How to design your interior with a closer connection to nature

Working in an office eight hours a day and then being too exhausted to do anything once you get home can lead to you not spending that much time outside.

That's not good for your health – there's much to be said about our basic need to be connected to nature and all the benefits that come with the same.

So if you don’t have that much free time to spend in the great outdoors, why not bring them inside your home?

Here are some ideas, both big and small, that you can implement in your living space to have a greener outlook.

Make a Big Change

Let’s start with some ideas that might require a bigger budget, but are definitely worth the time and effort if your budget allows.

An approach that will require some remodeling is expanding your home or knocking down some walls. For instance, a wall in your dining or living room that is facing your backyard could be replaced with a huge glass window or sliding door (or if you want to really get fancy, think of french doors).

This will provide you with a great view of the outdoors, much additional light in the home as well as connect your inside areas with the outdoors – especially if you keep the doors open most of the time.

On the more daring side of things, if you’re thinking about expanding your home to include the local habitat, one idea is to have a tree indoors. You can build the expansion around an existing tree or bush you really like and make it a part of your living area.

Similarly, and depending on your area, this can be also done with local geological features, like a boulder or part of a cliff.

We’re well aware that modifications like these are not for the faint hearted or those without a little bit of cash in the kitty. For some, this might not present a problem, but for most others any kind of project of this nature will involve securing the appropriate financing.

Whether you already own the house in which you’re planning your modifications or are about to put your foot onto the property ladder, it is vitally important that you’re aware of the kind of financial outlay (and assistance) will be needed, either through a broker or a lending institution.

Spend some time researching your loan options, check for lenders online (and offline) and gain insight into the competitive interest rates offered by some of today’s banks.

Rely On Smaller Improvements

If you do not have a big budget at your disposal, you’ll be happy to know that other options are also available.

For instance, you can implement some natural materials into your home. When it comes to flooring, you can replace your current floors with some non-man-made options, such as cork, wood or bamboo. They all feel warm under your feet and help you establish a connection with nature.

Or you can choose natural stone for the floor, an accent wall or even a washbasin in your bathroom.

Another thing you can do is increase the number of and size of your windows. Think of it as the previously mentioned glass wall but on a smaller scale.

You will still have an amazing view which can sometimes be enough to boost your daily mood.

Something else you can consider is getting a skylight over your bed or other even in the bathroom. This is amazing as you can fall asleep looking at the stars and wake up with a view of the clear skies above.

However, if you cannot afford to install more windows, you can do something a bit less disruptive to your walls.

Have you ever considered having a living wall?

You can easily turn this into a DIY project as a green wall can be whatever you want it to be. The size, type of plants and its location all depend on your preferences.

It’s All About the Details

Even if you live in a rented apartment, you can still introduce some natural elements into your home. Sometimes, even the smallest details can do wonders to make us feel better, and are definitely worth considering.

You don’t have to create a green wall to have some plants in your living space. There are many potted plants you can choose from. A lot of them don’t require a lot of maintenance and still offer all the health benefits one can expect.

You can even assemble a terrarium to serve as a focal point in your home.

Some natural materials don’t require any expensive outlays or time-consuming renovation. For instance, you can look for eco-friendly towels and bedding.

Materials such as hemp, jute, rattan, and wicker can all be used in your space, whether it’s for chairs, rugs or baskets.

Artwork can also be used to boost your connection to nature. It can be a collection of your travel photos, for example. Large-format prints of landscapes depicting scenes of beautiful flora and fauna.

Pieces of art that show waterfalls, seashells, starfish, flowers, and leaves can also achieve the desired effect. Using a palette inspired by nature that includes earthy tones as well as greens and blues can also help you capture that essence of the outdoors.

There are so many ways to bring the outdoors inside, regardless of your living arrangement and financial situation.

Let the natural light and fresh air in, bring some form of greenery into your living space and remember that even the smallest of details can make a big difference, so choose something that brings joy and happiness to you and your family members.

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About the author:

Bethany Seton is a real estate agent from Melbourne. For the last two years, she decided to leave her office job and follow her passion for writing and traveling.

Currently, she travels with her laptop and writes for various blogs, hoping one day she will gather all the experience she gets in one book.

Story by: Bethany Seton