Around 87% of our time is spent indoors, from work to home and to even just being in your car, this is a statistic that will only rise during current social-distancing and lockdown requirements. With self-isolation and quarantine binding people to their homes, it’s never been more important to reorganise and bring some of the outdoors in. Huge amounts of research have been carried out on the impacts of nature and being outdoors, all of which show huge benefits on mental and physical wellbeing from sharpening your focus to strengthening your immunity. However, you don’t always have to be outdoors to experience nature and to gain its full benefits, some simple interior design can bring all of this into your home. Simple Interior design tips to bring these outdoor benefits into your home.
Natural Light
Letting in some natural sunlight from outdoors is a must have! Opening windows and blinds can transform a home, changing it from a small claustrophobic cave into bright home worth spending your time in. By using light colours natural light has something to reflect off of, from furniture to the colour of your walls – keeping it light is the easiest way to open up your home and allow more of a natural light to come in!
Plants
The most obvious out of all these tips, is utilising nature and natural materials- although this can sometimes be the hardest – a fried plant might be defeating the purpose of bringing the outdoors in. So, the most important part of this tip is, research! Make sure that you know what it is that you are bringing into your home, from a simple cactus to a maidenhair fern – understanding the plant will help with maintaining it. There are hundreds of plants that are great for indoor living and it doesn’t have to be a simple orchid, you can have lemon trees, olive trees, succulents and so much more, as long as you know what that plant needs to grow (and stay alive). Although this step might seem straightforward it is certainly one of the most important tips to bring the outdoors in!
Decor
It’s not just real plants that can bring the outdoors in, art can transform your home and paintings and pictures of nature can open up the rest of the living space. Art is a great way to show your personal view of nature, from the colours to the shapes – whatever brings you to nature is what you should use. Landscapes and paintings can open the room and can give you an escape from the four walls that you may feel trapped behind.
Smells
This may seem a little quirky, but scents and smells can really bring you to nature and has been thought to improve wellbeing! Reducing anxiety with smells is a well-known technique, and the smells of sandalwood or pine are both soothing ways to relax. From candles, to incense to a simple air freshener you can bring the outdoors into your home as well as a little boost for your mental health.
Natural Elements
This is probably the hardest tip in this list as realistically, it calls for quite a bit of change. However out of all of them, this tip is a great way to bring in the outdoors, from exposed brick on some of the walls, to stone counter tops, bringing in some rustic features of a home can open it up and give an exterior feeling from indoors. An easier way to mimic this technique is to make the most of out of features already in your home, something as easy as opening up your fireplace and bringing in some firewood can have the same effects!
