ask vtwonenWith the patio doors open, spring streams in. How do you make the inside a little outside, and the outside a little inside? Marlon Zwier of vtwonen knows exactly how to let the indoor and outdoor space flow into each other.
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Marlon loves it when the garden doors can be opened in the spring. “Your living space suddenly becomes a lot bigger. You can live a little outside. In the winter we spend a lot of time indoors, so if everything can open, ooh! It’s new and different, almost like being on vacation. It gives a sense of freedom.”
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What can you do indoors for an outdoor feeling?
,,I like to use lighter shades in the summer. Fresher, more colour. I also love plants and have a lot of greenery both inside and outside. That immediately creates a connection.
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It may also help to change the format. In winter it is nice to put the back of the sofa against the window, so that you are facing inwards. But now that everything outside is in bloom again, it might be more fun to turn it and look outside. In this way you replace the cosy, inward-looking of winter with the outdoor feeling of summer.
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And what do you do outside for a cozy indoor feeling?
“You can use the same accessories outside as inside. Inside there is a sofa with nice cushions, you can also do that outside. Just like a rug. You see more and more special outdoor rugs, which really give that homely feeling. Just like other accessories you might not immediately think of for outdoors. Candlesticks for example, or a beautiful vase with flowers. Everything is possible.”
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A kind of living room, but outside?
,,For example. But it just depends on what is possible with you and what you need. With us, for example, this is a nice outdoor dining area. The indoor dining table and the outdoor dining table are both just two steps from the kitchen. Then the threshold to eat outside is very low.
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Make it cozy on the terrace. Look at at vtwonen inspiration for wall decoration in the garden.
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It doesn’t even have to be a lounge set or dining table, you can also create nice corners. Do you like to drink a cup of coffee in the morning sun? Then you put a nice chair on the east side. Prefer a glass of wine in the evening? Then you put it in the last strip of sun of the day. In my garden we see the sun for the last time around half past seven. So that’s where the dining table is, so we can eat in the sun in the evening.”
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Not everyone has a large garden of course…
You can also create cozy corners on a balcony. You just have to be a little smarter with the space, with a folding bench or a balcony bar. This also lends itself well to outdoor living.
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If you don’t have any outdoor space at all, I would open everything up. Windows open, light in! Many people have those heavy curtains. Nice in winter, otherwise everyone will look inside in the evening, but no longer necessary from spring. So take them off nicely, then it immediately looks much lighter and more open, then you bring the outside in a bit.
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That empty curtain rod lends itself immediately to a nice hanging plant. Plants are always a good idea! Then you bring the outside in anyway.”
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One last tip from Marlon: ,,It doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. Look at what you already have. Accessories inside can also be used outside in the summer, as long as you bring them back inside when it rains. I’m a big believer in second-hand, so if you do want other stuff, go to the thrift store and pick up a nice second-hand parasol. A few more pots, a few plants and you will have a nice indoor and outdoor atmosphere in no time.”
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