Reading Time: 4 minutes How to Create an Outdoor Happiness Haven in Your Home
This is a collaborative post with tips on creating an outdoor happiness haven.
Everyone loves a little bit of nature in the home, and with the right décor, you can capture a little of that outdoor magic and bring it indoors.
By incorporating some of these design elements, you can create a marvelous happiness haven that will help you feel almost like you are outdoors.
How to Create an Outdoor Happiness Haven
1). Install a Firepit
Install a what?? Yes, really – you can bring a bit of elegant outdoor magic into your home with a beautiful firepit.
According to Home & Patio, who sell fire pits in Houston, the right firepit can complement any living room. It’s all about finding the firepit with the décor that will speak to your aesthetics and color scheme: round or rectangular, Vesuvius or Santorini, and so on.
On that note, this would be another refutation to misconceptions about things you can’t do in a condo.
2). Seating & Tables
Your living room should be a comfortable, fun social space, and a big part of that is seating. If you’re trying for a bit of an outdoor aesthetic, the idea is to capture the magic of the outdoors in a way that is still fun, stylish, and of course comfortable.
So, include plenty of seating! This gives people places to sit and encourages conversation. Think about putting seating in a circle or otherwise facing. You might also try accent chairs facing the main seating areas with some nice accent tables and lamps in reach.
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When you think about this ambiance, do you see how it can give the impression of bringing a bit of an outdoor haven into your home? The seating, tables, and lighting will encourage everyone to think of sitting around a fire, and you can choose seating, tables, and lamps that impart a bit of a rustic “outdoorsy” flavor.
3). Layer in Soft Textures
You’re going for comfortable and cozy here, so think plenty of throw blankets, pillows, baskets, and picture frames. The idea is to create a space that encourages people to feel comfortable physically and psychologically – thus the picture frames.
A soft rug is another good idea, especially if you have young children who might be coming to visit.
4). Find Another Place for Your Television – Or Hide It
Televisions have gotten much larger, and a lot of people are decrying the influence of the television and the media on our culture. Don’t get me wrong, if you want a cozy place to watch television, all well and good, but if not, think about finding another place to put your television.
Another option, depending on your device and your own preferences, might be to put it behind a folding cabinet or even a pull-down map. You don’t necessarily have to move it if you don’t want to. The basic idea here is to de-center it, remove it from the position of pre-eminence in your home and allow other possibilities to flourish – conversation, reading books, maybe something crafty like needlework.
5). Think About Storage
A living room tends to be a busy place, and that means it also tends to be cluttered. Family members’ shoes, clothing, mail, pet projects, and the like all tend to add to the clutter.
This is where storage comes in. If you have good storage options, you’ll be better able to make the most of your space.
With some helpful bins and drawers, you’ll have places for the things that tend to clutter up your living room, and that will give you more space to customize and design as you want.
You can also choose storage options that contribute to your overall aesthetic. Think leather, wood, and wicker boxes, baskets, or bins.
6). Try Natural Elements & Accessories
When you decorate, think about adding design elements that will contribute to the natural feeling. You might try an old globe, maybe a steampunk leather chest for a bit of an explorer feeling.
Other ideas: think about flower arrangements, including wildflower arrangements you grow and/or simply gather yourself. Maybe you can add some pinecones, interesting rocks, shells from a trip to the seashore, something like that.
If you don’t mind taking care of living things, potted plants and vertical gardens are some potential options. If you’re a little more adventurous still and you have the time to put into it, perhaps an aquarium with some fish would be up your alley. Let your mind go wild here.
Conclusion
We all sometimes feel too confined in our homes, and long for a better sense of connection to nature. By implementing the tips we’ve discussed here, from firepits to fish tanks, you’ll be off to a great start redesigning your main common room.
What you’re likely to find is that a little outdoor cheer can help your living room or family room feel like a magical happiness haven.
Rachel is an Austin blogger, educator, mom, wife, young breast cancer survivor writing about health, saving money, and living a happy life in Austin, Texas.
Rachel has written for HuffPost and Hometalk and has been featured on KXAN, Studio 512, Fox 7 Austin, and CBS Austin.