Bringing The Outdoors Indoors

Some homes can feel overly detached from the outside world, relying on artificial materials and artificial lighting. By adding a few natural touches, you can keep your home connected to the great outdoors.

Here are just several ways of bringing the outdoors indoors.

Grow houseplants

Houseplants can literally breathe life into a home. There are many advantages to houseplants: they can help purify the air, reduce humidity and in some cases even improve sleep quality.

There are many different types of houseplants. If you’re looking for something small, subtle and low maintenance, you may want to consider these succulent gifts. For something larger and leafier, you could consider something like a snake plant or even a small palm.

Certain plants are better suited to certain rooms. For instance, some plants thrive in humid conditions and can be best suited to the bathroom or kitchen as a result. Others that produce sleep-inducing scents may be better suited to the bedroom.

Let the sun in

You can also bring the outdoors indoors by introducing more natural light to your home. Rather than relying on artificial lights, you can let the sun illuminate your home.

There are extreme ways to do this such as adding new windows. This could include adding skylights into ceilings in order to allow sunlight to pour in from above or adding glass doors.

There could also be ways of removing obstacles to let more light in. This could include outside obstacles such as trees or inside obstacles such as furniture positioned in front of windows.

Mirrors can also help to reflect light, helping to give a sense of more natural light. When placed opposite a window, a mirror could even create the illusion of an extra window.

Introduce organic scents

You can also replicate outdoor smells inside your home. Rather than relying on cleaning chemical smells to make your home feel fresh, consider using natural aromas.

This could include scents like pine, lilac and rosemary. These could be introduced to your home via scented candles or via oil diffusers. You may even be able to use certain plants to introduce natural aromas.

Use more natural materials

Natural materials such as wood and stone could also help to connect your home to the outdoor world.

Materials like wood can often end up being disguised with high gloss paints and laminate layers. Leaving timber unfinished can often help to give it a more earthy and natural feel. Wood could be used for flooring, furniture, counter-tops or cabinets.

As for stone, this could be a material to consider as flooring or as a counter-top. Materials such as granite and marble are very expensive, but there are many cheaper stone options such as soapstone to consider.

You could also consider more natural materials when it comes to upholstery. Leather and cotton could be a more natural alternative to nylon and synthetic fiber. Stick to earthy colors to help create a more natural feel.