'Natural Living Style' by Selina Lake

Inspirational ideas for a beautiful and sustainable home

Sometimes you discover the greatest things when you are not looking for them.

I have been suffering from a touch of ‘creative’s block’ over the past few months, so I decided to take some time for myself and just wander.

One afternoon last week, I decided to spend a couple of hours exploring the independent boutiques in the picturesque town of Shaftesbury. It was in sustainable living boutique ‘Willow’, that I discovered Selina Lake’s book ‘Natural Living Style’.

Being environmentally conscious is not a new thing for me, it was the reason I started this blog almost a year ago today and I am so encouraged to see so many others becoming mindful of how they spend their money in recent months.

I have already made a big change to the way I shop for clothing by not buying new, unless it’s a quality piece, and have delighted in the treasures I’ve picked up in charity shops (this week was a winner!). However, I am keen to transfer this mindset to the way I shop for my home and this book is choka with inspirational ideas to reuse, recycle and make considered choices about the materials of the items we are filling our homes with.

Beautiful homes CAN be sustainable and limit their impact on the environment.

In fact, in my opinion, the homes in this book are even more beautiful because they are brimming with personality and history. Every time I have settled down to read it, I could feel myself yearning to go foraging in reclamation yards, vintage stores and charity shops!

“In Natural Living Style, Selina Lake reveals how to create a beautiful and stylish home that is as natural, organic and sustainable as possible. Her pretty yet contemporary style has evolved in line with concerns about cutting back on waste and a desire to live in a way that’s kinder to the planet”

Tips to create your own Natural Living style:

Incorporate these materials in your decor to create a greener home:

Recyclables – glass and metal
Eco-friendly materials – cork and rattan
Natural & organic fibres – Cotton and linen

Decorate using:

Repurposed and Upcycled furniture
Vintage finds
Flowers and plants – ideally cut from the garden, not supermarket flowers which have flown hundreds of miles to get here!

The homes chosen for the book are mindful of design and simply stunning in that natural, carefree way that I adore. You can see from the images that each home feels warm, inviting and unique.

Don’t take my word for it though; purchase your copy today to be inspired. (Limit your impact on the environment even more and pick up a used copy, there are many sites online where you can purchase used (in my words pre-loved) books).

(Words my own, images from Natural Living Style by Selina Lake – Photographer Rachel Whiting)