Nestled in nature: Enhance your wellbeing with an indoor-outdoor space
An affinity with nature is a core part of the human condition. The health and wellbeing benefits of earthing, forest bathing, and wild swimming are well documented. Activities like these help us recharge, replenish, and restore our physical and mental energy, feeling connected to our natural surroundings in an increasingly complex world.
What if you could bring those calming benefits closer to home? A transitional room that combines indoor comforts with your outdoor space might be exactly what you need.
What is indoor-outdoor living?
You may have heard of indoor-outdoor living - and you may have also heard of ‘bringing the outside in’. Through interior design and building techniques, you blend the luxurious landscapes that surround your build with the comforts of your own home, creating a seamless journey between the two.
But what does this look like in practice? For many, this means opening bi-fold doors and feeling the fresh air on their face, while others sit back in a glazed garden room from which they can take in the view
What are the benefits of an indoor and outdoor space?
As mentioned above, the benefits of spending time outdoors have been well documented. But how does creating an indoor-outdoor space help? You can read just a few of these benefits below.
- A mood boost - there’s nothing quite like spending time in nature - but rainy weather can limit our vitamin D exposure. Indoor-outdoor living offers the best of both worlds, providing you and your family with a constant connection to the outdoors - lifting your spirits as a result.
- Relieving stress and anxiety - sometimes, life can feel busy, and you long for some respite. Spending just 15 minutes amongst nature has been shown to help your wellbeing - something you can easily do within the comforts of your own home.
- Encourages movement - imagine stretching on a yoga mat inside your indoor-outdoor room, soak up the warmth on your face and watching the sun rise through the clouds. Exercise in a pleasant environment all year round.
- Expanding your home - there are practical benefits, too. An extension provides that extra bit of room in your home, so you can enjoy a larger, open kitchen or a dedicated social space.
And let’s not forget how wonderful your extension can look, too. By harmonising your home and garden, you can admire the colourful outdoors throughout each season, soaking up the sun and all its goodness.
Choosing your extension
There are many types of extensions that you can choose from, including:
- Garden room extensions
- Orangeries
- Sunrooms
- Conservatories
Whether you have an idea in mind or are putting together your moodboard, we’re here to jump in whenever you need us. Our website is full of inspiration - as are our brochures - so do spend time exploring our case studies and see what sparks your imagination.
Bringing the outdoors in: Tips for a sophisticated, sustainable space
To bring the outside in via your interior design and build, there are a few considerations to be aware of. If you choose to work with us, we’ll guide you through the process and ensure your extension suits you and your lifestyle. Here are a handful of tips and tricks to help with your indoor-outdoor design.
An oasis of calm, or a hive of activity?
Our best advice when contemplating any interior is to consider the primary purpose and uses of the space in question.
Are you considering creating a blissful haven for working from home? A family fun space? Somewhere to entertain, or to curl up with a good book and take in the view?
Understanding the core uses of the space will be fundamental to making the best use of your budget and style priorities.
It also has the practical benefit of aligning everyone’s visions for the room – building a space everyone can enjoy.
Natural light, materials, and the best use of space
For a garden room that functions to its full potential, you’ll need lots of natural light.
For a room that’s deliberately dappled in sunlight (watching golden sunbeams dance over oak’s silver patina is quite something), you’ll want to position it perfectly to ensure it follows the daily path of the sun.
For a refined finish, you’ll want to augment the existing focal points in your garden, creating something spectacular and uniquely yours.
Perhaps, like our clients, you’d like to drink your morning coffee while watching the resident Kingfisher in your wildlife pool, entertain and look out over unspoilt panoramic views, or have a clear line of sight to your horses and equestrian facilities.
Map the practical aspects of your garden, as well as your favourite features you’d love to be able to see, hear, and experience from within your garden room.
An environment that flows seamlessly into the next
To truly blend the indoors and outdoors, you’ll want to feel like your garden room ‘belongs’ in its natural environment. A colour palette and interior styling that mix earth tones, rich greenery, and tactile, organic materials complement a calming ambience and support your smooth transition from one space into the next.
Oak is the perfect material to frame that transition. It exudes warmth, grace, and strength – all feelings associated with wellbeing, empowerment, and stepping into your true potential. Its natural beauty is sure to complement any style, from incorporating soft, subtle touches into a modern home to creating a warm and rustic environment.
Visualise your future with oak
Throwing open your glass bi-fold doors, feeling the glorious, warm summer breeze wash over your skin, and taking in the beauty of your very own garden, is a feeling like no other.
It leaves you refreshed, rejuvenated, and ready to embrace the day (or enjoy the evening) in style. It’s a feeling you deserve every day.
For more oak framed insights, interior inspiration, and interviews with our expert craftspeople, peruse our coffee-table book, Poems.
