Hello! I have been away from blogging for a year but I’M BACK, BABY! Quick recap: I’ve been dedicating myself to client work and creating a candle line, then I got covid and I have been dealing with dibilitating long covid for the last 5+ months. But still, I rise—albeit slowly, and with a lot of supplements:-)
So much has changed for me in terms of priorities and the utter importance of health and seeking joy. I’ll probably write an entire blog post on life revelations I’ve had during this season of life, but for today, I want to merge my two favorites: design and the outdoors! I’m going to show you how to create a holistic outdoor space to maximize outdoor living–as well as joy, peace, and all the good stuff!!
If you follow me on instagram, you know I am at Central Park almost everyday. Nature is my medicine. Living in a 400 square feet apartment with 2 rowdy cats and my partner has its limits, so my soul seeks expansiveness. It wants no ceiling, no walls; it wants to experience the freedom that comes with not being boxed in. It sounds delicious just typing this.
I am blessed with a 7×7 outdoor terrace that I use everyday. You can see a filmed tour here. I’m actually writing this post from my terrace! I have perfected the art of living and working outdoors and I have some tips for ya if you want to give it a go as well.
Mental health benefits
Real Simple | Brit Dot Design
It is good for the body to experience space. You know the old saying that a cluttered home is a cluttered mind? Well, what do you think happens when place yourself outdoors? You have a spacious environment allowing for a spacious mind.
Being outside is *so good* for your mental health. But, in order to truly appreciate it and reap its many benefits, it helps if you first allow yourself the ability to embody presence. Taking in natural beauty is minimally effective in elevating your mood if your mind is going over to-dos and performing various other mental gymnastics at the same time. So try to slow your mind by adopting gentle non-judgemental awareness when it wanders, and come into your body first.
The best way to do that is through the breath and engaging the senses. More on that later, though. It’ll be a lifelong practice of bringing both the mind and body into the same space. So often we are physically here, but mentally we are thinking about the past or future, depriving ourselves of the joy and peace that can only be found in the present moment.
Create a holistic outdoor space to maximize outdoor living
Are you ready to get outside yet? Let’s do it! By giving yourself a usable outdoor space for daily activities, you are adding square footage to your home, in a way. You are gifting yourself a space that will support you in your desire for peace. You can design your holistic outdoor space and equip it in a way that meets your needs (even during inclement weather!) I’ll show you how.
Tip #1
Treat your holistic outdoor space as an extension of your indoor space
We want to view our holistic outdoor space as an extension of our indoor space, not as an entirely separate entity that functions independently.
When you browse instagram or pinterest for outdoor inspiration, do you notice the feelings that arise when you admire certain designs? You feel like you have actually been invited into these digital spaces; you feel like you’re in someone’s living room, only outside. THAT is the feeling to harness and replicate.
We want to feel welcome, warm (not as in outdoor temperature), cozy, and comforted. It is in our nature to seek out these safe spaces where we are free to just be ourselves. Good design allows for those feelings in abundance!
I say it all the time: design around how you want to feel first.
Tip #2
Consider your lifestyle--what do you need?
In my interior design business, I am very passionate about designing around the person. Everyone has individual needs and things that are very specific to their lifestyle.
Design is not just about making things pretty; it is about touching a deep part of you, getting to know it, and giving it the absolute best chance to thrive by meeting its needs.
It’s important, ya’ll. So I’ll ask you, what do you need?
When was the last time you were asked that, or better yet, when was the last time you asked yourself that simple but powerful question? My friend, what do you need to thrive in your holistic outdoor space?
If you were to move some of your morning routine outside, could you? Could you sip your morning beverage and enjoy a sunrise, meditate, journal, read, listen to the birds, or whatever your morning routine consists of? Do you have a place to sit and have your breakfast, a cozy and soft spot to practice just being before all the doing of the day, a verdant landscape where nature sits right beside you, a fireproof spot for a candle or incense? Go through your routines of the day and then equip your outdoor space with things to meet those needs.
This is the exact process I go through with my clients and now I’m teaching you this same thing because it is that important. There is sooo much power and self love in knowing your own needs, yet we are so quick to bypass this and only focus on decor! Something that is pretty but doesn’t support you isn’t really a great design after all. So let’s change how we approach decorating.
Side note: I completely understand how you might think this is impossible in your current season of life. Not so long ago, I was that person too. Are your mornings a hectic marathon with other people and pets involved? While sharing the space with friends, family, and fur babies is awesome and welcomed, I first want to focus on the part of your routine where you connect with only yourself; just you and the serenity of your space. I want to take care of you first. We can sort the rest out later.
If you don’t have 5-10 minutes to yourself in the morning, may I suggest that be a pocket of time to make space for? You do so much, and it’s time to prioritize taking care of you, dear friend. It’s never a waste of time. Think of it as an investment that pays big dividends!
When you are the healthiest version of yourself, every single aspect of your life improves. Every single one.
