Organic modern is an interior design style that combines minimalist, clean-lined furniture with natural materials such as solid wood, stone and ceramics, creating spaces that feel both contemporary and connected to nature.
Interior design styles change and evolve over time. Classic styles get incorporated into modern styles, and sometimes two different styles get mixed to create a new style. Organic modern, or also called modern organic is just like that: it combines the modern minimal look and natural / organic elements.
Right now and in front of our eyes, organic modern is becoming one of the most popular styles of the decade. Let’s see why.
Organic + modern = organic modern?
It’s not as simple as adding some elements of both styles and getting organic modern as a result. If you put a flower in a minimalist interior, it does not get organic modern just like that - in organic modern, the organic and modern elements take effect on each other and create a perfect harmony.
And sometimes, even one piece of furniture or decoration can be organic and modern at the same time. Later in this article, we will show some exciting examples.
Things that lead us towards organic modern
Organic modern is not a brand new style, but it got really popular in the past few years. It's not a coincidence: there are several changes in our lives and society that shape how we spend our days in our homes which definitely takes effect on the interior design.
Wish to declutter and simplify
Minimalist lifestyle is becoming more and more popular. We want to have less, want to live in a space that is not overcrowded, hence decluttering is always a to-do for those people who want to feel better in their homes. It also reflects our choice of furniture, moving towards modern and minimal, practical pieces.
Wish to be closer to nature, be organic
Especially due to the COVID-19 pandemic, when we were between the four walls, we realized again how important nature is, so biophil design, plants, organic materials became a crucial part of our interiors - we wanted to bring the nature closer to us, even when we are at home.
Wish to have a sustainable home and life
Moving towards organic things is not just because of the comfortable feeling and the connection with nature, but also the sustainability. We want to have less impact on nature, therefore we tend to select organic pieces that are recycled, recyclable or made in a sustainable manufacturing environment.
How does an organic modern interior look?
In a room, decorated in organic modern style, you will feel a clean, airy, elegant atmosphere, while the natural elements give a cozy and earthy touch to the interior. Below you can read about those key features that create the organic modern interior.
Spacious and not overcrowded
Organic modern can work best if the space is not overcrowded. Only the most important things are present, the room has clean, decluttered and spacious atmosphere where minimal and modern elements meet organic features. Here are two entirely different interiors but both have some connection with organic modern:
Curved edges, arches, circles
Curves and arches are coming back as an interior design trend, independently of the organic modern style, but these features are often paired with organic minimalism. Round and minimal sofas, big circle lamps, rounded countertops are frequent elements of organic modern. If a curve has an irregular (not symmetrical) shape, it reminds us to nature.
Asymmetry
Symmetry is invented by man - in nature, everything is asymmetrical. That’s what organic modern style brings back to our living area - either it is an asymmetric mirror, sofa, chandelier, or the arrangement of furniture.
Neutral colors, shades of browns
Light and earthy colors give us the feel of nature. Organic modern does not include vivid colors - the more the interior resembles the nature, the more organic look we can achieve. It is exciting to make experiments with monochromic interiors, too.
Plants & organic decor
What could be more organic than living decoration - or the preserved version of it, like branches, grass, cane and other naturals?
However, in an organic modern interior plants would not be enough. Organic material such as stone, wood, ceramics also should be on the interior designer's palette.
Solid wood and organic materials
Not all natural elements have to be living - it can be a piece of solid wood furniture or a beautiful organic decoration, like tree branches, leaves, cane, etc. Nature can appear as an attribute as well: in material, texture and form. Some examples below.
How to shop to achieve the organic modern look
We have learned what features make an interior “organic modern” - now it’s time to find those pieces of furniture, lighting and decor that will fit into it. These items we collected are just a few examples and these represent our own taste, however, the list below may serve as an exciting inspiration for designing your very own organic modern look. There is plenty of space for designing unique pieces like custom-made furniture, or selecting handcrafted decor pieces. It’s all up to your creativity.
Let’s start with asymmetrical mirrors - these two pieces are available at ZARA Home. Asymmetrical mirrors come in many different shapes and sizes, with both vertical and horizontal orientation, and you can find wall-mounted and desktop designs as well.
Organic modern features can appear on lamps, too. This beautiful piece by Atelier Areti does not have organic material, or any organic color, however, the arrangement of light bulbs reminds us to fruits or leaves on a branch, elegantly giving a feel of nature.
To continue our organic modern list, let’s turn to furniture. Here are two pieces designed by us, combining the beauty of minimalism (in design) and organic features (in material). Keeping the live edge of wood and framing it into a minimalistic shape, we consider these products purely organic modern.
organic MINIMALIST floating nightstand
Or you can take a step further with this irregular, curved sofa from CB2.
When you have the furniture, it’s time to focus on decoration. These birds have a lovely minimal look and they are made of solid wood - designed by Normann Copenhagen.
You can find hundreds of options for organic ceramics at Etsy. These beautiful pieces below are from the shop called Hestng.
When it's time to make the table, selecting beautiful earthware or stoneware pieces can really add to the organic modern look - like these plates by Archiproducts.
Even materials can be organic modern. Foresso is an English brand that creates terazzo-style boards made of wood splinters. You can get both the trendy terazzo style and a sustainable choice in the same product.
Find the sources of images and dozens of inspirations on our organic modern pinterest board.
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