insideKENT Magazine Issue 77 - August 2018 | Page 150
INTERIORS
OUTSIDE-INSIDE INTERIOR DESIGN:
Bringing You Closer To Nature
WITHIN THE REALMS OF INTERIOR DESIGN, THE HOME AND THE GARDEN HAVE LONG AND
OFTEN BEEN REGARDED AS TWO ENTIRELY SEPARATE SPACES – IF ANYTHING, GARDENS HAVE
BEEN ADORNED WITH THE FURNITURE, LIGHTING AND FUNCTIONALITY THAT WE WOULD
ASSOCIATE WITH INSIDE LIVING. THAT TREND IT SEEMS IS SWITCHING; WITHIN THE HOME,
INDOOR PLANTS AND MORE RAW, NATURAL MATERIALS ARE DOMINATING LOOKS AND IDEAS
SHARED ON PINTEREST AND INSTAGRAM AS THE BOUNDARIES BETWEEN INDOOR AND OUTDOOR
LIVING ARE BECOMING INCREASINGLY BLURRED. IT’S TIME TO EMBRACE INTERIOR/EXTERIOR
DESIGN FLUIDITY – HERE’S HOW TO NAIL THE LOOK.
PLAY WITH COLOUR
Whatever the weather, you can bring cool
tones or much-needed warmth into your
home by incorporating the colours that
represent each season and mirror those that
are being framed by your windows, doors and
skylights: think pastels for spring; bright yellow,
blue and green for summer; red, orange,
brown and gold for autumn; and white, teal,
icy blue and grey for winter. There is
something very comforting about the warm,
cold or neutral hues of nature’s changing
seasons that can really transform a space into
a home, especially through wallpaper, a
complimentary paint palette, pillows, cushions
and upholstery.
Similarly, earthy tones are instantly
synonymous with nature and work at any
time of year. Brown, beige, tan, terracotta and
green all blend together harmoniously to
create a really comforting outdoor-indoor
look and also makes a stylish backdrop to
rustic, country-style furniture – ‘farmhouse-
style living’ was one of the key trends of 2017
and continues to dominate home decor trends
this year.
EMBRACE NATURAL MATERIALS
You definitely don’t need green fingers to get to
grips with the outside-inside interiors trend as there
are plenty of other ways to integrate natural
materials with your existing inside space. Wood,
in all its many splendid forms, is the most versatile
of natural materials and pairs really well with natural
colours, so avoid painting it and let all of its lovely
knots and imperfections shine through. Stones,
feathers, branches and coloured corals are also fab
for intricate decoration.
Since around 2015, both architects and
homeowners have also rediscovered exposed brick
as a powerful natural tool. There's something about
a brick wall in the home that somehow manages
to indicate rich history and old-world character at
the same time as giving quite a modern, statement
feel. Part of the beauty of bricks is that they can be
worked into a variety of key interiors looks from
industrial and shabby chic to minimal or vintage,
but they always look timeless.
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