6 ways to connect with nature by bringing the outdoors in
With the coming of the spring season, the temperature gradually rises and days become longer. Spring is about hope, renewal, rebirth, and rejuvenation. It means more time outside. The outdoors are a natural way to disconnect from modern life for a bit and connect more with nature, improving both our mental and physical health. There’s nothing quite like breathing in fresh air while hiking in the redwoods, smelling the salty ocean air on the beach, or feeling the warm sun on your face while sitting outside at a cafe. If you want to connect with nature on a mind, body, and soul level in your space, here are 6 tips that help you bring your favorite elements of the outdoors inside.
1. Natural Materials
The most connected spaces are the ones that use natural elements from nature. Whether it’s wood furniture, a brick fireplace, bamboo floors, rattan chairs, a jute rug, or organic cotton bed sheets, choose natural elements that incorporate your style and personality in an authentic way. Any material that reminds you of the elements you see when you walk out your door, helps unify your interior with the exterior. Plus, wood is such a beautiful material from nature that adds charm and character to any home. It calms your mind, body, and soul. Using materials that have been recycled, reclaimed, salvaged, or repurposed into new functions helps conserve Earth’s precious resources.
2. Earth Tones
Nature’s color palette is full of rich earth tones such as shades of browns, greens, blues, oranges, tans, and reds. These colors are warm, inviting, and soothing, which creates a sense of ease and authentic connection with yourself. Earth tones work well with most colors and complement materials such as wood, stone, metal, or glass. If you are looking for a soft, light earthy shade, I recommend Benjamin Moore’s Balboa Mist or Wind’s Breath. Adding terracotta vases or planters
3. Natural Light
Natural sunlight changes a space making any room come alive. It’s one of the easiest, affordable, and beautiful natural elements that people often forget about. Similar to rays of sunlight shining through redwood trees, one of your best sources of light will be the natural light shining through your windows. Therefore, to maximize the amount of sunlight that’s coming through your windows, clean them and open them whenever possible letting in the fresh air. Cleaning your windows allows in positive light energy and brings clarity to your physical and mental space. If your space doesn’t have a lot of natural light, add artificial lighting from floor lamps to table lamps, wall sconces, or chandeliers and pendants.
4. Plants
Accent your space with plants and flowers. This is one of the best ways you can connect with nature, keeping your home fresh and natural. Bringing the outdoors inside can be as simple as putting potted plants, succulents, cacti, or a bouquet of flowers on your kitchen countertops, your fireplace mantel in your living room, or on the windowsills in your bedroom. Plus, plants provide mental and health benefits such as reducing stress, improving your mood, and boosting creativity and productivity. They are living organisms that help remove pollutants from the air by absorbing gases (such as carbon dioxide) through their leaves and roots. Perhaps that is why when most people take a walk outside or go hiking, it feels so calming and soothing to the soul and instantly lifts up the spirit.
5. Unified Spaces
Use the same flooring for both indoor and outdoor areas to unify spaces. If you have porcelain tiles in your kitchen, use the same tile on your back deck or back patio for continuity and harmony. If you aren’t sure whether extending your indoor flooring outdoors will look nice and create a well-balanced aesthetic, stick with colors that complement the outside color scheme. For example, if the colors on the exterior of your home are greige and brown with warm accents, and the interior colors are cool greys and greens, go with the exterior colors for the color palette of your floors.
6. Wind Chimes/Indoor Fountains
The outdoors is all about experiencing mother earth, especially the sound of nature. When I go hiking, I love to hear birds chirping and the sound of water flowing across rivers or trickling down creeks amidst the silent communication of the beautiful redwoods and creatures. You can bring the sound of the outdoors inside by hanging wind chimes or adding a tabletop fountain to simulate the sound of trickling water. What a great way to bring nature indoors to create a soothing and relaxing oasis.
How blended indoor and outdoor living spaces can benefit you
While not everyone is as conscious of their health both physically and mentally as they should be, those who enjoy nature recognize the abundance of the universe and the feelings of harmony and peace that it brings to them. We currently live in a technology boom where there’s constantly an influx of information. Our brains are rarely still and we constantly feel busy, overwhelmed, and stressed out. Blended indoor and outdoor living spaces allow you to connect with mother earth on a mind, body, and soul level. Reconnecting with nature brings a sense of calmness and balance which reduces stress, anxiety, and worry lifting your spirit even for a moment.
This spring, bring the outdoors in with a blended living space that promotes your soul healing and mental health which is needed in today’s fast-paced external world. Let nature restore you to your true authentic self and welcome a calm, relaxing peace into your interior space. If you want a designer’s touch to help guide you to transform your space and are ready to jump in with your design project for the summer, please contact me for a 30-minute discovery call. To schedule your call, click here. In the meantime, happy decorating!