Decorating Guides
Weekend Project: 9 Ways to Branch Out Around the House
Natural pieces can change the feeling of a room, whether you use them to hang pots or to serve as chandeliers
When everything is looking too clean-lined, glitzy, shiny or stark, something as simple as a branch or two may be just what your room needs for contrast. They add organic shapes, natural textures and a lovely variety of colors to a room, instantly warming it up and drawing the eye. It may take a little foraging, measuring, sawing and sanding before you get it right, but if your room is begging for a branch, file away these designer ideas for inspiration.
2. Pot-hanging rails. Blogger Aggy Hoogwerf gets crafty with branches all over her home in the Netherlands. Here she used found branches to hang pots, pans and other necessities, adding beautiful natural texture and color to her black and white kitchen. If you try this at home, get the hooks first, then throw one in your coat pocket and make sure it’s a good fit when you’re out foraging for branches. You can find hooks like these at Ikea and home improvement stores.
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See the rest of this home
3. Holiday decorations. In the same home, Hoogwerf whitewashed five branches, cut them into equal lengths, formed them into a star and wrapped them in lights for the holidays.
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See the rest of this home
4. Over the dining table. Hanging a branch over twig dining room furniture ties this space together from floor to ceiling. Branches are a great way to fill the visual space in a tall room. Note how great the contrast is with the white walls.
This one’s fun for me because it was the first wonderful branch installation I ever saw in person, and it’s always stuck with me. After moving into this house they’d designed, architects Cara Cummins and José Tavel were having a party but hadn’t yet installed a light over their dining table. They headed outside, gathered some branches in the yard and fashioned a sculptural hanging that suits the lines and scale of the room.
Dining table: Chip & Company
Dining table: Chip & Company
Down the street in another new home they designed, they brought the branch fixture with them and added Edison bulbs.
Sculptural ladder: Chip & Company
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Sculptural ladder: Chip & Company
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To add contrast to the mirrored finishes in this dining room, the pros at Georgia Home Staging floated branches with fishing wire above a metal orb chandelier. They made the ceiling screws disappear by painting them the same color as the ceiling.
Chandelier: Ballard Designs
Chandelier: Ballard Designs
5. Jewelry hanger. Here’s an idea similar to the pot hangers we saw, and one that’s also in the Netherlands. The way you hang your necklaces can switch up the look.
Dresser: Van Dijk & Ko
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Dresser: Van Dijk & Ko
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On this farm in Australia, the homeowner’s clever sister wrapped branches in brightly colored thread to create a unique bedside jewelry holder.
Bedding: Obus, Kip & Co.
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Bedding: Obus, Kip & Co.
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6. Clothing rod. In this chic Barcelona home decorated by Esther Algara, the organic shape of a branch and natural thick ropes warm up a dressing space. They also turn a wardrobe into a changeable work of art, giving the space a boutique-like feel.
The cut-off branches make handy spots for necklaces and scarves. As with the pot rack and its hooks, make sure the hangers you want to use will fit nicely over the branch.
7. Bedroom ambiance. In the same home, a branch strung with lights adds a warm glow to an all-white bedroom.
8. Garden screen. Yes, they’re usually growing out of the ground when used as a garden screen, but here designer Gary Kernick mixed things up. He added a sculptural effect to the modern fence by attaching white birch branches to it. The grid made it easy to attach them practically invisibly with fishing wire. He then tied them on with old hammock rope to add interest.
9. A natural mobile. In this bright green nursery by Serendipite Designs, cheerful birds perch along a suspended branch.
Have you used branches around the house? If so, please share a photo and tell us about it in the Comments.
By the way, these are easy to find online. Just search “sandblasted manzanita.”
Wall color: Cyberspace by Sherwin-Williams; daybed: Case Study daybed: Modernica; rug: Crate and Barrel (discontinued); Nelson bubble pendant light: Design Within Reach