Stepping outside should be a seamless transition, and your choice of furniture decides just how seamless. It’s time to unleash your inner interior (and exterior) designer!
Transform your outdoor living spaces into lush and flush extra rooms to roam in and out of this summer season with the help of our guide to creating the perfect indoor-outdoor flow.
So, where to start? At the door makes sense.
The pathway in and out
If you’re lucky enough to have wide sliding doors that immediately can open up and gain access to your outdoor patio, deck or outdoor chill space - then swing those babies open! Not having to open and close a door every time you step outside is the easiest way to enjoy an easy transition from inside to outside.
Furniture considerations:
Be aware of the size of the furniture pieces you are choosing and measure your outdoor space with the pathway doors open wide. The last thing you want to do is accidentally mis-measure your space by forgetting about your entry points and purchasing a lounge that will overhang or block your access. That’s one way to send your cocktails flying.
Hot Pick:
For a space that needs to take access points and stairs into account or room to put your BBQ or bar, we love a modular set like the gorgeously summery Venus in white or gunmetal. You can configure these versatile modular seating options into a variety of different setups and allow for gaps where you need them most.
Covered outdoor living spaces
An easy way to make an outdoor space feel transitional from the indoors is to utilise a covered outdoor living space to be the gap between the indoors and the exposed outdoors. If your outdoor space doesn’t have any existing undercover areas, you can add some with a chic umbrella shade in a large range of colours for a pop of subtle or bold - while serving shade and sun safety.
Carefully choosing exposed sunspots can be a fun way to designate tanning and relaxing areas, while the covered areas give you shelter from both the sun when it’s a scorcher, but also from that inevitable summer drizzle that shouldn’t put a dampener on your plans to chill. Who doesn’t love a good book outside in the rain?
Furniture Considerations:
Shades need to be weighted and in a position where you aren’t constantly having to dodge around the support. If you’ve got a windy deck, you’ll need to accommodate for the breeze with a heavier weight strapping that bad boy down.
Our Hot Pick:
We LOVE our bright shades of yellows, limes and rich terracotta's as much as we live for our classy and understated umbrellas in woods, blacks and greys - so whatever look you’re flirting with - you’ll find your match in this lot!
Avoid a conflict of colour interest
If you stand back and take a long loving look indoors at the visible furniture in your living room, kitchen, or whichever room leads onto your outdoor space - you’ll notice the colours, textures and other bits and bobs you might not have noticed before. For expert indoor-outdoor flow, you’ll want to choose outdoor furniture that doesn’t look horrendously different next to the furniture inside and blends nicely. Nothing wakes you up like a jarring colour palette. We’re not the fun police or anything, but choosing colours and textures sensibly can create a more harmonious effect between the inside and outside, making the outdoor area an extension of your living space - not a room that belongs on another planet. (but you do you, boo!) You don’t have to copy the colours on the inside and outside, in fact, complementary colours and mixed woods look beautiful and classy together, but not clashing is important!
Furniture Considerations:
Woven and wooden furniture look the most like real indoor furniture, so it’s a popular choice for outdoor living spaces that want to feel like indoor living spaces...except...they’re outside. On the other hand, metal sets offer a unique feel to your outdoor living space and are super easy to wipe down after your BBQs.
Hot Pick:
We love outdoor dining and bar setups, and the Cascade set adds a light, chic look that would just as happily live indoors while the Capri collection gives you cushy couch vibes you could just sink into for the long day of sunshine. If you want to add a fresh burst of colour, consider the holiday getaway hues of the Mykonos range - which incidentally looks beautiful next to light woods and pale fabrics of your indoor sets. So. Many. Choices.
Your outdoor area has a job to do
Giving your outdoor area a similar colour palette to your indoor rooms is important, but so is giving your outdoors a sense of purpose. If it is “just a second lounge”, you’re not as likely to use it (why move when you’re already comfy?). You can give your outdoor furniture a new style and set of furniture that serves a new purpose, while still looking like it’s part of the family.
Furniture Considerations:
What parts of outdoor living do you want? Do you fancy a designated sunbathing area? Outdoor dining and BBQs on the cards? Do you want ample seating so you can sit around and enjoy the company of others outdoors, or are you looking for a more private me-vacation? The more you know what you actually want to do outside, the more you’ll figure how to choose what kind of furniture serves those purposes. The trick is to add something to your outdoor chill space that isn’t necessarily replicated inside.
Hot Pick:
For the ultimate outdoor reading or nodding off experience, the Capri Egg Chair in gunmetal or white is a beautiful piece of furniture that is both functional and unique to the purpose of your outdoor lounge. The Capri range as a whole is a great set for versatility and creating some serious deck cred for sunbathers to outdoor chefs.
Lounge-worthy and functional
For a real indoor-outdoor flow, your new “room” needs a few touches to make sure that you’ll use it instead of just looking at how pretty it is - and those touches need to be comfy! If your outdoor space isn’t practical for your lifestyle and doesn’t offer up a soft place to hang out, then summer is going to feel like a bit of a dud in that department. Carpet...outside? Not exactly, but your feet don’t know the difference. Outdoor rugs and cushions take your outdoor area that was previously barren and a bit, well, outdoorsy underfoot, and create that cosy place to snuggle into that make you feel right at home. Rugs and pillows can help connect your style and colour choices, tying in the subtle motifs of your indoor and outdoor sets to feel like they belong together.
Furniture Considerations:
Outdoor rugs and cushions shouldn’t be left out in the rain and possibly be stored away for the winter months if you’re not using them. It’s important to have a dry, covered place to protect them when the weather closes in to preserve their quality for seasons to come.
Hot Pick:
We have SO many patterns and colours of rug to select from, with bold colours to low key patterns, we have the rugs to suit every aesthetic to bring that indoor feel to your outdoor living spaces. With cushions available in different shapes, you can mix and match your pillows to suit the whole family’s favourite curl-up corners.
For more idyllic outdoor pieces to stir up your #staycation imagination, browse our entire outdoor range and create the ultimate lifestyle zone in the sun. With a great indoor-outdoor flow, you’ll enjoy a home that feels bigger and add more options for daily outside lounging and living to your summer schedule.