Spring is definitely coming! Although here in the Netherlands it might be rainy some days, the temperatures are going up and you really feel people are ready for it :) Every day daylight is staying a little longer and that makes our hearts lighter and our mood happier. It also makes us want to spend more time outside... So here's a blogpost on spring and with loads of inspiration for the outdoor living!
We have this 'national thing' going on that with one sunny day we en masse go to a cafe terrace to catch every ray of sun we can... because you never know when there will be another good, sunny day! So while we can, we should enjoy the good weather and what is better to do that in your own garden, patio or balcony. We have selected loads of inspirational pictures to show you how you can turn your garden or balcony into a real relax space! You really don't need loads of space for that too.... keep on reading and you will see :)
Ok, so you think outdoor living is a great thing, maybe when you live in Australia.... but not in our little, rainy country...! You certainly have a point there, but this is not an excuse at all! Just make sure you use the right things for outdoor, furniture that can stand the rain, decoration that does not mind some cold... and make it easy to take the things that do not like rain & cold inside. It takes a little more effort and creativity, but then you can enjoy the sunshine and weather in a comfy way!
A easy way to do this is make furniture from (impregnated) wood or stone and add loads of pillows, which you can take off during the night. Making a veranda is also a nice idea, it gives you some shadow as well on those - rare - days when it is too hot.
We can see two trends in outdoor living, one is minimal and very white. The other is quite the opposite and very bohemian with loads of ethnic prints and colours. We will show you both, starting with the minimal style.
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| loving this super simple white stone bench, with some plants behind it / found on dentrodelabuhardi tumblr com |
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| simple but charming veranda with loads of windows & plants growing over it / found on bolina.no |
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| a minimal bench and plant stand in one / rhsblog.co.uk |
The biggest trend is that of the bohemian style. I guess the popularity of Ibiza and California might have something to do with it... the relaxed feeling we instantly get when thinking of these places is contagious. We love the combination of colours, patterns and textiles used. They remind us of great travels in South America. Anything goes and that is the good thing about this trend, you can really do what you want to! Let's dream away!
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| bohemian style: a mix of (ethnic) patterns, colours and materials using a lot of textiles! / clockwise: domain, ilovespiritualgangster on tumblr, ruralgirl on tumblr, alkemie.blogspot.com |
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| loving this green veranda (with glass roof) / found on coollife.me |
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| veranda with stone benches and loads of coloured pillows / found on style-files.com |
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| city patio in lovely, warm colours! / found on lark and linen |
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| mix patterns and colours the way you like it! / found on minhacasaminhacara.com.br |
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| coral, white & green go together perfectly! / frolic |
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| great bench! / Photo by El Mueble |
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| perfect bench if you have a small space / found on the style-files.com |
If you live in the city you might have some small outdoor space, but maybe it does not really feel like a green place to escape to. There are some things you can do to make it feel more green and lush in an easy way. We will show you how to do that. If you put plants on different levels, it makes a green wall in an easy way, without taking up to much space. Vary the colours and textures of the leafs to make it more lively! Climbing plants are of course also very suitable for making a green wall. If you take plants that flower as well, like Clematis or Wisteria, you have flowers and a lush feel all in one.
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| make a wall green by planting plants on different levels / found on etc-alltherest blogspot.com |
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| using different heights of plants will make it look lively / found on facilisimo.com |
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| a green ceiling gives you a instant garden feel & shade / found on allitemsloaded.com |
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| a real green wall! / from tumblr |
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| A wisteria grows quick and has lovely flowers! / marie claire maison |
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| a green wall even makes a very small patio feel like outside / found on meganmorton.com |
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| use big plants in a small space; they give you the feeling you are in the middle of a jungle / wishflowers on tumblr |
If your only space outside is a small balcony, you can still make a dream space out of it! Just watch the following pictures and use your own imagination.They show you how a small space can be fabulous! Don't be scared to use big plants, they actually give you the feeling you are in the middle of a forest or jungle... and what is not to liked about that feeling? :)
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| stack furniture & plants to safe space / found on blog bettinaholst dk |
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| create a green wall with loads of different plants / found on designhunter.com |
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| use that small terrace with some folding furniture / found on elv-s.blogspot.no |
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| even a narrow balcony can be green and practical / found on Chicago Tribune |
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| combine climbing plants and plants in pots in a small space / found on notmybeautifulhome |
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| make a small terrace on top of your annex / found on apartmenttheory |
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| the wood gives this balcony a luxurious feel! / found on buzzfeed |
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| optimal use of space with loads of green! / found on the Kitchn |
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| petite balcony in Paris, but with a spot to enjoy the great view! / found on interiorjunkie.com |
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| sit between the plants, for an instant outdoor feeling / found on szinesotletek blog hu |
Hope you found a lot of inspiration in the pictures above. This morning started rainy, but since a few hours the sun is shining again... and of course I feel like going outside now, especially after making this post :) So I am off, leaving you with some final great pictures. Enjoy the outdoors!
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| a rooftop party!! / found on apartment therapy |
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| Let's go outside / clockwise: apartmenttheory, casatreschic blogspot, pinterest, mydesired home |
P.S. Do you want more inspiration? Follow our pinterest board! Is it still raining, or do you want an indoor jungle? Check our previous posts on green in your interior here!
