Advertisement
Home Outdoor

How to stylishly bring nature into your space, according to Melissa Penfold

Take a leaf out of Melissa Penfold’s new book, Natural Living by Design, and surround yourself with the power of nature.
A courtyard garden with a rustic dining table and climbing plants.
Using a low intervention approach, designer Henriette von Stockhausen of VSP Interiors transformed the walled, stone-flagged terrace of an 18th century former dairy on a grand Dorset estate into an idyllic spot for alfresco dining with a simple table, vintage chairs and a riot of flowering climbers.
Natural Living By Design by Melissa Penfold

It’s almost impossible to overstate how beneficial nature is for our wellbeing. It enthrals the senses, sparks the imagination, reduces anxiety, and induces calm. Having a view of the outdoors from your home, whether it’s a body of water, a garden, or even just a tree, is a reliable booster of happiness and productivity.

Advertisement
An opne-air dining area in Costa Rica under the vines.
Designer Beth Webb conjured an understated family retreat on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, using natural materials, regional influences and a fresh palette of white and green to set a tone of carefree elegance. With sheers wafting in the ocean breeze, a bleached wood dining table and wicker armchairs found in Mexico City, and verdant vines covering columns, the outdoor dining area takes advantage of the temperate climate. A conservatory, which interior designer Stephen Falcke created as an extension to the kitchen in a Johannesburg house, not only has the practical function of a hothouse but also adds natural beauty and light to the home.

Filling an interior with plants also has salutary effects, not only because plants cleanse the air and are beautiful to look at but also because the very act of nurturing and caring for them is so life-affirming.

Homes with spaces open to the outdoors, such as balconies, verandahs, loggias, or porches, have a direct connection to the outside world. These open-air ‘rooms’ are particularly beneficial for people who work from home. If your outdoor room is covered with a roof, focus on air quality. Incorporate overhead fans, and make sure the space is open on two sides to take advantage of breezes and keep the air moving.

An indoor conservatory full of plants.
Lina Botero, an interior designer and daughter of Colombian artist Fernando Botero, collaborated with architect Jaime Arena on a concrete, glass and steel house on a wooded plot in a Latin American city. Her favourite room is the winter garden. The blue-glass lamp is by Luis Barragán, and the marble sculpture on the coffee table is by Sophia Vari, Fernando Botero’s wife.

In addition to viewing nature from your windows or your open-air spaces and having rooms full of house plants, there are less obvious ways to make you feel connected to nature. Use organic materials such as wood for flooring and furniture, instead of plastic or laminate. Bring the outside in by creating a fireplace surround out of stacked boulders. Consider adding rough-hewn timber beams to support a high ceiling.

Advertisement
The glass roof of the conservatory has blinds to protect the plethora of pot plants from the full force of the sun.

For homes that have no views of greenery, earth tones and blues and greens – the colours of the sea, the sky, and foliage– bring nature inside and have a soothing effect. Keep it subtle. Opt for fabrics and textures that evoke nature such as moss-like chenille, twisted rattan, hemp, linen, cotton, leather, sisal, and more.

A gigantic ancient tree
presides over the chic
courtyard of architect Bobby
McAlpine’s Atlanta home,
where natural and man-made
design collaborate.
A gigantic ancient tree presides over the chic courtyard of architect Bobby McAlpine’s Atlanta home, where natural and man-made design collaborate. An array of meticulously manicured boxwood globes in black
containers of varying shapes add a tailored element that complements the crisply lined black-and-white furniture.

Beautiful, floral-patterned wallpaper and fabric also help to bring the outdoors in. Introduce natural scents that summon up memories of favourite flowers, walks through the woods, or beach vacations. Amass found pieces of natural beauty such as shells or pinecones on tables or shelves. Even things that are not inherently beautiful make a statement when grouped.

Advertisement
A gazebo, part of designer Veere Grenney’s home atop the
Old Mountain in Tangier, overlooks a lushly terraced garden.
Grenney designed the furniture for this Regency dining pavilion
in grey and white to echo the pavilion’s grey and white stripes.
This gazebo, part of designer Veere Grenney’s home atop the Old Mountain in Tangier, overlooks a lushly terraced garden. Grenney designed the furniture for this Regency dining pavilion in grey and white to echo the pavilion’s grey and white stripes.

If you have a garden, you can simultaneously derive health benefits from it and contribute to the wellbeing of the planet. Cultivate wildlife-friendly gardens with water features, and avoid chemical pesticides. Opt for sustainable, preferably native plants and wild grasses that are hardy and require little attention. Avoid varieties that don’t thrive in your part of the world. Cover an arbour or pergola with deciduous vines such as creeping hydrangea to create a perfect refuge for summer dining.

Mellisa Penfold's Natural Living By Design book.

This is an edited extract of ‘Natural Living by Design’ by Melissa Penfold, published by The Vendome Press, available from Dymocks for $69.99.

Related stories


Advertisement
Advertisement