Friday, May 15, 2026 |
Vol. XVII No. 143
May 15 · 2026
AllWorldPoliticsBusinessCultureScienceDesignLifestyleSportOpinionTravelFoodFashionTech
● Breaking Top Stories In-Depth Analysis Podcast Newsletter ★ GET THIS THEME
Interior Design Tips: Celebrating the Great Outdoors Inside Your Home

Photograph: Alexandra Reid / The Herald

Design

Interior Design Tips: Celebrating the Great Outdoors Inside Your Home

Bringing the qualities of natural spaces into interiors requires understanding why we respond to them.

The impulse to bring nature indoors has expressed itself in every generation, from Victorian conservatories to 1970s house plants to today’s living walls and biophilic design principles.

Research suggests that what people respond to is not the presence of plants per se, but the qualities associated with natural environments: varied light, material diversity, and the sense of not being enclosed.

This means the most effective way to bring the outdoors in is to maximise texture, natural materials, changing light, and spaces that feel, in some sense, alive.

Alexandra Reid
Written by

Senior Design Correspondent. Covers architecture and urban design from London.

Related Stories

Basic Design Principles That Transform Even the Smallest Home Office

The difference between a home office that supports good work and one that undermines it is not a question of…

By Alexandra Reid  ·  May 3, 2026  ·  1 min read

Scandinavian Boho Three-Bed in Warm Neutral Tones Named Home of the Year

The prize-winning house is an argument for a certain kind of human scale in domestic architecture.

By Alexandra Reid  ·  May 3, 2026  ·  1 min read

Creative Landscaping With Monochromatic Palettes From Floor to Ceiling

The monochromatic garden uses colour as a discipline rather than a decoration.

By Alexandra Reid  ·  May 5, 2026  ·  1 min read

Modern Monochrome Homes With Calm Cosy Terraces Win Global Design Awards

This year's Home of the Year finalists share a commitment to quiet restraint and natural materials.

By Alexandra Reid  ·  May 7, 2026  ·  1 min read

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Get unlimited access to Herald Premium — all stories, all archives
GET THIS THEME