INTERIORS
OUTSIDE-INSIDE INTERIOR DESIGN cont.
LOOK INTO FLUID FLOORING
With the average house size getting smaller, many of us are turning to the outdoors to extend our space. Be that in the form of a conservatory, or a covered patio area, the key to a seamless transition from your living room / kitchen to your outer extension is fluid flooring – a coherent floor from the interior to the exterior will blur the boundaries between the indoors and outdoors, making the outside area feel like part of the home when the doors are open and in turn adding a far greater sense of space. The door between the two is important here – one of the most effective ways to extend a living area outwards is to use sliding bi-fold doors made from framed floorto-ceiling glass that will leave the whole‘ wall’ that was previously dividing your living space and your garden open.
BRING THE ACTUAL OUTSIDE IN
If you have an outdoor space that you use often, it can be a great idea to continue your outdoor style inside. One of the best things about interior design is that there are no hard and fast rules, so you can use outside furniture and lighting to create a smooth transition between the inside and out. Look online and you’ ll be surprised at the varied selection of outdoor rugs, lighting and accessories that would look just as good in a living room or open-plan kitchen.
If you really want your outside to feel like part of the home, opt for a covered exterior, which can come in many forms – a balcony, deck, covered patio, covered porches, or a loggia – and allow you to enjoy all the benefits of the indoors while remaining connected to the outdoors.
BE CREATIVE WITH CONCRETE
As part of a broader trend for industrial living, concrete has become a surprising material of choice for homeowners to get creative with in the home. Having been used in construction since as far back as the Roman times, it ' s now working its way indoors, mainly in the form of furniture, flooring, wall tiles, tabletops and home accessories. Concrete is a great choice of material because it looks edgy, is extremely tough wearing, incorporates grey – a timeless and very chic colour choice, taps into a wider trend for exposed raw materials and can either be adopted in a rough-and-ready style, or a more sleek, minimalist design that’ s durable and made to last.
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