When creating your home decor, you have to take your taste and personal preferences into account, but your environment is also important. Jacksonville homes are often airy and have many windows to give a breezy, cooler feel. This style makes sense with you consider the long months of hot and humid weather for which Florida is famous. Some decorating materials, such as fuzzy blankets and corduroy upholstery, are out of place with the climate and simply wouldn’t fit with the feel of a Florida house. The most logical choice is to find natural resources that already exist in Florida. Objects and materials you see every day are natural extensions of the world outside and can be used to decorate any Florida home with creativity and style.

Shells

In most states, you have to take a trip to the beach to collect shells. In Florida, you’re luckier. Dig down into the soil in most Florida properties and you’ll find a good collection of shells. If you do go to the beach, the shells will be more colorful and varied than those found around inland lakes simply because they’re from ocean creatures. Use these finds as creative accessories to add natural accents to your home. String shells and starfish into garlands and hang them instead of valances over your drapes. Glue rows of shells onto thrift store lamps to transform trash into treasure. Fill a large jar with colorful shells as an accent piece or make multiple strings on fishing line to create movable curtains indoors or on a patio.

Plants

The goal in Jacksonville homes for most of the year is making your environment cooler. One of the best ways to do this is by incorporating plants into the decor. Greenery has a cooling effect on the psyche, plus green plants help to clean the air in your home. Fill one empty corner with a palm tree or miniature orange tree for a distinctly Florida feel. Pot a branch or two of sweet smelling jasmine and keep it in a bright and sunny window. You can even fill a long planter with sand and plant dune grass for an interesting coffee table decoration.

Cypress

When it comes to trim for kitchens and molding in the rest of the house, few woods work as well in Florida homes as cypress. Cypress wood is very resistant to moisture, which is key in homes that are sometimes filled with high humidity. This native Florida wood includes a chemical that makes it resistant to rot and gives it an extremely long life. Use cypress for wood trim, moldings, cabinet doors, and even tables and shelves to give your home a true Florida feel.

Just as you would respect any other aspect of nature, searching for examples of Florida’s natural resources should be done with care. Search for shells on your own property or ask about local policy before collecting them on a beach. Use licensed purveyors of wood and native plants to get legal, as well as healthy, materials with which to decorate your home.

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