When creating the layout of your home, there is usually a clear delineation between the indoors and outdoors. But there really doesn’t have to be.
Blurring the boundaries between your garden and your interiors increases your home’s connections to nature, which makes for an overall more pleasant space. It is also healthier since exposure to natural light reduces the risk of eye strain, headaches, and even blurred vision while working.
Since the pandemic has made our homes double as offices, too, a little more outdoors is what you and your busy household need to stay healthy while staying safe at home.
Features That Add More Nature to Your Home
If you don’t know where to begin, here are some smart ways to bring the outdoors into your home.
1. Opt for a carport instead of a garage.
People usually prefer to keep their cars in a garage, but not everyone has the space, time, and budget to construct one. A great alternative to a full garage that still keeps your car safe is a carport, which protects your vehicle by keeping a roof over it.
There are many carport design ideas to help you choose which kind looks best for your home. You can have it match your roof design for a cleaner look and also install screens to add more privacy when you need it.
Another awesome thing about carports is that they support an open concept home. The view of the outdoors is not interrupted even when you look outside of your windows. This lets natural light in more easily, adding a refreshing layer of brightness to your living space.
2. Install bigger windows.
Your home can best have a view of your greenery outdoors and catch daylight indoors when it has ample room to do so. This means it might be time to install larger windows in your home, especially the parts facing your patio, lawn, garden, or carport.
With larger windows, you can appreciate the view outside better. These openings also make your home look bigger from the inside because of the illusion of space it introduces.
Another great thing about big windows is that they allow for better air circulation. This improves your indoor air quality, removing dust and other pollutants and keeping you away from pesky allergies, coughs, and colds.
3. Fill the home with outdoor scents
Open windows allow the fresh summer breeze to seep its way into your home, but you can also do a little more to have your home be a replica of what’s outdoors. One way to do this is through scents!
You have plenty of choices for adding some fragrance inside the house. Scented candles come in a wide range of scents that are reminiscent of different seasons. A pro tip is to keep the lids on your scented candles open even when they aren’t in use as they can deodorize your cabinets and cupboards.
A cost-effective method is to use oil diffusers instead, as you don’t need to use a lot of oil to fill a room with an outdoorsy smell. However, you decide to add fragrance into your rooms, note that either comes in handy in the winter season, when opening your window to let air in is unideal.
4. Use natural patterns, colors, and materials inside
Time to rethink the current design of your home. Working indoors can sometimes feel drab and dreary because there is not much texture and color in your home. Introduce more life into it by taking inspiration from nature in your flooring, walls, and furniture.
For example, use more wood for your furnishings to mirror the trees that you have in the garden. Introduce more tans, browns, and greens for your color scheme, too.
If you get a little lost on what colors and pieces to choose, just take a look outside. Nature has a lot to say when it comes to the best style and color palette that will be suitable for your home.
5. Decorate with plants and nature-inspired elements
From using natural materials in building your home, extend it to how you decorate, too. Add some indoor plants and introduce some more green through your wall displays, curtains, and other display items.
If you chose to go a little muted with your home’s base color scheme, add little pops of brighter colors through your decorations. Again, feel free to refer to the colors you find outside to guide your decor.
By blending the outdoors and indoors in your home, you create a more calming, inviting atmosphere. It also makes it much easier to become more productive.
