Bring the Outside In: 6 Ways to Create an Urban Oasis
Where industrial concrete meets jungle green...
Spring is finally (finally!) on its way. Outside, trees are beginning to blossom and flowers are threatening to burst back into bloom at any second. With nature re-emerging in all its fabulously-coloured and sunny glory outside our homes, no wonder so many of us crave ways to bring the season back in at this time of year.
Decorating with plants and natural elements never goes out of style for too long, but we wanted to see how Brits make the most of the world around them in modern and contemporary homes. So we put a challenge to some of our favourite bloggers—create a style vignette that lightens and brightens with natural elements for under £50. To our surprise and delight, each of the following six stories focusses on a different location within the home, each with its own, unique style. Let this be the proof: combining design with nature can be done in any room, in every style and for every budget. Read on to discover six different ways to bring the outdoors in…
Adding A Few Accessories
by Lucy Carter of From Lucy with Love
"As spring approaches, we all start to crave a fresh colour palette in our homes. Spring green tones and Mediterranean blues are the perfect accent to a bare corner of your lounge, bedroom or office space. Before getting overwhelmed about embarking on a total makeover, why not consider a few simple changes to help bring the outdoors in?
Changing a few key accessories and dedicating a small area of your chosen space to beautiful plants and flowers add a burst of energising greenery and make all the difference.
The rustic appearance of slate, aged ceramics and worn terracotta (like the small planter pictured) is perfect to add a touch of the outdoors to any space, whilst the gorgeous blue and white tones of the 'flowers & garden' jug and the plant pot work beautifully to fulfil the classic vintage-countryside look.
Artificial stems, such as the ruscus stem (pictured with the daffodils), are an ideal accessory to add texture and variety to your displays, whilst looking equally as elegant featured alone in a tall vase."
About Lucy: *Lucy is the creator of the lifestyle blog *From Lucy with Love. She is fortunate enough to live in beautiful Wiltshire and is hugely inspired by her everyday surroundings. She works as an Arts Development Officer and blogs in her free time about her everyday life as well as craft, home, health, beauty and life's various other adventures
- Choose climbing vines that'll quickly build a leafy 'canopy' in your space. Experiment with vessels made of different natural materials—clay, stone, sisal, rope or wood—to bring to mind Earth's different elements.
Fresh and Bright in the Bedroom
by Kat of Laydey Katabella
"Now that spring has sprung, I love to invite people to stay over. One way I like to bring that spring feeling in is through bright and airy spaces. The guest room also doubles up as my craft room by day so it's exciting to transform the futon into a cosy guest bed. It's still a tad chilly so this beautiful duck egg blue throw is perfect for bringing some added warmth and cosiness to our guest room. The crisp cream bedding brings a bright fresh element!
Of course, no spring room is complete without some beautiful blooms from the garden!
These tulips, however, are a sneaky cheat and genuine fake, but bring the perfect balance of the outdoors into the room."
About Kat: Laydey Katabellais a blog consisting of style, craft and lifestyle topics. Kat writes and talks about easy DIYs and how-to crafts, interior and fashion style, look books, hauls and general life adventures with her husband and hound.
- Tip: If you've not got much of a green thumb and you don't have breezy, airy windows to work with, consider changing up the art on your walls.
All Dressed Up: Glam Walls
by Natalia Jane of Fleur de Londres
"Spring is around the corner and a great way to brighten up your space is to bring the outdoors in. This can be done in a few different ways.
A great way of bringing a fresh and vibrant feel into your home is by adding accessories and dressing up the room with beautiful florals.
Succulents are on-trend this year and complement most accessories when wanting to creating a vignette.
Some of my favourite pieces are focal points that consist of anything portraying nature.
Here I have placed a canvas art piece of pretty peonies by Amanda J. Brooks as a focal point and have creatively complimented it with a square succulent pot by Clementine Creations."
About Natalia Jane: Natalia Jane is a London-based aspiring interior designer, freelance writer and founder of the blog, Fleur de Londres. Incorporating a stylish mix of contemporary and glamorous interiors, design trends and tips, Fleur de Londres explores a fashionable approach to life. Connect with Natalia via her Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram accounts.
- No need to go for pinks or pastels if they're not your style. Greenery comes in all shades and is well-paired with both dark woods and natural patterns in any hue—even with a moody mid-century palette.
Playing with Natural Textures and Patterns
by Danielle from DanielleYC
"Bringing the outdoors in is an idea I can really get behind. I love planning interiors and without having a bit of greenery I think a room can become almost sterile. But bringing in the outdoors doesn't have to mean turning your front door room into a greenhouse. I like to mix things up with different textures, patterns and natural colours to really bring a room to life.
