Furniture Style Guide: Organic Modern

The organic modern interior design look has been growing in popularity over the past few years, and it’s not hard to see why. Clean, refreshing, and undeniably inviting, this burgeoning style can turn any space into a designer-inspired masterpiece.

What is Organic Modern Style?

So what exactly does organic modern style mean, and, more importantly, how can we incorporate this fashion-forward aesthetic into our own living spaces? Well, if you’re like most people you have a pretty good idea of what modern furniture looks like, so let’s start there. 

Modern Style - Modern is a general style term that can changes with the times. In the design world, modern furniture is generally described as furniture that showcases innovative design elements and a streamlined aesthetic that feels futuristic or unexpected. Modern furniture is often rooted in minimalism, though plenty of modern pieces can have an opulent look due to their preference for sleek, glossy building materials.  *You can shop our entire collection of modern furniture here!

But, while some people love modern style, others can have a problem with it when it focuses too much on the cool, streamlined, minimalist look. This is because interiors with only modern furniture can sometimes feel like art installations or museums. Almost everyone can appreciate the crisp appeal of modern furniture, but there are only a select few who want their home to be furnished with 100% modern pieces.

Organic Modern

Organic modern solves modern's "cold" problem because it pairs the cool, unexpected look with natural elements, soft textiles, and light neutral tones to instill a sense of comfort and warmth.

Like modern style, organic modern starts with with sleek, streamlined foundational pieces like sofas and sectionals, but instead of focusing on pieces with new-age construction materials, organic modern looks for pieces made with natural materials. This means fabrics like linen and cotton on upholstered pieces, and occasional tables showcasing plenty of wood, glass, and even stone. As far as color goes, organic modern prefers white and light neutral-colored fabrics or natural brown leather upholstery, and wood in as many light and sun-faded earth tones as possible. 

When it comes to accents and decor, organic modern mainly focuses on living greenery and other accents plucked from the great outdoors to fill out the space, though it also saves room for some modern-themed decor items made with metals like gold and bronze. 

This blending of modern design and organic construction materials adds a greater depth of texture to the overall design, and the combination of uplifting neutral colors and earthy brown tones makes any space feel peaceful and inviting, as opposed to cold and austere. 

In other words, Organic modern brings the out-of-touch aspects of modern style back down to earth. It keeps the crisp, clean lines and minimalist silhouettes that everyone loves about modern furniture, but it balances them by bringing in natural materials and a warming color palette. The resulting look is sophisticated and serene. It's clean-lined and it’s comfortable. Most importantly, organic modern is laid-back, livable and breathtakingly beautiful.

Here's a final definition to bring it all together:

Organic Modern - Organic modern is a design style centered around the idea of pairing natural themes with modern furnishings to create spaces that feel peaceful and uncluttered yet still innovative and stylish. Organic modern starts with sleek, minimalist foundational pieces to instill a modern look, but it focuses on items with natural construction materials to add in earthy textures and a warming color palette. Then, it continues to contrast the sleek modern look with organic accessory pieces and plenty of living greenery.

*For more information about these unique materials, and for even more definitions of popular interior design styles be sure to check out our new and improved Furniture Glossary!
 

How to design an Organic Modern living room.

Now that we understand the basics, let’s go through a step-by-step guide to design a space with organic modern style. We'll showcase living room furniture in this Organic Modern example, but the same concepts can be applied to bedrooms and even dining rooms as well!

To bring the organic modern look into your home, start with a clean-lined, low-profile sofa or sectional that’s upholstered in a light, neutral-colored fabric. The preference is primarily white or off-white, but you can also incorporate light grays, taupe, and even earth-toned fabrics for the color enthusiasts out there. Think of sofas like the Pia II Estate Sofa and the new modular Luscious 3 Pc. Sofa in white, or even something larger like the Calista 5 Pc. Sectional.  
 

Now you need to find contemporary occasional tables that showcase wood in all its natural beauty, and then consider an area rug with a soft, hand-woven look. Examples of the living room tables we have in mind are the Treviso Coffee Table or the New Aspen Rectangle Coffee Table. If you’re designing a smaller room, you could even think along the lines of the Recycled Water Bottle Ottoman or the Montana Coffee Table for maximum impact. 
 

Next, anchor your larger furnishings with an inviting area rug. There are a lot of rug styles available to the organic modern look, so just remember to shoot for uplifting neutral colors and try to incorporate soft, natural materials. Need examples? Light-colored, traditional rugs with timeless floral prints like the Ankara Atalan Rug are always an easy addition to organic modern interiors. You could opt for a modern rug with hand-woven appeal and earthy colors like the Joplin Earth Rug, or you could try a white rug with a tribal vibe like the Emory Heather Grey/Black Rug. 
 

Now that we’ve created a foundation of contemporary lines and natural materials, it’s time to dive a bit more into the organic side of organic modern. For decor, try to take advantage of green plants and natural accents as much as possible. Products like the Teak Root Bowl and Flat Iron Fern in Glass Bowl with Seagrass Netting would work nicely in any home. Finally, top it all off with a collection of pillows and throws that showcase a hand-woven look like the Hand Woven Pillow, Dov3973 Throw Blanket, Recycled Water Bottle Pillow, and Recycled Water Bottle Throw.
 

The rest depends on the layout of your living room, but usually you won’t need much more than the essentials mentioned above. Remember, organic modern embraces the minimalist side of modern design in both the furnishings and use of decor, so don’t be afraid of negative space!

Here's a final style comparison to solidify your organic modern knowledge

What’s the Difference between Organic Modern and other Modern styles?

• Modern Glam - Although they're both minimalist and sleek, modern glam embraces extravagance more than organic modern does. Modern glam is unlike organic modern because it emboldens its sleek, clean-lined forms with elegant features like mirrored surfaces and gold accents. In other words, modern glam is meant to evoke feelings of high-end opulence while organic modern is meant to be more down to earth. 

• Modern Farmhouse - Organic Modern has characteristics that make it less rustic and more refined than modern farmhouse due to its use of modern and contemporary foundational pieces. Modern farmhouse style gets its country-esque appeal from foundational pieces with rustic farmhouse elements, then it adds glossy elegance with modern colors and finishes. 

• Boho - Despite utilizing similar natural materials like wood, plants, and rattan, boho style is more playful than organic modern because of its broader color palette and use of patterns. Organic Modern leans more toward a minimalist approach with a more reserved, natural color palette, making it feel more calm and refined.

  *If you found this style comparison helpful, be sure to check out our Contemporary vs. Modern, What's the Difference? post!

Now that you know how to style with the organic modern look, you’re ready to turn your home into an oasis of organic comfort and style. Happy decorating!