Why limit your home into two areas – indoors and outdoors – if you don’t have to? What if you could capture the essence of one and infuse the feeling into the other? One of our favorite design trends defies binaries by merging the best of indoor and outdoor to create a new type of blended living space.
Indoor outdoor rooms are changing the game for homeowners, but many people think this design trend is dependent on the architecture of your home. Good news – Sunbrella is here to change perspectives! Check out our design tricks to blend your indoor and outdoor spaces to create a cohesive look throughout your home.
Pro Tip #1: Reflect nature throughout your home by using rustic, warm, and green hued fabrics
Creating an indoor outdoor room that reflects the best of both worlds is easier than you might think. The interior of your home has the ability to capture everything you love about the outdoors, so you can enjoy nature even in colder weather.
You can layer a natural design throughout your home by first thinking about what you love most about the outdoors. What colors bring you the most joy, happiness, or warmth? Pick your favorite deep greens, olives, and blues to be the focal point of your design and then accent with lighter, neutral hues. Blending the outdoor colors you love into your home is not only proven to enhance your mood, but it also allows you to style an indoor outdoor room without completely renovating your home.
Bed with olive green comforter and green accent pillows
Sunbrella performance fabric tapestry hanging as home decor
Pro Tip #2: Try an open concept design to create an indoor outdoor room
The best way to truly blend the boundaries between indoor and outdoor living is through an open concept design. If you live in an area that has a moderate climate weather year-around, there is no better way to achieve this look than by knocking the walls down to extend your indoor spaces to your outdoors.
You can do this by installing floor to ceiling glass doors, windows, or telescoping French doors that lead to your outdoor patio. Not only does this merge the two spaces, but it also allows natural light to fill your home – a win, win!
Open concept bedroom design with wood ceiling and flooring to create an indoor outdoor living space
Open concept home office design with floor to ceiling windows and white Sunbrella drapery to create an indoor outdoor room
Pro Tip #3: Capture the spirit of the outdoors by integrating foliage and wooden furniture throughout your home
In addition to integrating natural hues into your interior spaces, you can also build an indoor outdoor room by using organic elements in your design. This is a key element of the emerging ‘organic design’ trend as well. Using natural materials in your home, such as wood and bamboo, brings in elements of nature indoors and also helps the environment with fewer chemicals and less waste.
Organic design using indoor plants and wooden furniture to create an indoor outdoor room
Natural living room design with wooden furniture with Sunbrella upholstery fabric and indoor plants to create an indoor outdoor room.
Pro Tip #4: Extending indoor living space with shading or eye-capturing pergolas
If you want an open air transition from your indoor space to your outdoor patio, an option less intense than floor to ceiling windows is a simple extension of your space with exterior shading.
You can integrate shade structures to visually extend your indoor space. Whether you prefer a retractable awning, shade sail, or pergola dressed in flowers or custom shading, it all allows for a protected space that can blur the lines between indoors and out.
Upstairs patio with outdoor wicker furniture covered by a striped Sunbrella retractable awning
Outdoor dining area covered by Sunbrella custom awning fabric for an indoor outdoor living space
Outdoor pergola covered by Sunbrella custom awning fabric
If you crave the feeling of being outdoors, you can make small changes to blend your indoor and outdoor spaces to create a fresh, open design. Start small with color shifts and by weaving natural design elements in your home, or jump all in by shifting your home to an open concept design to build an indoor outdoor space that is an extension of your home. The possibilities are endless!