How to Create Seamless Indoor-Outdoor Flow in Your Home
No one wants to feel cramped indoors when they have a nice outdoor space to use. Especially during those days when socializing is not that popular, having a comfortable extension of your home is greatly desired. You might have a patio or a backyard that needs a little sprucing up, or you are looking to build a new sanctuary from scratch. Creating a seamless indoor-outdoor flow in your home is a terrific way to bring more light and nature into your everyday life. And Bringing the outdoors inside improves your health and wellness.
Why a Seamless Flow?
It has become a popular trend with homeowners to connect the indoor and outdoor space to feel closer to nature. No matter how old or big your house is, and even if it comes with a small plot of land, it can give you various options to connect the two areas beautifully. If you are thinking of creating this transition in your home, you may want to consult a professional designer. However, it is also possible for you to do a bit yourself with a few tips and tricks.
Floor-To-Ceiling Glass
Think about incorporating glass as a connection between the exterior and the interior. No matter what option you go with, adding more transparent surfaces to your walls will bring you closer to that seamless flow. Some of your options may be:
Large glass doors
Bifold doors
Sliding glass doors
Floor-to-ceiling windows
To bring the outside into your home, you can't go wrong with any of these solutions. Nothing will create a better flow than the transparency of the glass. It will allow the outdoor light and nature in as much as possible. This trick will also visually enlarge the space, creating an illusion of a seamless indoor-outdoor flow in your home. Probably the best way to go is bifold or sliding glass doors. Once you open them, you will create ample connected space without any visual obstacles.
Floors That Carry Through
You can also run the same flooring from inside to outside. This is a great way to blur the lines between the two spaces making it hard to see where one area ends and the other begins. Leveling the floors is essential in this case—this way, you can move easily from one room to the other, and there is nothing that you have to step over. In addition, aiming for a low-maintenance design is always a brilliant idea for outdoor areas, as you don't want to spend too much time cleaning. Some suitable flooring materials to choose from are:
Hardwood floors
High end vinyl flooring
Porcelain Tiles
Ensure that the flooring option suits both indoor and outdoor spaces. If you choose tiles, make sure they are non-slip, frost-proof, and designed to be suitable for use in all weathers.
Echo the Furniture
If you are connecting your living room with the outdoor area, you can use your furniture to achieve a perfect transition. It will seem like your living area naturally continues into the outdoor space. It will create the same mood and ambiance in both areas and optimize space and flow in a connected and cozy way. Accessorizing your home with decorative elements common for inside and outside can help you effectively achieve the indoor-outdoor design flow. These could include vases, matching style coffee tables and chairs, throw pillows, and draperies of matching patterns and colors. Use large flower and plant pots to frame different areas.
Go Green to Create a Seamless Indoor-Outdoor Flow
Adding greenery where the house meets the outdoors is a clever way to join the two spaces—position plants by the window in the indoor area to minimize the divide. Large plants are essential, but consider the shape and density of foliage to maintain views and keep light coming in. Plant outside flowers and vegetation close to the house to make the two places feel like one and choose taller plants that can reach window height. This way, they will be visible from inside, even when the doors and windows are closed.
The great idea is to place some pots with plants and flowers on rolling stands. Doing this will give you flexibility and an option to move them around according to your mood and accommodate the outdoor furniture. The greenery comes with another fantastic benefit—it provides privacy for the outdoor living spaces. Trees and flower bushes can work as beautiful living fences allowing you to enjoy the outdoor space undisturbed by the outside views.
Let There Be Light
Lighting is vital for both the interior and the exterior of your home. When the sun goes down, your home will need outdoor lighting to maintain that seamless flow. Remember to use similar types and intensities of light indoor and outdoor to keep that perfect connection. Think about placing lighting on trees, pillars, or the pergola for a more romantic feel. You can also consider little twinkling and subtler lights that can both decorate the outdoor and provide enough light for you to enjoy some quiet evenings outside. Another exciting feature for your outdoor design is a fire pit that contributes to the lighting and makes the living space super cozy for those cooler evenings.
You Might Need a Storage Unit
While you are redecorating and reorganizing your space, your existing furniture might get in the way. Make sure that you plan everything ahead of time and possibly rent a storage unit. Doing so will give you room for the work to be carried out and keep your existing furniture safe. There are different types of storage units to choose from, whether it is just for a few boxes or large pieces of furniture. In addition to that, you can have your items picked up and stored away, so you don’t even have to leave your home but entirely focus on the remodel.
Renting a storage unit is an excellent way to keep excess stuff away from your living space as well. So, if anything is obstructing the light and you have no other place for it, store it away until you figure out what to do. Also, you can have decor suitable for different seasons. Keep them in storage until you need them, so you don't clutter your home.
Enjoy Your Joint Living Spaces
Creating a seamless indoor-outdoor flow in your home can be a fun process that you can play around with. Apart from the significant work that needs to take place, like building patios or installing sliding glass doors, there is so much that you can accomplish with small pieces of furniture, plants, and accessories. You and your family will be able to enjoy a beautiful space that is one with the outdoors all year round.
For professional expertise in making a seamless transition to a fabulous outdoor space reach out and schedule a Discovery call with Dafna.
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