I think the natural world is the one free gift we have all received. Look closely enough and you will see how it functions perfectly. In all its perfection, and its perceived imperfection, everything works together quietly, healing, replenishing, feeding and beautifying us and the spaces we live in.
If you have been lucky enough to stand in a lush green landscape, you already know this. You may have felt it in the Daintree Forest in Queensland, the Blue Mountains in New South Wales, or closer to home, the Yarra Ranges, where eucalyptus trees rise up to 90 metres into the sky. The scenery is always the same in one way. Mesmerising, grounding and restorative. And always, underneath it all, that dominant colour, green.
I believed this in theory, but sometimes we only appreciate how certain things work when we participate in their world.
I discovered the effects of green on a smaller, intimate scale, through flowers. I remember visiting a wedding expo just before my wedding, trying to gather decor ideas. At the time, centrepieces were dominated by tall, single colour rose ball arrangements, which I found a little boring. I had no idea what my heart was actually longing for until I my eyes rested on the most beautiful arrangement, a flower garden in a vase, assorted seasonal blooms telling one beautiful, rustic story. I could not stop thinking about it, and eventually, that florist did my wedding flowers.
Years later, as a way of coping with city life, I took up floral arranging as a hobby, just to bring something joyful into the home. My early attempts never looked anything like Kirsty's, until I realised what I was missing, the leafy greenery used as fillers. Uneven branches of eucalyptus or magnolia. Once I added these alongside the blooms, I could finally call myself a self-taught florist. The imperfect, unevenly proportioned stems turned out to be the key to creating something perfectly imperfect, the kind of rustic that made my heart dance. My arrangements still are not as fabulous as Kirsty's. But they make me smile.
In nature, much like in my own arrangements, greenery is the grounding agent. Showing up in different shades for different purposes, ushering seasons in and out, quietly supporting life.
A little research into the psychology of green only confirmed what I already felt. Green sits at the centre of the visible spectrum, which means our eyes do the least work to process it, and that shows up as lower stress and a steadier heart rate. Softer, mid-tone greens like sage and eucalyptus sharpen focus, which is why they turn up so often in a study or home office. It is also one of the most forgiving colours to design around, bridging warm and cool tones with ease.
Used without thought though, green can just as easily crowd a room as calm it. A heavy, saturated green can feel like a wall closing in, and deep forest or emerald tones absorb light rather than reflect it, which can make a small or dim room feel moody rather than cocooning. None of this means green should be handled cautiously, only with a little more intention. Test a swatch in both morning and evening light. Let a cushion or a single botanical print introduce the colour before a whole wall does.
This, to me, is the real difference between decorating and designing with intention. Decorating asks what looks good. Designing for wellbeing asks what your body needs when it walks into a room at the end of a long day. Green seems built to answer that second question.
Living with green day to day, it rarely needs to shout to be effective. Paired with warm, earthy tones, it feels grounded and lived in. Paired with soft blue, the mood cools. Beside a crisp white or cream, green becomes the room's deep breath.
The pairing I keep returning to is my mum's green and blush lounge room, soft, calming and playful. A muted green rug, an olive-green sofa, a blush pink plaid accent chair, with sage, cream and blush pink carried through in various matching hues, patterns and textures across the artwork, linen, cushions and lampshades. Green and pink sit opposite each other on the colour wheel, which makes them natural, gentle partners. A pairing that helps a space feel comfortable, not staged.
My arrangements still do not look anything like Kirsty's. But every time I reach for a eucalyptus branch before another rose, I am reminded that the leafy greenery filler was never really a filler. It was what held the whole story together.
I think our homes work the same way. We chase the bold centrepiece and forget it is the quiet, grounding elements doing the real work of making a space feel like sanctuary rather than showroom. That is the contribution I hope Zuefolk makes to a movement toward spaces designed for genuine wellbeing rather than mere display, planting seeds in that forest of intentional living.
If green speaks to you, you will find it running through our range in different moods. Soft and grounding in the Green Eucalyptus Velvet Cushion and Coffee Mug Set Eucalyptus Green. Richer and more textural in the Forest Green Velvet Cushion and Emerald Green Pouffe Ottoman Round. Nothing plain, ever. 🌿
What is your relationship with green?
