BRINGING THE OUTDOORS INDOORS: FIVE CREATIVE TIPS FOR A NATURAL THEME IN YOUR HOME - BY GUY LAMBERT

11/08/2016

A top interior trend for 2016 is for people to decorate their homes with ‘natural’ accessories from their gardens. Helping to create a calming living environment, this trend for bringing the outdoors indoors can be achieved quickly and easily with some of the ideas below.

At Countryside we have a great range of properties for people looking for a new home that reflects this trend as our homes always include a garden, balcony or terrace.

1. Herb gardens

As long as you have adequate lighting, good soil, know when to water and set up a herb garden correctly, there is no reason why you cannot have one inside your home as well as outside! It is important that you are aware of the different growing techniques for different herbs, once learned you can enjoy the many benefits of home grown herbs! They’re healthy, cost effective, add extra flavour and help relieve stress. Mini herb gardens are a lovely porch accessory and will greet your guests with a fresh and natural welcome as they walk in to your home.

2. Plants

Whether you want to be creative or subtle with your greenery, there are many ways in which you can display plants in your home! Opting for a big statement vase holding a plant of flower is a great way of breaking up a large space by creating a focal point to the room. Smaller plant pots work well on window sills, book shelfs or can even be hung off the wall to brighten up a landing or hallway. If you are new to nature in your house, here is a selection of some of the easiest house plants to grow and maintain within the home: pothos, spider plant, English ivy, jade plant and peace lilies.

3. Colours

Colours can be used in a variety of ways to create natural themes throughout your home. The colour of the walls and ceilings, blinds and curtains, bedding and other décor accessories can have a huge impact to the style of a room. If you want a more natural feel in your home but aren’t a fan of plants, then keep in mind these colours that represent different elements of nature and the environment.

• Green represents the earth, grass and plants
• Blue represents water and the sky
• Yellow represents the sun and flowers
• Neutral tones give a natural feel to a room and also help with enhancing natural light

4. Materials

Wood, cork and bamboo are a popular choice of natural flooring as not only are they easier to clean and less costly than other man made materials, but they have a much longer life span and bring a calm, natural feel to any room. These materials are great examples of flooring that encourage light to bounce around your home space and brighten a room of any size!

5. Light

Natural light in the home has many benefits to both you and your property. Other than making savings on your energy bills, light is also critical for our health and well-being. By maximising the opportunity for natural light in your home, it will instantly create a vibrant and mood boosting feel. Easy ways of creating more natural light in a room are:

• Using mirrors and shiny surfaces to reflect light and help it travel further across an open space
• Having glass doors both internally and externally (frosted or tinted glass can be used for privacy)
• Light coloured bedding or furniture will give a light feel after the sun has set
• A view will not only bring more light into a room but it will also give the most natural feel there is!

Many of these ideas can be seen in the image above of the show home at Kings Park in Harold Wood.

For inspiration come and visit our show homes over the summer. You’ll find loads of fantastic ideas and we’re open throughout London, the South East and North West. You can find us on Instagram at @CountrysideProp where you can view our favourite show home shots!

Guy Lambert,
Head of Corporate Communications