For Malibu-based artisan Joshua Waldbaum, when it comes to interior design, itÂ’s the outside that counts. By, Lindsay Gabrielski
The design of a home is often guided by what nature has already provided us, be it windows that maximize the view, a deck that captures the breeze, or a bedroom where you can awaken to morning rays. For those looking to bring their home’s interior design one step closer to nature, sustainable furniture and home décor can create the perfect look of laid-back luxury. To help clients achieve that look, Malibu-based artisan and avid outdoorsman Joshua Waldbaum started Living Simplistically, a 
sustainable furniture and home accessories company dedicated to using only natural, reclaimed materials—think handmade driftwood mirrors and custom beds made from reclaimed wood.
Living Simplistically’s home products feature an authentic style that embraces nature and the “beauty of simplicity.” Waldbaum explains that people are drawn to the earthy tones and natural textures combined with the obvious “mosaic-like” detail of a driftwood mirror or reclaimed wood bed. “It creates a unique style that is as luxurious as it is rustic,” he says.
When working with reclaimed materials, Waldbaum says, each piece is so meticulously detailed and unique that it easily becomes “the focal point of a room” and changes its look and feel. Waldbaum explains that natural materials capture the essence of nature and bring it into your home. (Many of Waldbaum’s customers are, in fact, owners of oceanfront homes.) In addition to literally bringing elements of the beach into his clients’ homes, Waldbaum’s pieces echo the simple beauty and serenity that lured them to the ocean in the first place.
Instead of overly busy décor that distracts from the natural beauty outside, Waldbaum’s pieces works with nature to create a harmony between a home and its surroundings. Adding a driftwood mirror to an entryway in an oceanfront home will remind you each time you enter that you are not just in any house, but a beach house. For ocean home lovers and outdoor lovers like Waldbaum, who are more at home in nature than anywhere, integrating natural materials into interior home design can transform a home into a sanctuary. livingsimplistically.com