3 Ways To Bring The Outside Into Your Home
One of the best parts about living in warmer climates is the ability to embrace outdoor/indoor living. Meaning, that we’re not often closing the cold out but instead embracing the surrounding nature, often beckoning it inside to come to spend time with us. In Florida, when it's not too hot-we love to do just that! However, if you live in a bit of a colder climate, apartment building, or want to bring nature in without everything else that can sometimes come with it, it's easy to do so with specific design elements. Houseplants, natural textures, and certain aromas can allow us to be swept away by nature without actually standing in it. Here are a few ways to bring the outside into your home.
Houseplants
The first and most obvious answer is to keep plants in corners of rooms, on shelves, or along window sills. A few houseplants that work well in warmer climates are a fishtail palm, an umbrella tree, a spider plant, and travelers plants. All of these are beautiful additions to your space as they will add color, freshness, and life to your home. Partner with a local nursery when buying your plant to find out the best water schedule for whichever leafy green you decide to take home. Once it's home the fun part is choosing the style of pot or plate to set it in/on. Inevitably this will be adding another natural element to your space, whether it’s a clay pot or straw basket, both are great for displaying your chosen plant in.
Natural Textures
Baskets are great for keeping houseplants in but are incredible for a variety of other storage or decor-related reasons. Use a flimsier straw, or sturdier wicker basket to add a natural and fresh feel to a space. Rugs can do the same, especially when using a jute rug with large knots. This is a great style to also have on a porch outside if you ever wanted to flip the switch and bring the indoors out! Lampshades are another area to use a natural style material to give your room that beachy or ranch-style aesthetic. You can use a series of three hanging off the ceiling as a centerpiece above a dining table or down a hallway. There are so many easy and beautiful ways to incorporate natural textures, and the feeling they can add is both timeless and dreamy.
Candles/Incense
Other than being an amazingly low-cost flooring option, Saltillo tile offers up a beautiful rustic aesthetic, and a really dynamic look as they are designed in such decorative shapes. As mentioned, they are often found in Spanish-style spaces but are also often found in beach houses or wineries, any place where a warmer, more natural look fits well with the surroundings. They can be used both inside, as a backsplash, in bathrooms on kitchen islands and decorative walls, or outside for a beautiful patio, lovely pathway, or rustic stairway. They are incredibly easy to keep clean using water and soap and the occasional vacuum to get rid of dust. The best part, they easily conceal dirt. The Saltillo tile is so versatile, it’s an easy choice every time.
With Spring upon us, and all of the flowers in bloom we can only help but want to bring that right inside with us. Whichever way you choose, I hope you feel inspired to refresh your home and find fun new ways to bring outdoor elements in, creating a fresh new environment to relax in and enjoy. If you are in search of a designer to help you create a space that truly feels like home, click here to get in touch with me directly.