If you’re looking to create a comfortable natural oasis within your home, the urban jungle aesthetic may be for you! This exotic home decorating style will have your living space looking and feeling lush with greenery. Check out these 14 urban jungle design ideas for decorating your home!
Choose the Right Houseplants
Photo via @hiltoncarter
Houseplants are the focus of an urban jungle home, so it’s crucial that you pick out the right plants for your living space. Do your research before you start buying houseplants, though! The type of soil used, the amount of sunlight needed, and how often you’ll have to water vary greatly between different plant types, so you’ll want to find houseplants that work well for your level of experience. Monsteras, cacti, pothos, hoyas, and ponytail palms are just a few of the most common plants used as decor in urban jungle homes.
Arrange Plants Strategically
Photo via @theplantparlournz
All houseplants have different requirements in terms of sunlight amount, watering habits, and more. Group plants with similar needs together to make them easier to care for and keep them as healthy as possible! For example, Moth orchids and Japanese Fatsia thrive on bright but indirect light and should be placed in east-facing windows. Plants requiring intense sunlight for at least part of the day, such as Jade Plants and Urn Plants, will do well in west-facing windows.
Create Depth & Dimension
Photo via @mybohemianjungle
When adding plants into your urban jungle design, focus on creating depth and dimension by varying plant placement in rooms. Put large houseplants like monsteras in decorative pots on the floor, smaller plants like succulents on staggered shelving, and hanging plants like Pothos in macrame plant hangers. Mixing and matching plants—both in type and placement—can help you avoid a cluttered look in your home.
Go with a Simple Color Scheme
Photo via @coffeeinmyjungle
The urban jungle interior design style tends to implement basic color schemes, which makes it easier to avoid clashing with already colorful houseplants. White and beige are common paint colors used in this home decorating style because they allow plants to really pop in a small space, but earth tones and water tones also work well in an urban jungle home because of their association with feng shui energies of comfort and health. If you’re looking for a good complementary color for an accent wall or decor, try pops of gold, orange, and pink.
Utilize Soft Furnishings
Photo via @saratoufali
Make your urban jungle home feel even cozier by adding soft furnishings throughout your living space. With plush couches and chairs, knitted blankets, shaggy rugs, macrame tapestries, and colorful throw pillows, you can soften up rooms and create contrast with the textures of your houseplants. This is also a great way to incorporate a Bohemian decorating style with your urban jungle aesthetic!
Let in Natural Light
Photo via @myplantlifejourney
Not only is natural light necessary for many houseplants that require exposure to sunlight, but it’s also part of decorating an urban jungle home! Allowing natural light into your home can make it seem larger and more spacious, which can be helpful when living in small spaces like studio apartments or urban lofts. If you don’t want to leave your windows completely uncovered, try semi-sheer curtains or bamboo blinds—both are aesthetically pleasing, work well with urban jungle design, and are practical light-filtering solutions!
Use Earthy Materials
Photo via @fagusurban
With urban jungle furniture and decor, avoid materials that look or feel synthetic. Instead, opt for wicker, bamboo, wood, terracotta, and other natural materials to maintain an organic feel throughout your living space. These materials not only help complete the urban jungle aesthetic, but are more sustainable than hard plastics, polymer, and polyester.
Install Solid Shelving
Photo via @theleafyplantshop
Good shelving is crucial for urban jungle design. Since you’ll be displaying houseplants in various places and at different heights throughout your home, consider mixing and matching shelving. Add floating shelves for flowering plants around your TV or above your bed. Repurpose an old ladder as a tiered shelf for cacti and succulents. Or create a bold look in your kitchen with suspended ceiling shelves for vines and climbing plants.
Add Nature-Themed Wall Decor
Photo via @imjessicabrigham & jessicabrigham.com
Leaf and floral prints, landscape paintings, and other nature-focused home decor are great accessories for your urban jungle home. Put up some funky jungle or tropical-themed wallpaper. Hang dried flowers or preserved butterflies on the wall. You can even make your own framed prints by taking old leaves from your houseplants, dipping them in paint, and stamping them on canvas for one-of-a-kind DIY urban jungle decor!
Incorporate Whimsical Touches
Photo via @the_swearing_gardener
Pairing whimsical decor with your urban jungle decorating style is a natural choice! Hang a decorative metallic mobile between hanging plants, or set small succulents on an antique mirrored tray. Add some cottagecore charm by using a rustic milk bottle to hold fresh-cut flowers. Or place vining plants next to staircases or sculptures to give the room an intentionally overgrown garden vibe.
Set Up a Kitchen Herb Garden
Photo via @khiesebromano
Blend form and function with an urban-style indoor herb garden in your kitchen! Set herbs in terracotta pots by a windowsill, on a tiered cupcake tree on your counter, or even on a rolling bar cart. Or consider hanging them in a kitchen window! Just make sure you label your herbs so you know what you’re harvesting when it comes time to use them. Not to mention, the smell of the herbs will add a pleasant layer to your home’s atmosphere!
Make a Plant Wall
Photo via @knots.and.pots.home
Can’t paint the walls in your home? Liven them up by creating an urban jungle plant wall! There are tons of ways you can add indoor vertical gardens to your living space. Fix small planting pots or mason jars to wooden pallets, hang DIY terrariums, repurpose shadowboxes as succulent containers, or simply let indoor vining plants climb up your walls!
Include a Terrarium
Photo via @grissybears
You can never have enough plants in your urban jungle home, so why not add a terrarium! Popular urban jungle home design trends include creating a DIY terrarium by planting succulents, moss, and other low-maintenance plants in an old aquarium. Make several miniature terrariums as living room or dining room tabletop decor. Or make a terrarium coffee table with a glass top to really show off your home decor and green thumb skills!
Focus on Sustainability
Photo via @karrrrst
While decorating choices are important when it comes to urban jungle interiors, embracing sustainability at home is also part of urban jungle home design. Hide a compost bin under the sink in your kitchen or backyard for food scraps, then use the compost to help your houseplants grow. Buy your houseplants from local growers, especially ones who follow sustainable practices. Buy high-quality, durable plant pots rather than their plastic counterparts. And consider making changes to your habits to live more sustainably each day!
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