Bring Nature In

As the weather warms, I find myself looking forward to every moment outdoors. I have always enjoyed the warmer weather. I feel energized by the sun shining on my face in the morning. I feel more freedom of movement in my loose, lightweight clothing. I step outside and feel freedom in the open, blue sky and joy in the warmth on my skin. Nature constantly inspires the most positive feelings in my life.

I like to bring the outside to my home in many ways with design. I take a holistic approach to interior design, and when I say holistic in terms of interior design, I’m referring to the consideration of the “whole”. Even when I’m simply doing a color consultation for a home, it is important to understand the home, the homeowners, their needs, and their lifestyle. On that vein, when we step beyond our inner spaces, we look at what inspires the positive feelings in our life, and I almost always come back to one thing… nature. What better way to bring positivity, motivation, and inspiration into our homes and our lifestyles than to bring the outdoors in?

COLOR
I like to do this with interiors in several ways. With color, many people are rejecting the latest grey trend because there is so much grey already in Seattle and it is “depressing”. Yes, it is grey in the northwest, but I’m honestly a big fan of blending with the outdoors. Let the walls fade away and allow the objects within the space to really speak. A home nestled in the woods with little peekaboo of the sky will not be overwhelmed with grey. It is important to consider regionalism. Embrace the natural surroundings. If we reject that, the design will feel out of place.

When working with color, I like to emphasize things that are not naturally obvious. My house sits above Quartermaster Harbor and we have a peek-a-boo view of the water. Most of what surrounds us is the forest, the highway (yay) and well… our neighbors. I wanted to emphasize the peek-a-boo view of the water, as well as drawing on the personalities of my husband and myself. My husband tends to lean toward modern clean lines. I have a passion for abandoned spaces, haunted houses, magic and mystery. So, it made perfect sense for us to paint our 100-year-old farmhouse dark gray with black trim. It gave an old building a modern edge and gave it a look of mystery and intrigue. I love the way the lights glow from inside the tall, dark house looming on the hill. On the interior, I pulled from our northwest grey. Our accent colors (still in the works) will be a dark slate blue and a dark teal… colors I associate with our region and the colors we generally see when we look at the water out our window.

VIEWS/DAYLIGHT
Another way to bring the outdoors in, is to create a focus on the views to the outdoors, whether that be orienting seating so that the line of sight focuses on the exterior views, pulling back window coverings, or using window treatments that draw the eye to the windows… and then beyond that.

Daylight is so essential in our interior spaces, in so many ways. We have energy savings, the connection to the outdoors, visual aesthetics, and the vitamin D our bodies so desperately need in the northwest that helps to prevent Seasonal Affective Disorder. I have been into so many homes and naturally drift to the windows to look outside, taking in the views and thinking of ways to incorporate them into the design.

So, the advice of this designer, is to choose colors for your home, not by looking at the pre-selected palettes at the paint store (although, that’s of great assistance once you’ve selected your key colors!), but by looking at what is currently in the space, what surrounds your space, and what your passion is.  

FINISHES
Materials are a fantastic way to bring the outdoors in, and again, it doesn’t need to be literal. We don’t need to bring a stump inside and use it as a coffee table (although that can be cool too!) Wood can make its presence in the way of wood floors. Stone can come in tiles. Water can be reflected with glass. While it may be ideal to use 100% natural fabrics, sometimes (such as when we have small children and potential for frequent staining), it just isn’t logical. When we opt for a synthetic fabric, use colors and prints with elements from nature to bring that feeling indoors.

PLANTS
We can’t forget bringing plants indoors as well! We cannot truly feel alive in a space if it has no life. As a busy mom of two little boys, I completely understand that plants are just one more thing to care for, and I have been known to forget about my plants, then overcompensate killing them in the end. So I met with Sylvia Matlock over at DIG and she shared some great tips for people like me- tropical plants and air plants are low maintenance, and if we get ourselves on a schedule to care for them, it’s a matter of watering weekly. It’s not an everyday or every other day thing. And, the rewards are amazing both aesthetically and in our health. Plants are an amazing natural air filtration system.

GET OUTSIDE
Of course, the best way to bring the outdoors in, is to actually get outside and experience it. Draw inspiration from what surrounds us. A photo of a frozen leaf might be lovely, but when you touch and smell it, the experience will be that much more. Bringing every sense into the experience can offer a more cohesive design.

Tune in to Voice of Vashon Sundays at 2pm to hear Inner Space, a radio show I cohost with my friend and colleague, Emily Herrick. Emily and I would love to hear feedback on the show! So, please listen in- let us know if you have questions or if you would like to hear us touch on a certain topic. Or, just let us know if you like it!!

To learn about Rachel Waldron’s interior design services, contact her at 206.249.9860 or
rachel@waldrondesigns.com