Bring the outdoors in and reap health, design benefits

The beauty of nature has a special appeal that relaxes and refreshes like few other things can. It makes sense, then, that there is a growing movement among home-dwellers to incorporate nature into their design and décor so they can enjoy it year-round.

Besides being beautiful and interesting, health experts say incorporating natural environments into your home can improve your happiness and well-being.  No matter where you live, from living walls and natural materials to hammock beds and expansive windows and doors, the list of innovative and attainable ways to invite the outdoors into a variety of spaces in a home is expansive.

Refresh and restore

In addition to its esthetic qualities, exposure to nature can benefit our mental health, including decreasing stress and relieving anxiety and depression, researchers say.

Avik Basu, lecturer and research area specialist at the School of Natural Resources and Environment at University of Michigan, says natural environments have restorative properties that are especially beneficial in today’s information-overloaded world.

“When we engage with nature — whether by walking in it, tending to it, or simply gazing at it — our attentional system gets to rest and restore itself,” Basu explains.

An extension of nature

Some homeowners approach that concept literally by building their houses around existing natural elements such as trees and streams.

Washington, D.C.-based architect Travis Price recently designed a summer residence for nature lovers in West Virginia that was built around two existing trees to extend the feel of its wooded setting.

“Once you enter the house you just feel like you’re still walking in the forest,” Price says. “The trees become permanent pieces of art and also shade.”

Rob Busch, owner of Cincinnati architecture firm Drawing Dept, says in addition to glass walls, large, operable windows and doors are an effective way to invite the outdoors in, not only because they flood the inside with natural light, but also because they provide a seamless transition between the two.

“The outside is not just leftover space after you design the space,” he says. “It’s the biggest room in the house; it just happens to be outside.”

Busch says bringing the outdoors in can be as elaborate as a full wall of folding glass doors, or as easy as replacing an existing door or window with a larger one.

“It can be very impactful in affecting how much of the outdoors you can see,” Busch says.

Green your walls

Walls can also provide the framework to grow real indoor greenery in the form of living walls, also known as garden walls and vertical gardens.

Rachel Dougan, principal of Washington, D.C.-based ViVi Interiors, says residential garden wall systems can be extremely low maintenance and highly sculptural, from an undulating wall of moss to a wave of varying air-grown succulents or a picture-framed grid of herbs.

Dougan says there are several options available, with varying levels of design and price. These features are also a great way to combine form and function by using them to grow herbs for the kitchen (easy-to-grow herb plants include basil, parsley, rosemary and mint).

“For beginners, a grid system is very forgiving. You can test out a small garden before expanding to a whole wall,” she says. “You can keep adding on as you as you feel comfortable with the maintenance.”

Natural materials

Incorporating natural building materials into your home can also add to an outdoorsy feel. Stone fireplace mantles and walls provide rustic appeal, as do wood beams and accents. Maria Samuels, marketing and materials specialist at InStyle Modern furniture supplier in Brooklyn, N.Y., also recommends choosing natural flooring over man-made.

“Think hardwood, bamboo, and cork,” she says. “Natural flooring is warm and natural, and by using it, you’re bringing in the organic elements found outdoors.”

Elemental décor

For the ultimate outdoors feel, try incorporating some traditionally “outdoor” furniture, such as a hanging lounge seat or bed. Extra points if they’re made of natural fibers like rattan and wicker.

Of course, to bring in a quick, affordable infusion of the outdoors, the easiest options are to add colors and elements that are found in nature to your decor. Jars of rocks, shells and sand add natural appeal and texture, while colors inspired by nature refresh and restore.

“Blues evoke the colors of water and the sky. Shades of green bring the essence of plants and grasses into your home. Neutrals, tans, and beiges express earthiness,” Samuels says. “The outdoors provides a palpable and organic appeal for people, so it’s no surprise that we want to bring that beauty inside.”