If you're not quite green-fingered (like me!) try bringing in some succulents which are super hardy, don't need much sunlight and barely need watering too, which is perfect if you're pretty forgetful. A nice glass dome can really help to highlight your plant and make it a prickly centrepiece. Alternatively, if a succulent seems like too much of a commitment you can pick up some pretty convincing faux flowers these days, which will instantly add a pop to any room!
Next, I like to play around with textures. Think natural woods, stones and shells or—better still— bring in some beeswax. A super simple beeswax candle can add so much to your home styling with its warming tones and distinctive pattern. Who doesn't love a candle flickering away on a crisp spring evening?
Finally, I like to bring in some natural patterns. In general, our rooms tend to be quite monochrome and geometric so a cute garden print or bird print really softens our styling. One of my favourite pieces of décor is my leaf-print Orla Kiely jar. I just love the subtle print and dark wooden top. It doesn't shout "look at me" but it's still somehow a real standout piece. You can also bring in prints with scatter cushions, throws, light shades and curtains, all of which add a real cosy finish to your decorating."
About Danielle: Danielle is a 20-something graphic designer and crazy bunny lady. You'll most likely find her blogging, eating, Tweeting and Instagramming in Manchester.
- Urban jungle styling doesn't need to be restricted to the mantelpiece; add some flower power to your fireplace for some springtime cosiness.
French Country Styling
by Melinda from the Style Prescription
"Plants and flowers bring life to the indoors and can instantly bring natural character to any space. With spring approaching you'll see plenty of spring bulbs like daffodils, hyacinths and tulips in your local florists and gardening centres. Create a 'wow' factor by grouping a variety together. Alternatively, use faux flowers—they now come in an array of plants and styles.
One of my favourite ways to update a space with greenery is by choosing plant pots, as they come in so many styles and colours.
You're bound to find one that complements your space. Don't feel that they have to match. I find grouping planters in odd numbers creates a more interesting look.
Showcase a stone fireplace with a collection of greenery to create a focal point of interest, and stagger the height by placing pots on books. A bottle vase is great for bringing in a vintage feel and you can instantly change the look with the type of flower stem you choose to fill it with. Search Instagram and Pinterest for inspiration and bring the joys of spring into your home.
I love french country décor and used plants in this vignette that would reflect a rustic lifestyle. I chose my upcycled sideboard as my base, and added some of my favourites: french lavender, hyacinths (for their fragrance) and fresh herbs. I used a herb box planter for that rustic country feel.
Herbs are a wonderful way to spruce up your kitchen space with bringing the outdoors in. Not only are they decorative and fragrant, they're a great and easy way to introduce herbs into your cooking.
They're easy to maintain, healthy for you. Some varieties even grow all year long."
About Melinda: Melinda is a personal stylist who some might say has an unhealthy obsession with fashion! She graduated with a BA (hons) in Fashion Promotion at UCA Rochester and has worked on some great photo shoots and events. Besides fashion, she has always had an interest in interior design.
- The quality of faux florals has improved vastly; the posies of today bring as much joy to the eye and are a cost-effective alternative to fresh-cut stems. Place them next to living cacti or succulents to fool your friends and family!
Fabulous Faux Florals
by Debbie from Country Heart and Home
"Spring is most certainly on its way, but if you're like me and don't have green fingers in the slightest, then there's only one solution: bring the outdoors in! With the simple addition of some greenery and floral accents you can really highlight areas of your home and breathe life back into an empty space.
Growing up with parents who loved gardening, I'm quite ashamed to say that not only can I not grow anything, but I have serious troubles even keeping plants alive... Yes, even cacti have been known to give up the ghost under my care!
However, there's a way around this, using realistic-looking arrangements of artificial flowers or plants. A simple artificial bouquet of flowers can create an everlasting centrepiece for a dining table or window sill. A moss wreath can bring a pop of colour to a dull door and enhance the welcome to visitors who think you're a dab at floral decoration. Everlasting plants can create an outdoor scene—even for those with a deadly touch to anything green!
There's a wide range of artificial tropical plants that don't need an greenhouse full of sprays and fodder to keep them alive. This beautiful Dieffenbachia plant livens up my otherwise dull bathroom and creates a sense of the outdoors and life in a space that would otherwise be cluttered with bottles and potions.
I can't wait until spring fully arrives to throw open the doors and breath in the fresh air, sit outside and enjoy a glass of wine in my plant-free garden knowing I can wander back indoors and sit amongst my everlasting flowers!"
About Debbie: Deborah Nicholas is a stay-at-home mum to 6 children and loves to 'make' on a daily basis. Deborah also finds time to run a highly successful blog, Country Heart and Home. She lives in Durham.
- For more great ideas on how to #BringTheOutsideIn check out these spring shelfies from some of our favourite UK bloggers.
