Top 7 Natural Materials to incorporate in your home

Happy World Environment Day!

We couldn't find a better way to celebrate world environment day on 5th June, than by dedicating this post to natural materials and sustainable living!

Natural materials are finding their way not just into Scandinavian themed interiors, but also in various forms and shapes into homes across the world.

Why have they become so popular? Are they really good for us? Why is sustainable living making headlines? What really is sustainable living?

Well, we tried to find answers to all of these questions and introduce top natural materials that are must-haves in your homes to help you move a step closer to living more sustainably.

All our answers lie in understanding sustainable living. It means reducing your carbon footprint by using products that have been less processed, use less fuel and resources and are potentially bio-degradable. These natural materials breathe and let the people around them breathe too. They’re organic and just like there is high concern for consuming foods that are naturally grown, there is greater emphasis on consuming household goods that too come directly from nature. 

The options are abundant and with this greater awareness, designers across the world, took a moment and noticed the importance of sustainability to incorporate natural materials which have now become worldwide trends. Being conscious of what the products are made of, what impact they have on the environment and how they affect your immediate household environment is important now.

Here are our top 7 recommendations for incorporating natural materials with 3 extra bonus materials at the end that deserved a mention!

1. Water Hyacinth

Think woven storage baskets, planters, table mats and even furniture, think Water Hyacinth! It’s the rage in modern minimalistic interior décor. Not only is it a ‘green’ material, but also lends a neutral, light and beautiful aura.

The plant grows at a very fast rate and almost creates a problem of weeding. Controlled harvest finds the best use for this plant which would otherwise become waste.

The leaves of marine Water Hyacinth plants are dried and woven onto frames. As it’s hand woven, there can be various patterns and designs in it's natural dried golden colour or tainted, dyed, painted or distressed effects. Our top elegant and eco-friendly pick, this material is a definite must-have in homes! View some products here. 

2. Bamboo Breeze

Depending on the way one introduces them in their space, bamboo can add an Asian vibe, a modern, minimalistic or even a contemporary feel to the interiors.

The unique way in which we use Bamboo at Nestasia is a method called spinning bamboo. Artisans hand spin the bamboo with precision into various products with the help of a turn table just like in clay pottery and adorn them in vibrant coats of lacquer.

For those going for the neutral tones, there are subtle matte lacquer finishes retaining the natural colour of the material. For those vying for a bright pop of colour, there are metallic finishes and bright colours to add vibrancy. Find the collection here.

Lacquer, a natural plant based material collected as sap of a tree is used to give decorative and home products a shiny and smooth finish.

Asian lacquer in modern day has become a fine art with inlaid silver or gold foil, pearl or shell. It is handcrafted by skilled artisans to produce beautiful patterns and designs.

The length and time consuming process done by hand means that artisan families involved in producing this work over generations are masters of the art. Experience these works of art through our collection here.

Shells are naturally formed waste found on sea beds. They’re natural, iridescent, and sometimes even anti-bacterial in nature.

At Nestasia, bio-conscious procurement is everything! As they’re wastes, animals are not harmed to retrieve the raw materials.

Divers from villages alongside rivers use logs of wood as floatation devices and dive down to 13-20 feet depths with a rope tied to their legs to bring out these shells, hand cut and hand craft them into beautiful trays, vases and much more. View our collection here.

Crystal stone or quartz are natural mineral stones collected from regions in Asia, hand-picked and set on various decorative pieces like lacquer boxes to create a psychedelic aura in your place of display.

Crystals are known to cancel out blocked energy and bring positivity. They’re great way to add that touch of opulence. They're a daily muse at Nestasia as we plan to add them to our must-have collection! 

Seagrass is 100% eco-friendly! Organic grass that grows in marsh lands in abundance, is harvested, dried and coiled to form trays, boxes and various household products.

Contemporary designs and embellishments, turn this wild grass into unique crafts. These are vital to the eco-system of these marsh lands hence their growth and regular harvest (before death and rotting) actually helps the eco-system around these marsh lands thrive in full swing. 

Nestasia's travels has lead us to find some unique designs with fusion or combination of materials like wood, bamboo, cloth and leather with seagrass to re-invent it for our homes. Coming up at our store soon! 

The ancient art of pottery has evolved and developed over the years, preserving old techniques of craft while infusing modern design to create a delectable range of products.

Asians, known to be master potters use a variety of clay to make products with different thickness and hardness.  Natural non-toxic, plastic free, clay products not only reduce the carbon footprint but make for beautiful décor pieces.

Nestasia plans to add a whole new range of ceramic and porcelain pottery from across the South East Asian region.

Bonus!

Raw wood, rattan and cotton are 3 bonus elements that we felt deserved a mention. Wood although omnipresent in Indian homes, can be incorporated in very new and creative ways today. One such decorating style is shabby chic with distressed wooden décor pieces and furniture that have gained popularity.

The UFO storage baskets and planters have broken all records in the home décor space dues to their chic yet natural look, their soft foldable texture and creative design embellishments. Be it paired with wool pompoms, painted or used in their most basic natural form, they are ideal for ALL homes!

Raw cotton and even Jute is now being extensively used by designers in soft furnishings. The natural textures and colours they lend are something Nestasia is absolutely crushing on! We recently onboarded a Delhi based rugs brand that rolls out eclectic as well as subtle designs to suit the need of modern day homes. Check them out here!