Color Cord’s dome metal pendant shade fixture in matte black in a modern dining room

Adding Earth Tones Artfully to Your Space

Meggan Wynja

Exploring Earthy Modern Interior Design

While some may think of earthy or neutral tones as boring, we’re here to dare to dream about creative and expressive use of these hues! Enter the earth palette. Have you ever looked at nature’s colors? They can be bold, loud, and beautiful! Think of Fall leaves, red rocks, canyons, desert foliage, bright blue oceans, and more – such colors are vivid but grounded, and that’s a look we love to play with. 

There are some amazing ways to use an earth palette uniquely in interior design that can actually make your home a warm, inviting place that truly stands out. By using variations on traditional neutrals like beiges and greys, and playing with adjacent hues, (warm rust tones, slate tones, foresty muted greens, and so forth), you can make any space feel like a grounded, inspiring oasis without it feeling ho-hum.

Consider the versatility of earthy modern interior design with warm tones like terracotta and cool shades like stone. Learn more about interior design with earth tones and get a few recommendations from our experts today.

What Are Earth Tones?

So, on a technical level, earthy modern interior design takes its inspiration from any color that’s found in the natural world. You might see brown, green, grey, orange, yellow, and red, so you can use these in your home to create interior designs with earth tones. A neutral earth palette for your home might weave in these brighter tones drawn from the natural landscape with lighter neutral colors.

Earth Tones In Lighting

Color Cord’s Mod Solo Globe Sconce w/ warm Rust-Color Finish

When it comes to lighting your earthy modern interior design, there are many avenues you can take. Consider, for example, the metal hardware of a fixture. It can be any color you want — especially if you shop at Color Cord Company! 

We have a collection specifically designed for neutral lovers who want to make more sophisticated, elegant, and subtly bold decisions in their color choices for their space. Check out the elegant color choices in our Boutique Lighting Collection to discover fixtures of every shape, size, and style available in colors like Rust, Pine, Ochre, Latte, Slate, Linen, and Palisade.

Every single one of these colors is in a subdued shade that allows it to match your other decor choices without blending in too much. But, you can also use your light fixture hardware as a counterpoint to the other neutrals in your home. Add a pop of color when you customize your fixture or use a colorful lamp cord for plug-in styles.

Natural Shades

Another way to bring earth vibes to your interior design is by using natural materials in your shades. If you have earthy, modern interior design with a boho, coastal, or rustic aesthetic, woven natural materials may fit right in. Consider a rattan basket or a string drum as another way to bring earth hues to your home.

Earth Tones in Flooring

Once you have your light fixtures selected, you can move on to the floor. For your interior design with earth tones, you want your floor to have a rich, warm element. Wood floors are a classic choice, but you can also opt for a modern solution using cork or bamboo. If you want something truly unique, consider tiles or stone in earthy tones like green, orange, or brown. However, if you choose to make a statement with your floors, we recommend balancing your earthy, modern interior design with white walls to prevent overwhelming the eyes.

Rugs

If ripping out and re-installing floors just isn’t right for your earthy, modern interior design, there are other ways to bring earth tones to your floor — rugs! Prioritize rug styles with natural materials and fibers, like seagrass, sisal, or coir. These also have the added benefit of naturally golden hues and soft green shades that can act as a contrast to the other earthy tones in your space. Wool is another great rug choice, as it’s a material that’s easy to dye and can be found in any and every earthy tone you choose.

Earthy Tones in Furniture

furniture and decor with earth wood and stone textures

Our final recommendation for earthy, modern interior design is about furniture. Wood furniture is a great place to start as you can restain existing furniture in nearly any shade. Go for a deeper red or brown to bring warmer hues into your home. You can also decorate with upholstery pieces to add some more texture to your space with fabric. We recommend going with green or orange tones here to contrast the browns and beiges you may already have.

Earthy Tones for All

Earthy, modern interior design is the perfect match for anyone who loves minimalist styles but wants something a little bit extra, or for anyone seeking to incorporate mid-century colors with a little more subtlety. After looking at all our recommendations, combine them with sharp angles and clean lines that bring a modern aesthetic to your space instead of leaning on curved shapes and textures that lend more of a boho energy to a room.

One example of interior design with earth tones that’s still sophisticated and modern is using severe black furniture and burnt orange decor accents against white walls to ensure every single color truly pops without creating an overwhelming space. The stark, contemporary appearance of black and white becomes more inviting when you soften it with the burnt orange. You can soften it even further by adding shades of green to create a more organic feel.

Start Your Journey

As you explore earthy, modern interior design, you’ll start to see all the ways you can add your own personality into the space. Whether it’s with custom pendant lights in the entryway or a bold chandelier in the dining room, you can still use colors to help you achieve a contemporary, yet natural, feel.

Start your design journey at Color Cord Company, and make your light fixture the base for your furniture, flooring, and accents. We provide modular and custom designs for any kind of space, as well as personalized guidance for people of all experience levels. Reach out to us today if you have any questions about earthy, modern interior design!

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