Photo Credit: Gabriel Li // StudioGabe via Compfight cc
For those homeowners who spend long, busy days confined in drab office spaces, bringing the outdoors into the home helps to create a warm and inviting living space that fosters a calming environment and creates an atmosphere that does wonders for the soul. By addressing 5 fundamental areas of design and décor, bringing basic outdoor elements inside is something that every homeowner can accomplish.
1. Flooring
Wood flooring offers homeowners the perfect solution for creating a warm, organic feeling that is visually appealing and inviting for virtually anyone’s tastes. While traditional wood or bamboo are considered the perfect choice, the expense is often a deal breaker. Innovations in laminate flooring offer homeowners the look and feel of natural wood products without the costs associated with traditional materials. Homeowners are able to choose from a variety of patterns that take on the look and feel of oak, pine, bamboo, and a host of other natural flooring choices.
2. Color
Using colors that are inspired by outdoor elements is a fun and cost effective way to create an outside feel in virtually any room in the home. Even in basements! Whether it’s various shades of green to represent grass and plant life, or it’s subtle shades of blue that represent the sky and water, there are endless color combinations that will bring the feeling of the outdoors, inside. Adding neutral tones will help to create a clean feeling that will also produce the illusion of a larger space. Color doesn’t have to be limited to walls, trim, and ceilings. Outdoor colors can be used to create a natural feeling when used in furniture, bedding, window treatments, and tile on floors, counters, and shower walls.
3. Natural Light
Natural light is by far the most economical way to bring the outdoors into any home. Avoid keeping blinds closed and curtains drawn when there is natural light just waiting to lift the spirits. Even in those areas where some type of window covering might be necessary for privacy, using fabrics that are sheer or light weight will help to let the outdoors pour freely into your home. Natural light has an uncanny ability to help make us feel healthier and is a great natural remedy. When weather permits, opening those windows and breathing the fresh air is just an added bonus. For those homeowners with sliding glass doors, a little bit of routine maintenance will help to make opening, closing, and securing them, much easier. For doors that have been out of service, newly installed sliding door hardware will do a world of good for older, stubborn sliders.
4. Texture
Natural textures will help to create that outdoor feeling and add a level of dimension to any interior living space. Again, this fundamental tip does not have to break the bank. From materials used to upholster furniture to accents like whicker baskets, area rugs, lampshades, or a rustic barn door the sky really is the limit when it comes to using textures to welcome in the outdoors. The only science behind this tip is simply how a particular texture makes the homeowner feel. If a whicker basket filled with magazines makes you feel as if your sitting on the porch, that means the whicker basket has done its job.
5. A Room With A View
Sometimes working on your interior living space means doing a little bit of work outdoors. When your windows are cleaned and your blinds are open, nothing kills the mood more than an obstructed window. Taking some time to trim branches, remove overgrowth, and eliminate man-made clutter will help to create the perfect view. Bringing the outdoors into your home is essential to help keep refreshed, excited about life, and ready to tackle each day with a smile on your face. While improvements like flooring may come with a price, there are plenty of projects to keep you busy until you’re ready to commit to larger renovations.