Must-Try Living Room Trend
If you’re looking for one standout idea from NYC Design Week 2025 to bring into your home, let it be: natural, sustainable materials. Think bamboo shelves, cork flooring, and cozy wool throws. It’s stylish and smart.
This look is all about warmth, texture, and feeling grounded. The best part? It’s super easy to pull off without renovating your whole place. Let’s unlock the secrets to bringing this trend home.
Buzz About Natural Materials
This trend is more than pretty wood and woven baskets, it’s about living well. Natural materials like reclaimed wood and cork don’t just look good, they’re healthier for your home and the planet. They feel warm and inviting, and they age beautifully.
Plus, sustainable pieces tend to be handcrafted and unique, which adds instant character to your space. Basically, it’s cozy meets conscious, and your living room is the perfect place to start.
Reclaimed Wood Is Always a Yes
Want your living room to feel designer-level cool with zero effort? Add a reclaimed wood coffee table, console, or sideboard. It brings texture, charm, and a story to your space. No two pieces are alike, which is kind of the point.
Look for wood that’s been responsibly sourced or upcycled from old barns, buildings, or boats. It’s rustic, refined, and ridiculously photogenic for your next living room selfie or house tour video.
Say Hello to Bamboo
Bamboo is lightweight, fast-growing, and surprisingly strong, making it perfect for open shelving, accent chairs, or even lamp bases. It gives off those relaxed, spa-like vibes while being super modern.
Best of all, it blends well with any decor style, such as mid-century, Japandi, and even with Coastal grandma. Use bamboo to keep things feeling airy, grounded, and on-trend, without overdoing it.
Cork Isn’t Just for Wine
Cork is having a moment, and we’re here for it. Soft underfoot, sound-absorbing, and totally sustainable, cork is perfect for floors, wall panels, or even side tables. It brings a natural, earthy feel that instantly warms up the room.
Want something bold? Try a cork accent wall. Prefer subtle? A cork lamp base will do the trick. Either way, it’s cozy, cool, and gives your space that eco-chic NYC edge.
Power of Handmade Ceramics
A hand-thrown ceramic vase or bowl adds instant soul to your living room. These pieces are usually one-of-a-kind, full of texture, and often made by local artisans. They look great on a coffee table or tucked into a bookshelf.
Bonus: they pair beautifully with natural materials like wood and bamboo. Think of them as jewelry for your space, elegant, artsy, and totally unique. Plus, they make great conversation starters during wine night.
Natural Textiles
Your couch deserves better than scratchy polyester. Swap it out for wool throws, linen pillow covers, or cotton slipcovers in muted, earthy colors. Natural fabrics breathe better, feel softer, and last longer. They’re great for layering, mixing textures, and keeping things cozy.
Plus, they just look more high-end. This is your sign to finally get that chunky knit blanket or linen drapes you’ve been eyeing. Your living room will thank you.
Use Nature’s Colors
Use rich, warm, earthy tones that instantly make a space feel grounded, like olive green, rust, oatmeal, and clay. These colors work beautifully with natural textures and help create a peaceful vibe.
Want to try it? Start small: a rust-colored cushion, an olive-toned rug, or a clay-colored wall print. You don’t need to repaint the room. Just sprinkle these colors in, and boom, your living room feels instantly enhanced.
Eco-Friendly and Eye-Catching Lighting
Skip the boring metal floor lamp. This year’s trend is lighting made from natural or recycled materials, bamboo, rattan, recycled glass, or even driftwood. These statement pieces are functional art, casting beautiful light and adding personality to your room.
Look for lampshades with texture or pendants with handmade details. Good lighting sets the mood, and sustainable options give you that glow-up and a little peace of mind.
Plants Are the Ultimate Finishing Touch
Want a living room that feels fresh and stylish? Add plants. Snake plants, pothos, and peace lilies are low-maintenance and help clean your air. Group them in natural pots, like clay, bamboo, or woven baskets, for even more eco-style points.
They soften corners, fill awkward spaces, and make your room feel, well, alive. Don’t worry if you’re not a plant pro, these varieties basically thrive on minimal effort.
Modular Furniture for the Win
NYC design week taught me this: furniture should work with you. Modular pieces, like a sectional sofa that can shift or a bench with storage, make your space flexible and functional. Choose items made from recycled or sustainable materials so you get the style and the story.
Bonus points if it’s handcrafted or locally sourced. Modular furniture isn’t just smart, it’s a design statement with serious staying power.
Mix Raw with Refined (It Totally Works)
One of the coolest parts of this trend? Mixing it up. Pair raw wood with smooth leather, cork with velvet, or a ceramic lamp with a glass table. These contrasts keep your space feeling layered and curated, not matchy-matchy.
The trick is balance. Let natural materials shine, then sprinkle in some shine or softness. It’s like styling an outfit: opposites attract and elevate your whole look.
Celebrate Craft Over Mass-Made
There’s something special about handmade pieces. They feel personal, thoughtful, and totally unique. Think handwoven baskets, sculptural side tables, or stitched wall hangings.
These pieces often support small makers and bring real soul to your space. They may cost a little more, but they last longer and feel more meaningful. It’s like adding a little story to your room, one that feels way more interesting than mass-produced stuff.
Before You Toss It, Rethink It
You don’t have to buy new to join the trend. Got an old wooden chair? Refinish it. A tired cabinet? Paint it with eco-friendly paint. Upcycling is super on-brand for this look, and it saves money while reducing waste.
Plus, it feels good to give something new life. Look at your space with fresh eyes. You might be sitting on a DIY masterpiece without even knowing it.
Use Dividers That Breathe
Need to separate spaces in a small living room? Natural-material room dividers are both stylish and functional. Try a folding bamboo screen, linen curtains, or a cork partition.
These lightweight, breathable materials define your zones without blocking light or airflow. Perfect for open-plan living or shared spaces, these dividers bring softness and structure, without making your room feel chopped up or cluttered. Looking to explore dividers on your own? Revamp your space with a budget-friendly DIY divider that looks designer-approved.
Make Texture Your Best Friend
The key to pulling off this look is layering textures. Think wool rugs, linen sofas, woven baskets, and smooth ceramics. The more texture you add, the warmer and welcoming the space feels.
Natural materials are meant to be touched. When your guests walk in, they’ll notice how cozy and calming everything feels. A living room that brings in elements of nature always feels more relaxing and well put together.
Take your living room to the next level with these textured wall ideas that are chic and stylish.
Which of these natural touches would you steal for your space? Drop your favorite in the comments.
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This article was made with AI assistance and human editing.
