'Bringing The Outdoors In'

'Bringing The Outdoors In'

'When it comes to designing our living spaces, nature is one of our most vibrant and never-ending sources of inspiration.'

-TV Star Sarah Beeny

Bring The Outdoors In

Incorporating nature into your home comes with a number of psychological benefits.

Nature makes us feel calm and refreshed, and blurring the boundary between the indoors and the outdoors at home provides an easy way to create a relaxing haven to escape from the stresses and strains of daily life.

Scientific studies have proven that having the natural world present can help reduce stress, lessen depression, help stave off negative feelings and even reduce fatigue.

From using earthy hues to inspire your colour scheme, to increasing the amount of daylight in your home, these tips will help usher the natural world into any space.

Let the light shine

Natural light has the power to transform and uplift any space, filling it with life and warmth.

If you have the luxury of starting your build from scratch or are renovating completely, think about the placement of the rooms in relationship to the outside.

Think about which rooms get the light at which times of day and wherever possible arrange rooms so that you spend the majority of your time, where the light is – but do consider what your windows look out upon.

East facing rooms get the most light in the morning, ideal for bedrooms so you can get yourself ready for the day with a morning burst of light.

West facing rooms benefit from evening light which is better for living spaces. A beautiful view of the garden should be a priority in rooms such as the kitchen or wherever you spend most of your time.

Smaller, less used rooms, like bathrooms, can be directed out towards the street or in the North of the house where it will only receive reflected light. Similarly, removing or relocating walls can help to elongate certain rooms and open them up to the possibility of a new vantage point.

Think about how the outdoors in your home is framed and set the scene. If you are changing your windows consider larger panes rather than lots of little ones, which block the light and your view. Heavy curtains or drapes will do the same if you can’t pull them right back away from the window. If you need to cover your windows for privacy, voile, sheer panels, shutters with slats you can adjust and light coloured blinds still let that all important sunlight in.

Read more at www.thedaylightproject.co.uk