Natural Wreath Ideas for Nordic Foraged Wreaths
Natural wreaths are the most affordable yet lovely decorations. They are easy to make from scratch and you can find all your raw materials from nature. You need just some wire, pincers, and a bag to stack the raw materials you find when going to the forest. With this article, I help you find options for your wreath base, the size of your wreath, the raw materials to use, and additional decorations to make that finalized yet natural look on your handmade wreath. Read further for natural wreath ideas.
If you seek a natural look at the home and decoration and you trust in sustainable values, natural wreaths are your friends in your journey to the natural lifestyle. Creating unique wreaths with foraged natural elements is a perfect way to decorate your home affordably and sustainably. A Nordic-style natural wreath is an easy DIY project for any time of year. You can find plenty of natural raw materials as well as the foraged natural elements at a craft store, but keeping things frugal the forest and potager garden are the best sources for natural wreath materials for your handmade home decor.
Stay tuned for upcoming beautiful and inexpensive wreath ideas for seasonal wreaths
- Spring wreath ideas
- Summer wreath ideas
- Fall wreath ideas
- Winter wreath ideas
- Homemade Christmas wreath ideas
Wreath base material
I suggest using a homemade wreath base made with twigs or straw instead of a metallic hoop or a wreath ring. I find it easier to attach natural materials to a round, sturdy base, which gets beautifully covered.
It’s also more stable to use a natural twig wreath or straw wreath as a table centerpiece for the holidays. Thin hoops need flower tape to keep the flowers and branches in place. While they look nice and serve their purpose, they can be costly (hoops can cost 10-15 € each!) and are not compostable. If you want to create something beautiful that’s also inexpensive, the natural route is the way to go.
Twig wreath base
Use flexible twigs like birch branches or willow when making a natural wreath. I tend to use birch twigs for all of my wreaths for that is the raw material that is easy to find when I go for a walk in the forest. When using birch the more thinner and flexible branches you choose the more finalized look you get. If you prefer a more rustic wreath that is a bit rough on the edges you can purposefully gather only the bit stronger, less playable twigs.
Straw wreath base
If you have access to the straw, the agricultural byproduct, and you live close to a stable for example you might find straws for free or at low cost. Straw is also sold for DIY projects in special hobby shops, but it might be a bit pricey. Straw as a raw material is very easy to work with and you can cut it nicely to get the base of the wreath to have a clean look.
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Size of the wreath
Choose the size of your own natural wreath depending on its purpose and final place. If you are making a door hanger, measure with your eyes if the wreath matches the place you are planning to make it. A DIY wreath on your front door is a beautiful way to welcome your guests during the holiday season.
When figuring out the size of the wreath, remember to measure some extra around the wreath base. If you are covering the whole wreath base with decorative leaves or other material, the finalized wreath will be at least about 10-15 centimeters (4-6 inches) wider than the core wreath base.
Where and how should I hang the natural wreath?
Get creative! Play with the sizes, and make tiny wreaths on the fall festive table as decorations around the candle holders. Bigger ones to hang on the living room wall or as a fireplace mantel. Use the medium-sized wreaths to hang on the kitchen cabinet or the wall next to your child’s bed.
Even though wreaths are perfect for front doors, you can hang them on a balcony, living room wall, kitchen pantry, or why not above the bed in the master bedroom! Make a small loop with the wire when making the wreath base and hang with a nail to the door or the wall. You can hang two or three natural wreaths on top of each other on a wall or even use them as festive headwear.
Dry or fresh wreath
Choose depending on the occasion if you prefer a dry wreath or a fresh wreath. Would you like to save it for next year? Then dry raw materials are your choice. Do you make it for an occasion coming soon up? You might consider some fresh flowers or berries for your handmade wreath. You can make the wreath with fresh materials leave it dry on the wall and save it for the next season.
Natural elements for decorating the natural wreath
Foraged raw materials for natural wreath
Natural wreaths are versatile and the options for decorations are endless. The forest offers you a great variety of natural materials. Take a canvas bag or a basket with you next time when you take a walk through the forest and keep your designer eyes open. You will notice that you can find the most creative ideas to decorate your wreath totally for free. Use a wire or floral wire (or florist wire) to attach the natural elements to their places.
Here are some suggestions on what to look for when you are foraging to make a perfect wreath.
Flowers
Fresh flowers like tansy or any dried flowers you find in the autumn time. In the summertime, you can tie flower wreaths made entirely out of flowers like in Nordic Midsummer traditions.
Twigs and branches
Tiny branches, thin flexible twigs, natural driftwood branches…
Berries
Blueberries (use as fresh only), rosehip, rowanberry…
Leaves
Maple, rowan, blueberry, lingonberry, both green and in fall colors!
The bark of the wood
Pine, birch, spruce…
Moss and friends
Moss, lichen, or beard lichen (old man’s beard)…
Cones and nuts
Pine cones, spruce cones, acorns…
Grains and hay
Wheat, oats, barley, etc. (If you find the field remember to ask the farmer before taking them!), other different sorts of hay…
Evergreen branches
Spruce, pine…
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Natural raw materials found at home and from the garden
On top of the foraged raw materials, there are multiple natural options you can find from your own garden or even from your pantry to create beautiful additions to your seasonal wreath.
Dried citrus slices
Dried orange slices, lemon slices, lime, blood orange, grapefruit slices…
Nuts and seeds
Walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds…
Spices
Cinnamon sticks, star anise, cloves…
Herbs
Rosemary, thyme, sage (you have a nice scent in your wreath too!)
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Decorate. with extra ribbons and bows
Add some silk ribbons, jute yarn, sisal ribbon…
What should I use for a traditional wreath for Christmas?
For a natural Christmas wreath, you can make the base with either straw or twigs and depending on where you will place the wreath start choosing the raw materials.
Wreath for outdoor use
If you plan to make the DIY Christmas wreath for outdoor use like on the front door, you can use spruce branches to start with and decorate it with rhythmic pine or spruce cones, and dried rose hips to get the colors of the Christmas season. Finalize with a silk ribbon bow made with red or white ribbon.
Wreath for indoor use
When decorating the wreath for indoor use at home, you can choose preferably dry materials like a beautiful twig wreath base, that looks Nordic way quite plain and minimalist, wrap around the white silk ribbon, and decorate with a dry bouquet of wheat branches, decorative looking hay, dried flowers, and a curly birchbark. Simple wreath decoration, yet very effective.
How to store a seasonal wreath?
Store your homemade seasonal wreath in a dry place, preferably in a box, so it doesn’t get smashed easily. If your wreath is completely dry you can store it airtightly, otherwise, it might grow mold if there is some moisture left. I store sometimes in cardboard bags, to get the wreaths organized next to each other on the basement shelf, but then they need to be made of hard, solid material like cones, not leafy ones that crumble easily.
How to recycle the wreath after the season
The great thing about your own natural home decor is that if you do not wish to store your wreath for the next year, you can compost it. When you have handmade a sustainable wreath from natural materials, you can easily detach the decorations and compost them without the guilt of creating more trash every holiday season.
If you do not want to store your own natural wreath for the next season, you can clip off the metallic wire to detach the decorations and compost them. If you used silk ribbons or jute yarn in your wreath collect that one and use it on another occasion, for a new wreath, or decorating and wrapping a gift. Compost the decorations and save the bare twig wreath as a base for next year or clip off the metallic wire and take it off and compost the twigs too. Recycle the metallic wire with other metal household waste.
