Invite Your View Inside
Don't just sit there and stare. If you love your view, pull it into the room with colors, textures and materials that make it feel at home
I once interviewed a well-known designer about a beach home she decorated along the Atlantic coast of Georgia's Sea Island. The space was filled with blues, greens and neutrals, and when I asked what had inspired it, she said simply, “The view!”
Regardless of whether your space looks onto an ocean expanse or an everyday suburban backyard, you can actively engage your view with your home by bringing its elements into your décor. By implementing the right colors, materials and even a few tricks of the trade into your living space, you may begin to wonder where your home ends and the great outdoors begins.
Regardless of whether your space looks onto an ocean expanse or an everyday suburban backyard, you can actively engage your view with your home by bringing its elements into your décor. By implementing the right colors, materials and even a few tricks of the trade into your living space, you may begin to wonder where your home ends and the great outdoors begins.
Color offers one of the most common ways to pull the outside in. Do you have a leafy green view outside your window? Pull that color inside with your furnishings. Don’t think the green has to be an exact match; introducing it in different shades than what you see outdoors will create dimension.
If you live in a place that gets sun aplenty, bring that feeling inside with yellows. An easy and affordable way is through accessories, such as throw pillows, trays and even fruit.
If you’re a gardener with a passion for flowers, pull their beauty indoors by reflecting their colors. The eye immediately connects this bold red couch with the flowers just outside the window, looking straight past the barrier of the wall.
A palette of blue and green is fresh and classic, and will fill the space with the airy feel of a grassy walk lakeside.
Feel free to incorporate colors that aren’t necessarily seen outdoors. In fact, mixing in complementary colors will further enhance the colors inspired by nature. Royal blues emulate the bright blue of the pool, while strong orange helps the blues stand out.
You can introduce the outdoors through materials too. If you have trees in your view, consider finishing your space with natural wood.
If your windows look out onto a stone patio, look for a way to incorporate stone indoors. This example is a deluxe application, but you can achieve the same feel with beautiful pebbles and stones in vignettes along your shelves.
Besides natural elements, what do you see out your window? In this case, tile in a fountain outside connects to the interior through more tiling in the archway.
Take a good look at the plants you see through your windows, then try to find houseplants of a similar variety or style for inside.
Consider using a natural material, such as wood, for the flooring. Fill the space with neutral furniture that won’t compete with the view and pepper it with flowers and houseplants. The cohesion is there, yet the view is still the main attraction.
Place a mirror where it best reflects the outdoors and you’ll be able to enjoy nature without ever stepping foot outside.
More:
5 Reasons to Design With Houseplants
Your Bath: Create Calm With Natural Materials
Indoors Looking Out
More:
5 Reasons to Design With Houseplants
Your Bath: Create Calm With Natural Materials
Indoors Looking Out