Tip #3
Engage your senses
We want to create a sanctuary for you with this holistic outdoor space. We go outside to ground ourselves and come back to ourselves (whether we are conscious of this or not). When we are anxious and need to come back into our bodies and the present moment, we engage the senses. It’s actually a common exercise called ‘name 5’ (name 5 things you can see, touch, smell, hear, etc). It brings you back into your body and the present moment. We want to apply those same concepts here! Consider the senses: sight, taste, smell, touch, sound. Let’s see how many of these we can include in our holistic outdoor space. Here are some ideas:
Sight: can you create small and special vignettes in your space? A grouping of tabletop flowers/plants/herbs, a hummingbird feeder, grow bamboo or other plants/flowers as landscaping, a decor color scheme that you love, etc. Pro tip: Trader Joe’s is where I get all of my herbs, roses, and jasmine plants at a great price. Do you have a TJ’s near you?
Taste: a table for your food items is a good start! Other ideas are a tabletop grill/electric grill/full grill, fire pit, or anything that can create a tasting experience.
Smell: I make my own candles for my outdoor lanterns and do a blend of citronella and bug deterring essential oils like lavender, rosemary, and eucalyptus. I also have a fireproof ceramic bowl for my incense. I strategically place herbs like basil, mint, and thyme as well as fragrant plants like rose and jasmine near where I sit. I use scent to support my nervous system in my own holistic outdoor space. Genius, eh?
Touch: ah, my favorite. It’s cozy textile time! Do you have large outdoor pillows you can just sink into? Those are my favorites—size 20×20 at least! I have a basket near my backdoor that stores my outdoor blanket as well as a waterproof picnic blanket because I sit outside under my umbrella in the rain! I told ya, I’m fully committed to indoor/outdoor living.
Sound: this one is easy! You can create opportunities for pleasant sounds like birds chirping by adding objects of interest for the birds. A bird bath/house/feeder will go far and also contribute to the sight sense because who doesn’t love watching birds? If you are sound sensitive, maybe a pair of earbuds that can play soft music or even some noise cancelling headphones will do the trick. I have ear buds and I do my meditations outdoors. I’ll also listen to audiobooks, podcasts, and music. For an ultra zen environment, try a water feature!
Tip #4
Create the feeling of abundance
BHG | photo: Jay Wilde
For me, I define abundance as having what you need and being able to live in a way that allows you appreciate it and have it bring you joy. Joy is free and abundance is the feeling of freedom. Abundance doesn’t even have to be about money or material goods. You can cultivate it right where you are in your own holistic outdoor space. Lucky you!
As a society, we are so often consumed with feelings of fear and lack, and I know this isn’t the way because it doesn’t feel good within the body. It feels stifling and small. Abundance feels expansive and loving. Creating feelings of worth and abundance might feel weird at first, but those feelings will step aside as feelings of peace, self love, and contentment replace them.
You can use what you learned earlier in this article to create a feeling of abundance (however you define it for yourself). In my own space, abundance means soooo many plants I grow from seeds. It means having pockets of time just for me. Such privilege in that alone! It means having a calming color scheme with soft textiles. It means a tidy and orderly space where everything is thought out and uncluttered. It means having a spot for my favorite afternoon snack in the sun: sparkling water, a tangerine, and Wasa crackers with cream cheese. Small delights. That’s abundance.
You’ll know abundance when you feel it. And when you feel it, then you can more easily create it.
Tip #5
Create great ambiance
Southern Living | Photo: Laurey W. Glenn | Styling Liz Strong
AMBIANCE, YA’LL! Technically, ambiance belongs in the sense category, but it really deserves its own spot in the sun. I am an empath and HSP (highly sensitive person) so creating a soothing and supportive ambiance has become somewhat of a hobby as well as a necessity for me.
Can you design your space in a way that feels soothing to you? My advice would be to pare down the color scheme and, if it’s your style, choose a palette that isn’t super loud. Many outdoor patterns and prints are so bright, bold, and energizing, which is great if that’s how you experience joy, but for me, I’ll take the soft hues because I’m going for a space of refuge. My own terrace is a mix of various blues, whites, terracotta for warmth, and floral motifs. Perfect.
You can layer items in your holistic outdoor space to create a feeling that your space is hugging you. Think of it like layering lighting: you have your general lighting, your task lighting, and your ambient lighting. You can copy this formula and apply it to your plant scheme, for example. Ground planters and landscaping as your ‘general’, window boxes as your ‘task’, and tabletop planters as your ‘ambient’. Bulk up your ‘hot spots’ too, aka where you’re sitting and doing stuff. Design a supportive space around that spot.
I know this is kind of abstract advice. But that’s the point, right? A holistic outdoor space isn’t a ‘one size fits all’, because that strategy actually ends up being a ‘one size fits none’. Hopefully with these thought exercises you can be inspired to create something special–and only you know what that looks and feels like. But if you start with how you want something to feel first, the rest will follow. It always does.
Have any more questions or need advice? Talk to me by commenting below! Happy outdoor living, everyone:-)
–Kristen