Bring the outside in and the inside out
Whatever the style of your house or flat, these creative ideas will help you create a greater connection to a garden.
PLANTS
One of the best ways to bring the outside in is to add plants to your home. Biophilic design is the practice of creating a closer connection to nature through the ways buildings and landscapes are created and built. Plants are one of the most used biophilic design ideas, they can add life to a space or design, create a connection with the seasonal changes outside the design. Bringing fresh air into a space makes it feel fresh and new.
Multiple studies have shown that indoor plants affect how happy and healthy you are. They improve your mood, reduce fatigue and can improve your performance and focus in a workspace. Plants are also known to lower stress and anxiety and increase your healing and pain tolerance. They can improve air quality which reduces the chance of headaches, this is why they are so good to have them in your home office. The plants absorb the toxic substances found in man-made materials and then produce clean air back into the room. Read more about home office styling tips here.
NATURAL MATERIALS
There are other ways of bringing the outside into your home, it could be done by using natural materials including natural flooring or furniture. Why not add different materials such as wood or natural stone floors and think about layering in rattan mirrors, wooden tables and using natural linens, cottons and wool for upholstered furniture. You could add a rustic feel by adding natural wooden finishes with rattan or go for a more luxury feel by adding marble, shell or agate furniture.
COLOUR
Soft greens are a great colour to reflect the outside as they add an organic feel and are very calming. Brighter greens create a positive and bright feeling and can look great combined with earthy browns and wooden elements. Studies have even shown that simply seeing green lowers stress levels and increases alertness.
This peaceful treatment room I designed for Caroline at You at No 32 (Photo Credit Harriet Matthews)
You can splashes of colour through plants, wall paint, wallpaper, furniture or your window dressings and accessories like with this fun botanical roman blind in this girls bedroom. This blind is so fun from Order Blinds.
Different surroundings can affect the colours you choose to bring the outside into your home. If you live in the mountains, then you might select an earthy colour palette and add finishing touches with rustic elements such as rustic wooden beams and stone tiles.
If you live by the sea then you could bring in gorgeous blues and teals with natural sandy colours to reflect the colours of the beach.
And if you live in the countryside then think of using greens, yellows, pinks and floral patterns to reflect the hedgerows flowers or your country garden.
This wallpaper from Designers Guild is a modern twist for a botanical theme in this open plan family living area.
FRAME YOUR VIEW
Consider framing the view of outside with floor to ceiling windows or a wall of sliding or patio doors out onto the garden. Think of using your view as a piece of artwork! You could also add in sky lights and extra windows to bring in as much natural light as possible.
The benefits of natural light for both your health and mental wellbeing are well-documented, and this is one of the most beneficial applications of biophilic design you can implement.
DESIGN FEATURES
This is a section of a treatment room I designed for Caroline at You at No 32
Why not add some design features to help incorporate the outside in, for example add a feature wall such as a living wall full of different plants a moss wall or wood cladding. These ideas can create a focal point. These plants don’t all have to be high maintenance some could be artificial plants, but real ones are better and have many health benefits. You could use a mixture of real and faux plants if you are not good at keeping them alive! You could also consider hanging plants from the ceiling or add a fun tree in spaces where you have high ceilings. Check out this fabulous wall art by local artist Ursula Csegoldi here.
Wall art by local artist Ursula Csegoldi
BRING THE INSIDE OUT
Bringing the inside out is another great way to make sure that your space flows from your home into your garden. You can create a cosy feeling on your patio by layering outside rugs, adding scatter cushions to your outside sofa and layering pots and outside lights. You could continue your colour scheme from inside through to your outside accessories.
If you would like to learn how to design your dream space in an online course then join my waiting list for the next HAPPY HOME DESIGN course here.
