Inside a home, there are many spaces that can be arranged to help maximize its use, storage, beauty, and practicality. You should approach your outdoor space in the same way, as it can become an extension of your home, which leads to a healthier and happier lifestyle.
By following a few simple guidelines, you can further benefit from your outdoor space.
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Make Your Indoor Living Flow into Your Outdoor Living
One of the best ways to help two spaces feel connected is to create continuity between the two spaces. This can be done by blurring the boundaries of the two spaces. A large window or windowed door can help draw your eye to the outdoor space, making it inviting and more likely to be utilized and remembered.
Another design element that can help the space flow is to have the same flooring choice both inside and outside. A nice tile, or even wood-like tile, helps to extend your eye and connect the two spaces.
Also, by adding mirrors on the interior, you can reflect more light from the exterior. This trick serves multiple purposes as it adds light, makes your indoor space feel bigger, and also brings in images from the outdoors, like a garden and other greenery, effectively linking the spaces.
Bring Light and Warmth to the Space
Depending on the season or time of day, some of these outdoor spaces may be more difficult to enjoy without the proper light and warmth. Just like an indoor space is greatly amplified by a fireplace, making it a central location for gathering, a fire pit can accomplish the same task.
This can become a place for friends and family to gather for warmth and light in the evenings, talking, laughing, and exchanging stories about the day, enjoying the fresh air, and taking in the inviting night sky.
Another way to enjoy your space year round is by adding a nice patio heater. This can be enjoyed both during the day or in the evenings, as you may choose to grill outside, eat meals outdoors, or even play games. When you create a nice outdoor space, many activities can be moved to the space, allowing you to benefit from the outdoors.
Make it Comfortable and Inviting
Often, people can have a beautiful outdoor space, with a nice manicured lawn and well cared for flowers, but no effective way of enjoying them. By creating a patio space with pavers, or even gravel, and adding some outdoor furniture, this can quickly be remedied.
Most people like their inside comforts, like a nice couch or chair, and when you use an outdoor couch, you can relax outside for longer periods of time. Think reading, a lazy afternoon nap, or even mealtimes and game night.
By adding furniture, you are effectively extending the square footage of the home, because you have created additional living space that can be utilized. No matter how big or small your outdoor space is, it can serve its designed purpose when you design it well.
This is true for both indoor and outdoor spaces. Even a small outdoor space can always be made to feel cozy and inviting.
The Benefits of Being Outdoors
There are benefits to bringing outdoor elements inside. Plants have been shown to help reduce anxiety. By adding plants indoors, not only do you create flow to the outdoors, but you begin to reap the benefits before you even step outside.
On the flip side, being outside not only helps to increase your vitamin D, but it is said to have a whole host of additional health benefits. Among these benefits are better self esteem, more creativity, a better sleep cycle, better immunity, more focus, and better overall health.
Final Thoughts
When you make an effort to connect your living spaces between both the indoor and outdoor space, and make it comfortable and inviting, you are effectively extending the square footage of your home. This extended square footage benefits your health in a variety of ways, and ultimately leads to a well-balanced life.