Many homeowners find themselves longing for the peace and tranquility of nature, especially when daily life keeps them confined indoors. However, if you’re seeking a flexible, damage-free option, Mixtiles canvas prints provide a contemporary approach to displaying beautiful nature scenes without the permanence of traditional framing or concerns about wall damage.
If you’re looking to change the ambiance of your home decor, this article is the perfect guide to how you can mount scenic nature prints to capture an outdoor serenity.
Creating Your Indoor Sanctuary with Natural Elements
With most people spending upwards of 90% of their time indoors, the disconnection from nature can take a toll on mental wellbeing. Adding nature prints to walls serves as a visual gateway to the outdoors, providing those essential visual cues that help reduce stress and promote feelings of calm and balance.
Identifying Your Nature-Inspired Style
Before selecting prints, homeowners should consider what type of natural environment resonates most deeply with them. Some people feel most at peace beside the ocean, while others find their happy place in dense forests or open mountain landscapes.
Reflecting on places that evoke personal feelings of relaxation or cherished memories of natural settings can guide these choices. For instance, someone with fond memories of family vacations might select misty mountain scenes for their home office where that sense of calm is most needed.
Nature styles might include:
– Coastal (beaches, waves, seashells)
– Forest (trees, pathways, woodland creatures)
– Mountain (peaks, valleys, dramatic skies)
– Desert (sand dunes, cacti, sunset colors)
– Botanical (flowers, leaves, plant close-ups)
Choosing the Right Natural Scenes
Once a preferred nature style is identified, the next consideration is the mood each space requires. Dramatic landscapes with stormy skies might create too much visual tension for a bedroom but could add wonderful depth to a living room.
For sleep spaces, softer scenes work best: morning mist over gentle hills or close-ups of raindrops on leaves. Dining areas benefit from more vibrant seasonal landscapes that energize the space and stimulate conversation.
Important considerations when selecting images include:
– Scale: Does the image feel expansive or intimate?
– Color intensity: Vibrant or subdued?
– Weather conditions: Sunny, rainy, foggy?
– Time of day: Golden hour, midday, twilight?
– Perspective: Aerial view, eye-level, or macro?
Color Psychology in Nature Prints
The colors in nature prints significantly impact a room’s mood. Many homeowners learn this through experience, like placing a vivid autumn forest scene in a bedroom only to discover the bright oranges and reds are too stimulating for a restful environment.
A helpful guide to nature print colors and their effects:
- Blues (oceans, skies): Calming, peaceful, good for bedrooms and bathrooms
- Greens (forests, meadows): Refreshing, balancing, suitable for any room
- Earth tones (deserts, paths): Grounding, warming, great for living spaces
- Whites (snow scenes, cloudy skies): Spacious, clean feeling, works in small rooms
- Vibrant mix (flower fields, autumn scenes): Energizing, best for active spaces
Strategic Print Placement for Maximum Impact
Proper placement makes all the difference between a print that transforms a space and one that simply fades into the background. Taking time to plan positioning ensures nature prints achieve their full potential.
Room-by-Room Placement Guide
- Living Room: As the space where people typically spend most waking hours at home, living rooms deserve special attention. Larger prints or groupings work well above sofas (centered at eye level when seated) or on the main focal wall. A large mountain panorama can serve as both a stunning visual and conversation starter.
- Bedroom: Since bedrooms are spaces for relaxation, calming images placed where they’re visible from bed or upon first entering the room work best. A small collection of misty forest scenes opposite the bed creates a peaceful first impression each morning.
- Kitchen: Smaller botanical prints work well in kitchens, especially food-related nature (herb gardens, fruit trees). Placing them in the space between cabinets and countertops adds color without sacrificing precious counter space.
- Home Office: Nature scenes that help with focus without causing distraction work best in work spaces. The ideal position is within the line of sight when glancing up from work, but not directly behind computer screens where they might create glare.
- Bathroom: Bathrooms are surprisingly perfect for nature prints due to their inherent connection to water elements. Smaller waterfall or coastal prints enhance this natural connection while adding visual interest.
