Urban Jungle
Janeen Duffin
Take a walk on the wild side and transform your home into a tropical haven.
Drawing inspiration from sprawling rainforests, the urban jungle trend aspires to transport you and your guests through the richest depths of luscious destinations. Maximalist fabrics imaginatively interpreting exotic flora and fauna, an abundance of tropical foliage, and rich, cocooning colourways are all central to the trend.
Build on your desire to stay connected with nature but with a conversational twist, and discover newfound inspiration on reconnecting with the outdoors. With the season for entertaining drawing closer, we need living areas that cocoon both us and our guests, whilst establishing focal points that grab your attention as soon as you enter the room. So, enjoy the visual warmth of rainforest-inspired spaces and truly make an entrance by inviting the trend for the urban jungle into your home.
Go Bold with your Fabric Choices
Take your senses on an adventure with striking designs and tactile finishes.
Animalistic velvets adorned in swathes of leopard prints are ideal for setting the scene, so present these on large expanses of furniture to truly establish talking points. Complement with sprawling two-tone palm leaves upon scatter cushions, or hang behind seating areas upon towering floor-length curtains to immerse your space in conversational designs.
Take Inspiration from Striking Natural Forms for Your Palette
Maximalism remains the cornerstone of the urban jungle trend, so this shouldn’t stop at your colour choices.
In this scenario, the richer and more cocooning your palette the better. Opulent jewel tones not only convey the richness and density of vibrant rainforests, but also incorporate the much-needed luxurious element synonymous with the trend for tropical interiors. So, be inspired by some of the Earth’s most richly hued natural forms, from deeply inviting shades of bronze through to bright and captivating platinum hues. Stick to three or four colourways and allow darker hues to take centre stage, adding in snippets of lighter shades for temporary visual relief and break up large expanses of moodier colourways.
Invite an Abundance of Tropical Foliage Into the Home
No home inspired by evergreen rainforests would be complete without an extensive curation of houseplants.
Echo Collection
Create a cocooning canopy with towering palm leaves shading your room, primely positioned in a corner above your seating area to style a cosy nook. Large, indoor potted palms are not only ideal for replicating luscious greenery found in the depths of rainforests, but are also especially easy to maintain. Team up with opulent jacquards featuring two tone palm leaves or delicate embroideries adorned with matt-finish palms for a cohesive look.
Pair with Materials Found in the Depths of Nature
Despite their conversational style, tropical schemes are deep-rooted in the outdoors, so add in calming elements through natural finishes.
Materials such as rattan, wicker, and raw wood pay homage to the abundance of natural finishes often found in outdoor tropical settings. They are also ideal for providing snippets of respite from the highly maximalist nature of the urban jungle style. Think a wooden sofa bench and wicker chair or stool, creating a restorative space to sit back and relax. Consider swapping out metallic accents for wood finishes, such as your side table or furniture legs, for a more reserved, laid-back look.
Look to Metallic Accents for a Touch of Opulence
Give your space the added glamour it deserves with a curation of extravagant gold accents scattered around your room.
When forming your own urban jungle, hints of glamour throughout are essential. Use furniture legs, plant pots, side tables, curtain poles, and even lighting fixtures as opportunities to feature highlights of metallic in your scheme, favouring gold if decorating with darker, richer shades. Coordinate with gold or silver featured in your fabrics for a truly luxurious feel.