13 Ways to Give Your Home a Garden-Inspired Look
Outdoor elements like trellises, antique tools, slate and garden gates have a special place indoors
Becky Harris
May 18, 2015
Houzz Contributor. Hi there! I live in a 1940s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe as "collected."
I got into design via Landscape Architecture, which I studied at the University of Virginia.
Houzz Contributor. Hi there! I live in a 1940s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe... More
In her charming book The Secret Garden, author Frances Hodgson Burnett wrote, “If you look the right way, you can see that the whole world is a garden.” Homeowners who look at the interiors of their homes this way have had wonderful results. Now that spring has finally arrived, it’s a great time to take inspiration from the garden and liven up your interiors. Landscape materials like brick, slate and river rock make for stunning indoor flooring, while favorite objects like garden gates and urns will add inviting touches to your rooms all year round.
Coming across this room on Houzz is what inspired this ideabook. The wrought iron table, usually seen on a patio or terrace, is simply charming in this home in Spain. Tall plant stands, indoor plants, the tile floor and a grass-green mirror frame bring all the delight of teatime in the garden to this indoor space.
Give an indoor room potting-room touches. Watering cans, fresh flowers and a farmhouse-style cabinet make this entryway feel like a delightful potting shed or flower-arranging room.
10 Favorite Shed Features for Comfort and Joy
10 Favorite Shed Features for Comfort and Joy
Use outdoor pots and urns indoors. These pieces help add wonderful texture from materials like iron, concrete, terra cotta and ceramic. Oversized pieces make a big statement.
Hang garden tools on the wall. I have to admit, I have a collection that includes an antique wooden rake, a green trellis and antique children’s garden tools, and they’ve all graced my walls as art at some point or another. (The trellis is currently hanging in my guest room.) This homeowner brought in a collection of antique farm tools and treated them like art in the breakfast room. Tongue-and-groove planks and exposed rafters add to the comfortable and casual feel.
Bring garden furniture indoors. A garden table topped with branches and blossoms and beautiful floral prints on the throw pillows lend a wonderful garden-like atmosphere to this bedroom sitting area.
Add garden architecture. This contemporary kitchen connects to the outdoors with a horizontally hung trellis and a wall of glossy green behind the range.
Choose a palette with colors plucked from plants. Mixing a range of greens with gray gives this room a modern garden-inspired look.
Go big with plants. Elegant furniture plus large tropical plants plus a few bird cages equals a wonderful mix. It’s chic Parisian apartment meets rainforest.
Add a garden mural. This one covers the walls in a classical sculpture garden. A large topiary and an indoor window box round out the garden inspiration.
Mural: William Riley
Mural: William Riley
Glean inspiration from gates and fence. These wrought iron doors and sink stand recall whimsical garden gates.
Gates: Custom design, Taylor Interior Design
Gates: Custom design, Taylor Interior Design
Give garden elements an indoor twist. In this office, you’ll find artificial leaves in the mobile, trellis patterns on the fabric and a whimsical indoor-outdoor chair winking toward the view outside.
Use outdoor materials indoors. Brick floors and slate floors like this one work just as well indoors as they do out. They are especially good to use in spaces that transition from indoor to out — those with access to a patio or with large windows like those seen here.
Poach furniture from the patio or porch. The intricate wicker furniture and colorful Chinese garden stools complement the botanical wallcovering in this cozy bedroom.
Choose botanical fabrics. Leafy green upholstery and the footed planter bring the garden into this arboreal dining room.
Tell us: Has the garden inspired your interiors? If so, please share them with us in the Comments section.
More:
10 Top Plants to Grow Indoors
12 Easy Decorating Ideas Inspired by Nature
More:
10 Top Plants to Grow Indoors
12 Easy Decorating Ideas Inspired by Nature
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Awesome article, Becky! My boyfriend and I were inspired by the horizontal trellis you posted a photo of - and just finished hanging our own version today! We have a monstrous Nepenthes (a carnivorous pitcher plant) hanging above our bath tub now, which will hopefully enjoy the humidity and sunshine :)
If you're interested in garden design, check out Landcraft Garden Design London :
https://landcraft.co.uk/