Creating Visual Flow
When using multiple nature prints, their arrangement should guide the eye naturally through the space. In hallways, creating a journey from mountain to valley to river that follows the natural direction of movement through the space creates a narrative experience.
Effective approaches include:
– Arranging prints to mimic natural horizons (sky at top, ground at bottom)
– Using similar color palettes for prints in the same sightline
– Creating a sense of depth by placing distant landscapes in the background and close-up nature details in the foreground
Working with Limited Wall Space
Small apartments or rooms with numerous windows can make incorporating nature prints challenging. For tiny entryways, a vertical arrangement of three small square prints showing different sections of the same tall tree creates height without requiring much width.
Other solutions for limited space include:
– Using narrow vertical prints for slim wall sections between doors or windows
– Placing small prints on floating shelves among other objects
– Considering unusual spaces like the wall above a door or the side of a bookcase
– Using a single statement print rather than multiple smaller ones
Seasonal Nature Print Rotation
One advantage of flexible hanging systems like Mixtiles is the ease of swapping prints with changing seasons. This keeps spaces feeling fresh and in tune with the world outside.
Spring and Summer Selections
During warmer months, prints featuring lush greenery, blooming flowers, and bright blue skies bring that sense of growth and renewal indoors. These vibrant scenes echo the seasonal changes happening outside the windows.
Popular spring/summer nature print choices include:
– Wildflower meadows in full bloom
– Leafy forest canopies with sunlight filtering through
– Lakeshores with reflection of summer skies
– Close-ups of raindrops on bright green leaves
– Tropical beaches (even for homes nowhere near coastlines)
Fall and Winter Transitions
When weather turns cooler, prints with warmer tones and cozy atmospheres help spaces feel seasonally appropriate. Replacing a bright summer meadow print with a snow-dusted forest scene can immediately make a living room feel more comfortable and aligned with the season.
Effective fall/winter nature selections include:
– Autumn forests with red and gold leaves
– Misty mountains with moody skies
– Snow-covered landscapes
– Close-ups of frost patterns or snowflakes
– Winter sunsets with dramatic color
Mixing Permanent and Rotating Displays
Not all nature prints need to change with the seasons. Many homeowners maintain a few “anchor” landscapes that remain year-round—usually scenes with special meaning or those that match the overall color scheme perfectly. Around these permanent fixtures, smaller seasonal prints can rotate.
For instance, a large mountain scene above the sofa might stay constant, while smaller prints in the entry hall change with the seasons. This approach creates both consistency and freshness.
Building Gallery Walls with Natural Themes
Creating a cohesive gallery wall with nature prints can make a significant impact in any space. A dining room featuring a gallery wall of different forest scenes creates an immersive feeling of being surrounded by trees.
Balancing Different Print Sizes
Varying the sizes of nature prints creates visual interest and allows for inclusion of both panoramic landscapes and detailed close-ups in one display. A typical successful arrangement includes a larger anchor print (like a wide mountain range) with medium and small prints surrounding it.
A reliable formula includes:
– One large statement print (16×20 inches or larger)
– Two to three medium prints (11×14 inches)
– Several small prints (8×10 or smaller)
The key is maintaining enough visual weight on all parts of the wall so it doesn’t feel lopsided.
Mixing Subjects and Styles
While maintaining a nature theme, mixing different subjects creates depth and interest. An effective gallery wall might combine forest paths, individual trees, leaf close-ups, and a distant mountain view—all unified by a similar color palette and photographic style.
Successful combinations include:
– Macro and landscape photography
– Different ecosystems (forest, beach, mountain)
– Black and white with color prints (though consistent treatment often works better)
– Different seasons of the same location
Creating Focal Points
Every gallery wall needs a star—the image that draws the eye first and anchors the entire arrangement. A dramatic sunset over mountains with stronger colors than surrounding prints can serve as this focal point in a living room gallery.
