate with - beach-inspired colours, forest greens or deep browns. Bring in pops of colour like reds, mustard yellows and playful pinks as accents.
We hope you enjoyed reading our earthy living room ideas. Looking for more décor tips like this? Check out our guide to tropical style or cosy hygge ideas for more inspiration.
