The home is supposed to be your safe haven from the outside world. It keeps you protected from the sweltering heat and the biting cold, not to mention the rain and the wind. But sometimes it can feel a little too isolated, a little too insulated. Letting in the outdoors in can do a lot of good in refreshing the home.
People tend to feel more relaxed when surrounded by the natural world. It can also help brighten things up and make the home seem a lot more spacious. We’re going to look at three practical ways to let the outdoors in without turning the home into a wilderness.
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Keep it natural
There are a lot of different interior design styles to try out, but if you want a certain outdoorsy feeling to your home, then making use of natural materials can be the most effective style of them all.
Wooden flooring is popular nowadays, but natural stone walls are starting to gain a certain prominence, too. Stones like slate aren’t cold or overly hard as you might think, but rather give a warm, rustic feel to the home as opposed to the more distant approach of contemporary design.
Houseplants are always a good idea, as well – we went a little bit overboard at Newquay garden centre at the weekend and spent a few hundred quid on these beauties, but it was totally worth it. Because hey, beyond adding a bit of fresh colour to the home, they’re good for air quality.
Shrink those boundaries
Think about the parts of the home that actually keep you separate from the outside world. If the home is feeling a little closed in and claustrophobic, then taking a new approach to your walls can really help open it up a lot.
You don’t have to go wild knocking down walls all over the home if you prefer a more conservative approach, gullwing conservatories have a classic look that allows you to preserve a certain period of design for the home.
At the same time, you’re getting that open boundary design that makes much better use of your surroundings, especially effective if you have a garden that you put plenty of time and love into.
Let there be light
Conservatories also allow a lot more natural light into the home which can instantly freshen it up. But there are plenty more ways to do this, too. For instance, if you live in a single-floor home, then opening it up with skylights can help it maintain a much brighter, airier feel throughout the whole day. There is also a huge range of blinds available especially for sloping roofs from companies such as VELUX.
Similarly, you should consider the window treatments you use as well. Instead of thick curtains, window blinds and shades can keep the light out when you need them, just as effectively, but are much better at letting more in when you want. If the bathroom could use more light, then instead of relying on smaller windows or shades to keep your privacy, you might consider textured glass instead.
If you have any garden space, you should think about moving the indoors out, as well. Using decking or patio installation to give yourself some livable space for socializing or having the occasional meal outside can not only add a lot of appeal to the outdoors but adds real home value, too.
