Bringing the outside in has been a long standing interior decorating phrase for many years, it is all about linking your outside space with your indoor areas to create a harmonious flow. Today however we are going to explore how to literally bring the outdoors into your home with ideas for decorating your home with flora, fauna and other items found in your garden or wider outside areas.
Fresh cut flowers always look beautiful, and more elaborate arrangements create great focal points, potted plants, trees in pots and modern innovations like air plants all have a place in our homes. Click here for some great ways to decorate your home with plants ( https://www.brit.co/new-ways-decorate-with-plants/ ) but below are some ways to take what you have in your garden to accent and enhance your home in your own way.
Making Twigs Trendy
Looking at twigs lying on the ground you may not initially be inspired, but take a few long twigs – the more curly, wavy or gnarly they better – place them in a vase and you have a great focal point for any room. Curly hazel or twigs of straight red dogwood work well but whatever you have to hand will work. Take this further by spraying your twigs a colour to match your interiors, you are probably familiar with spraying foliage silver or gold at Christmas time but for a whole year look choose a colour that compliments or contrasts your decorating scheme. Denim Blues, Olive Greens look modern and fresh as neutrals or pick hot pink or canary yellow to really make a statement.
Decorating the twigs can also make a real difference, choose soft miniature fairy lights to wrap around both the twigs and the vase for a soft romantic look – perfect for bedrooms or cosy nooks. Consider also making use of the twigs to signify the changing seasons or significant holidays – hang prettily decorated eggs at Easter, soft felted hearts at Valentine’s Day or pop birthday poppers over the twiggy branches for family birthdays.
Small Flowers & Petals
Laying petals on a soft bed is a traditional view of romance, but still a nice one! Depending on the time of year you will be able to find suitable flowers to pick your petals. Roses are the obvious and classic choice, so use their petals as a standard and choose flowers that have soft, velvety large petals in pretty colours – Peonies and pansies can work well but don’t be put off if you can’t find voluptuous blooms – you can pick smaller flowers whole and be creative with your placing.
Small flowers that you may not think would work in a traditional floral arrangement can be scooped up, placed in jam jars and scattered around the home for pretty garden reminders for all to see. Using a collection of jam jars, milk bottles or even Tupperware as a table centrepiece is not only very trendy it is also a great way to use smaller flowers on a regular basis.
If you are a crafty type taking the petals, smaller flowers or even larger blooms and drying them out and using them for decorating or turning them into candles, soaps or sprays will enhance your home at a later date.
Wreaths are not just for Christmas
A nice tradition (we think) that is coming across the pond from America is using wreaths throughout the year and not just at Christmas. Making a Christmas wreath that uses the lovely festive foliage from your garden makes for a very personal and enjoyable winter activity and it is exciting that this is being adopted throughout the year. Whether you make a wreath to match each season or just for special occasions your garden can be your local source for a Spring, Easter or Harvest wreath.
Wreaths can be made of pretty much any foliage in your garden, and do not have to be large, or hung on doors. Perhaps try making a small wreath of rosemary and hang in the kitchen, or a wreath of dogwood or willow branches for a living area.
The great thing about decorating your home with the beautiful living things in your garden is that your decorations will be completely unique, very personal to you, and a very economical way to update your home throughout the year, celebrate the seasons or the holidays and link your outside space to your indoor space.