Green: The Most Restorative Colour on Earth
I think the natural world is the one free gift we have all received. Look closely enough and you will see how it functions perfectly. In all its perfection, and its perceived imperfection, everything works together quietly, healing, replenishing, feeding and beautifying us and the spaces we live in.
If you have been lucky enough to stand in a lush green landscape, you already know this. You may have felt it in the Daintree Forest in Queensland, the Blue Mountains in New South Wales, or closer to home, the Yarra Ranges, where eucalyptus trees rise up to 90 metres into the sky. The scenery is always the same in one way. Mesmerising, grounding and restorative. And always, underneath it all, that dominant colour, green.
I believed this in theory, but sometimes we only appreciate how certain things work when we participate in their world.
I discovered the effects of green on a smaller, intimate scale, through flowers. I remember visiting a wedding expo just before my wedding, trying to gather decor ideas. At the time, centrepieces were dominated by tall, single colour rose ball arrangements, which I found a little boring. I had no idea what my heart was actually longing for until I my eyes rested on the most beautiful arrangement, a flower garden in a vase, assorted seasonal blooms telling one beautiful, rustic story. I could not stop thinking about it, and eventually, that florist did my wedding flowers.
Years later, as a way of coping with city life, I took up floral arranging as a hobby, just to bring something joyful into the home. My early attempts never looked anything like Kirsty's, until I realised what I was missing, the leafy greenery used as fillers. Uneven branches of eucalyptus or magnolia. Once I added these alongside the blooms, I could finally call myself a self-taught florist. The imperfect, unevenly proportioned stems turned out to be the key to creating something perfectly imperfect, the kind of rustic that made my heart dance. My arrangements still are not as fabulous as Kirsty's. But they make me smile.
In nature, much like in my own arrangements, greenery is the grounding agent. Showing up in different shades for different purposes, ushering seasons in and out, quietly supporting life.
A little research into the psychology of green only confirmed what I already felt. Green sits at the centre of the visible spectrum, which means our eyes do the least work to process it, and that shows up as lower stress and a steadier heart rate. Softer, mid-tone greens like sage and eucalyptus sharpen focus, which is why they turn up so often in a study or home office. It is also one of the most forgiving colours to design around, bridging warm and cool tones with ease.
Used without thought though, green can just as easily crowd a room as calm it. A heavy, saturated green can feel like a wall closing in, and deep forest or emerald tones absorb light rather than reflect it, which can make a small or dim room feel moody rather than cocooning. None of this means green should be handled cautiously, only with a little more intention. Test a swatch in both morning and evening light. Let a cushion or a single botanical print introduce the colour before a whole wall does.
This, to me, is the real difference between decorating and designing with intention. Decorating asks what looks good. Designing for wellbeing asks what your body needs when it walks into a room at the end of a long day. Green seems built to answer that second question.
Living with green day to day, it rarely needs to shout to be effective. Paired with warm, earthy tones, it feels grounded and lived in. Paired with soft blue, the mood cools. Beside a crisp white or cream, green becomes the room's deep breath.
The pairing I keep returning to is my mum's green and blush lounge room, soft, calming and playful. A muted green rug, an olive-green sofa, a blush pink plaid accent chair, with sage, cream and blush pink carried through in various matching hues, patterns and textures across the artwork, linen, cushions and lampshades. Green and pink sit opposite each other on the colour wheel, which makes them natural, gentle partners. A pairing that helps a space feel comfortable, not staged.
My arrangements still do not look anything like Kirsty's. But every time I reach for a eucalyptus branch before another rose, I am reminded that the leafy greenery filler was never really a filler. It was what held the whole story together.
I think our homes work the same way. We chase the bold centrepiece and forget it is the quiet, grounding elements doing the real work of making a space feel like sanctuary rather than showroom. That is the contribution I hope Zuefolk makes to a movement toward spaces designed for genuine wellbeing rather than mere display, planting seeds in that forest of intentional living.
If green speaks to you, you will find it running through our range in different moods. Soft and grounding in the Green Eucalyptus Velvet Cushion and Coffee Mug Set Eucalyptus Green. Richer and more textural in the Forest Green Velvet Cushion and Emerald Green Pouffe Ottoman Round. Nothing plain, ever. 🌿
What is your relationship with green?