To create a natural focal point:
- Use a larger size for the star image
- Position it slightly off-center (central enough to anchor, but not so centered it looks stiff)
- Choose an image with more dramatic lighting or stronger colors
- Consider a different shape (a rectangle among squares or vice versa)
Customizing Nature Prints with Mixtiles
The most meaningful nature prints often have personal significance. While professional nature photography is beautiful, there’s something special about displaying scenes from places actually visited.
Converting Personal Nature Photos
Some of the most conversation-starting nature prints are those from personal hiking trips or travel experiences. Even amateur photographs carry emotional weight that store-bought prints cannot match.
Tips for selecting personal photos:
- Choose higher resolution images (phone photos from newer smartphones usually work well)
- Look for good natural lighting (golden hour photos often look most professional)
- Consider minor editing to enhance colors or contrast
- Focus on composition—photos with clear focal points and balanced elements work best
Damage-Free Installation Solutions
For renters concerned about wall damage, adhesive backing that doesn’t harm paint or leave residue provides freedom to experiment with arrangements without risking security deposits.
For maximum flexibility:
- Start with a paper template layout on the floor before committing to the wall
- Take a photo of the planned arrangement for reference
- Install the center or focal print first, then work outward
- Step back frequently to check the overall balance
Creating Themed Collections
Rather than random nature scenes, intentional collections around specific themes create more cohesive displays. Themed mini-collections might include:
- “Morning Light” series showing sunrise in different landscapes
- “Water Journey” following a stream from mountain source to valley river
- “Four Seasons” showing the same location across different times of year
These themed collections tell a story and create a more thoughtful, curated feel than randomly selected nature scenes.
Complementing Your Nature Prints
Nature prints work best when surrounding elements support the natural theme without competing for attention.
Natural Material Accents
Pairing nature prints with natural materials creates a harmonious environment. Mountain prints complemented by a wooden coffee table and stone coasters echo elements from the images themselves, creating a cohesive sensory experience.
Materials that pair beautifully with nature prints include:
- Wood (in furniture, frames, or decorative objects)
- Stone and ceramic (in vases, coasters, or sculptures)
- Natural textiles (linen, cotton, wool in pillows and throws)
- Woven elements (baskets, lampshades, place mats)
- Metals with natural patinas (copper, brass, bronze)
Lighting Considerations
The way nature prints are lit dramatically affects their impact. Adjustable track lighting above a main gallery wall highlights the prints properly, making a significant difference in how colors appear and how the images read in the space.
Lighting tips for nature prints:
- Avoid direct sunlight which can fade prints over time
- Use warm lighting to enhance sunset or autumn scenes
- Consider cooler lighting for winter or water scenes
- Position lights to avoid glare on the print surface
- Install dimmers to adjust lighting based on time of day
Living Plants and Print Pairings
Pairing actual plants with nature prints creates a magical enhancement effect. A tall fiddle leaf fig placed next to a forest print wall extends the forest theme into three dimensions, creating depth and life.
Effective plant and print pairings:
- Desert prints with cacti and succulents
- Forest prints with ferns and leafy houseplants
- Floral prints with flowering plants in similar colors
- Beach scenes with air plants or grasses
- Mountain landscapes with alpine-looking plants like small conifers
Advanced Nature Print Styling Tips
Once the basics are mastered, more sophisticated approaches can take nature displays to the next level.
Incorporating Local Landscapes
Using prints of nature scenes from the local area creates a special connection between indoor and outdoor environments. Visitors immediately notice familiar mountain ranges, lakes, or landmarks, creating a sense of place and belonging.
Ways to incorporate local nature:
- Feature iconic landmarks from the region
- Showcase local parks or nature preserves
- Include seasonal phenomena specific to the area
- Commission a local photographer for unique perspectives
Blending Different Photography Styles
While consistency has its place, intentionally mixing different photographic styles creates a rich, layered look. A home office might combine realistic landscape photography with more artistic, abstract nature close-ups for visual interest.
