Sometimes in mid-winter, you need a little change to get you through that last push until Spring arrives. A great way to brighten up your home without spending a lot is by adding a little bit of new color and art design throughout. Botanical art isn’t new as it dates back to the 1500s in Europe and earlier in other places, like Asia — but in recent years this delicate and elegant art style has made a huge resurgence. Interior designers and DIY crafters are using botanicals in all sorts of ways to liven up any room.
And there’s a reason why – plant and floral décor lets you take both a modern and vintage approach to decorating by fitting into any existing design style.
So, if you love botanicals but have been intimidated to use them, don’t be. Here are 4 easy and affordable design ideas to style your home during the winter, along with two blue-toned printable botanicals to get you started.
1. Gallery Wall
Building a gallery wall is a creative way to display botanical prints. How many prints you frame and hang will depend on wall size and how much room you have to work with. Find frames and mats that complement your prints – you can use identical frames for all prints, or you can mix and match using a different and unique frame for each to create more interest.
Before hanging, place the framed prints on the floor, coming up with different layouts until you find one you like best.
2. Botanical Pillows
Yes, you can download botanical prints and use them to make throw pillows. All you need is transfer paper, pillowcases, an iron, and botanical printables that make you happy. Print out each botanical onto the transfer paper, then trim as closely as you can around the image. Place the print, image side down, onto the pillow, aligning carefully in just the right position. Then iron onto the pillow, waiting for a few minutes to let the paper cool before pulling away.
The end result? Pillows that you can place around your home, adding the vibrancy of leaves and flowers to those duller months of winter.
3. Garland of Botanicals
Paper garlands aren’t just a party decoration, garlands are also a great way to display botanical art. Print out your botanicals onto 4×6 card stock – the more prints you have the longer the garland will be. Using small clear hooks, hang a strong piece of string along the wall or along the top edge of a bookshelf or cabinet, letting the string drape down in an arc. Then hang each print, attaching to the string with a silver or gold clip.
4. Botanical Wood Blocks
Transferring botanical prints to wood is an artistic way to display your art. Depending on where you want to place them, you can use any size of woodblocks. All you’ll need for this easy design project is unfinished wood blocks, Mod Podge, clear glaze finishing spray, and a photocopy image of the print – note that if you use the printed image itself, the ink will smear. Apply a thick layer of Mod Podge to the print, then press the print face down onto the woodblock. Rub firmly all over to smooth the image and remove any air bubbles. You’ll then need to let it dry overnight.
When dry, use a damp cloth and wet one small section at a time, rubbing gently to remove the paper. The image itself will have transferred to the wood. Keep rubbing with a wet cloth until no paper bits remain – let dry overnight again before sealing with the glaze finishing. This DIY project leaves you with a classy piece of botanical artwork that you can proudly place in any room to add a splash of plant life.
Printable Botanicals
Ready to get started? These two printable winter botanicals of a Spruce branch with a hanging pinecone and a twig of Winterberry adorned with berries and flowers will add a touch of nature and color to any room in your home.
Click the button below to download these winter plant prints, courtesy of ForSaleByOwner. Use them in one of the projects above or come up with your own unique inspirations. Be as whimsical and creative as you want as you decorate with plants and flowers and bring botanicals to your home this winter season.
