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Inside Out - Expanding Your Interior
As temperatures rise, we crave spending more time outdoors even at home. Outdoor design is really all about expanding our living area. Tiny balcony or spacious patio, the key is blurring the separation between indoors and outdoors. Most outdoor trends aim to create the atmosphere of a living room in the open air. So how do we make our outdoor space a truly personal and original happy place?
Outdoor Meets Indoor
Most IKEA outdoor furniture has timeless design and with a little maintenance they serve you for years. They are easily updated any time with new textiles for cushions or slipcovers from Rockin Cushions. When designing your covered outdoor area think indoor furniture as well; a daybed for example can easily be turned into a comfy outdoor sofa you’ll love relaxing on.
Some products are specifically designed for both indoor and outdoor use. This can prove especially practical if you have small spaces and prefer moving and rearranging your furniture according to seasons.
Here are a few examples of IKEA in/outdoor products:
One of our favorite versatile pieces is the HAVSTEN sofa from IKEA. With its simple design and fluffy cushions, it’s perfect for both in and outdoors. It fits so flawlessly, you can’t even tell at first sight if it’s indoors or outdoors in the following examples.
The original covers come in beige and orange, but, as always, you can change them for the color or pattern of your choice at Rockin Cushions.
Grey Cheetah IKEA outdoor slip covers
IKEA outdoor slip covers navy blue white stripe
Green banana leaf jungle print IKEA outdoor slip covers
Navy blue rope print, IKEA outdoor slip covers
When selecting your new cover, keep some simple rules in mind. If your seating is in direct sunlight, it’s best to choose outdoor fabrics like Sunbrella. These furniture fabrics are produced from tough acrylic fibers, so they resist stains and mildew while maintaining their good looks. The color won’t fade or wash out because it’s manufactured using 100% solution-dyed yarns. You can be sure they’ll remain vibrant for years to come, even under intense sun.
For covered and shaded balconies or patios, you have a wider range of options, you can go with basically any indoor fabric, but for seating, it’s still recommended to use more sturdy materials. You can always play with indoor pillows or floor cushions.
Want a little more inside for your outside? IKEA's Knopparp sofa is the perfect outdoor seating. With a metal frame, a plastic coated burlap base and cushioned frame cover, all that's needed is a weather-proof slipcover to keep the elements at bay when outside.
Rockin Cushions outdoor slipcovers for the IKEA Knopparp are easy to install, easy to remove for washing and will instantly transform this basic sofa all summer long.
Boho Gray Print, IKEA Knopparp Slip Cover
Black Vine, IKEA Knopparp Sofa Cover
Green Jungle Banana Leaf IKEA Knopparp Cover
Tribal Navy Blue Print, IKEA Knopparp Sofa Cover
Opening Doors
Probably the most elegant and effective way to open up the space between the indoor and the outdoor is to open walls by complete door systems. La Cantina offers folding doors, sliding doors and swing doors of the most innovative and comprehensive range to enhance indoor outdoor living. Traditional sliding doors are beautiful, but you can’t fully slide them out of the way. With accordion glass folding doors, you can stack the glass panels to one side to create an open and limitless aesthetic, seamlessly blending your indoor and outdoor living environment.
Plants are a smart and easy way of bringing the outdoors inside. They are not only pleasant for the eyes, but also beneficial for the body and mind. Apart from live plants and all their different arrangements, the bravest can experiment with plant walls. Don’t worry if keeping plants alive is not your strength, you can always substitute the real thing with artificial ones, maybe even use faux grass to bring the garden inside your living room.
Faux grass can also be a good idea for balconies and patios, to really enclose a large empty space and make the area look warm and cosy.
Patio with faux grass and live edge table
Patio with faux grass and beige sofa
Nothing is forbidden when designing your extended living space. Add anything that makes you feel more at home –lots of plants, hooks on the wall, even framed art (how about a mirror?). Try a wooden ladder as storage place for blankets, airy curtains to bring shade and intimacy, storage solutions so you don’t need to constantly run back indoors. A rocking chair, a simple swing or a hammock seat are additions to the fun factor.
No matter which style you prefer or whether you go with eclecticism in the design, when outdoor blends with indoor it surely becomes the perfect staycation oasis for the months ahead.