Styles to consider mixing:
- Traditional landscape photography
- Black and white nature studies
- Macro/close-up botanical images
- Aerial/drone perspectives
- Long exposure water or cloud images
- Infrared or other alternative process photography
Creating Seasonal Stories
Beyond just swapping individual prints, visual narratives that evolve throughout the year add depth to a home’s decor story. Documenting a local lake through four seasons and displaying these images sequentially as the real seasons change creates a connection to the natural world.
Seasonal story ideas:
- A specific tree or garden through the seasons
- Sunrise/sunset at the same location in different months
- Wildlife activity patterns throughout the year
- Plant life cycles from bud to bloom to seed
- Weather phenomena characteristic to each season
Making Nature Prints Work in Modern Spaces
Nature prints don’t have to feel rustic or traditional—they can work beautifully in contemporary spaces with the right approach.
Minimalist Nature Displays
In more minimal spaces, less is more. Instead of multiple smaller prints, a single larger, impactful nature scene with plenty of negative space makes a statement. An ultra-modern apartment might feature a single oversized print of a misty mountain range against a stark white wall—breathtaking in its simplicity.
For minimalist spaces:
- Choose images with plenty of sky or other empty space
- Opt for subtle color palettes (monochromatic or limited colors)
- Look for strong, clean compositional lines
- Consider black and white or desaturated images
- Use simple, frameless presentation
Abstract Nature Elements
Not all nature prints need to be literal landscapes. More abstract interpretations of natural elements work particularly well in contemporary spaces. A close-up of water ripples in a bathroom might read as an abstract pattern at first glance while still conveying the essence of nature.
Abstract nature sources:
- Extreme close-ups of natural textures (bark, stone, water)
- Aerial views that become pattern-like
- Motion-blurred elements (flowing water, wind-blown grasses)
- Natural formations with geometric qualities
- Light and shadow interactions in nature
Balancing Digital and Natural Elements
In tech-heavy spaces like home offices, nature prints provide a welcome counterbalance. Placing a serene forest scene opposite a computer setup creates a visual rest space for the eyes during long work sessions, helping to reduce digital fatigue.
Ways to balance tech and nature:
- Position nature prints within eyeline from digital workspaces
- Choose scenes that contrast with the angular lines of technology
- Use nature prints to soften spaces with lots of gadgets
- Consider nature scenes that evoke the opposite feeling of work (calm landscapes for stressful jobs)
The Mixtiles Advantage for Nature Prints
Canvas prints prove particularly effective for bringing out the texture and depth of natural scenes compared to other printing methods.
High-Quality Canvas Reproduction
The texture of canvas adds a subtle dimension to nature prints that flat paper prints can’t match. Forest scenes in particular benefit from the slight texture, which enhances the organic quality of the images.
Canvas works especially well for:
- Images with lots of texture (rough bark, rocky surfaces)
- Scenes with depth and dimension
- Prints where a gallery-quality look is desired
- Larger statement pieces where detail matters
Easy Updates and Rearrangement
The flexibility to move and update prints proves invaluable when redesigning spaces. When furniture arrangements change, being able to easily reposition a nature print collection to work with the new layout saves time and prevents additional wall damage.
Benefits of flexible hanging:
- Experiment with different arrangements without commitment
- Rotate prints seasonally without damaging walls
- Take nature collections when moving to a new home
- Adjust heights and positioning as needed
Weather-Resistant Properties
Canvas prints tend to be more durable and resistant to humidity than paper prints, making them ideal for bathrooms or kitchens where moisture can be an issue. A collection of waterfall prints can survive perfectly in a bathroom environment where regular paper prints might curl from shower steam.
Canvas durability benefits:
- Less prone to warping in humid environments
- More resistant to fading over time
- Less reflective surface reduces glare issues
- More forgiving of occasional cleaning
- Generally longer-lasting than paper prints
By thoughtfully selecting and displaying nature prints throughout the home, anyone can create that essential connection to the natural world. Whether choosing dramatic landscapes or subtle botanical details, bringing nature inside through canvas prints offers both aesthetic beauty and genuine wellbeing benefits. Each time a nature print collection is added to or rearranged, the space becomes fresh and inviting all over again.
