Bringing the Outside Inside, Part 1
Image via Gardenista
The first official day of winter has come, and so has the inaugural snowstorm of the season here in the northeast. It’s that time of year again when the world is coated in white, and going outside requires some extensive bundling up. Once the holidays have passed, we New Englanders are staring down at least two (usually it’s three, who am I kidding) months of darkness, cold, and snow. Usually lots and lots… and lots… of icy snow. The soundtrack to my winter is, unfortunately, the noise that my car scraper makes while I’m trying to get the ice off of my windshield.
It’s usually around this time of year that I start dreaming about spring, and all the things that come along with the changing of the seasons. Warmer temperatures, fresh, fragrant air, green grass, and budding flowers. Heck, maybe even a little bit of sun on my face! Come spring, it oftentimes feels like the whole world has that freshly scrubbed, brand new look. It’s a wonderful feeling, and one that you can replicate even in the darkest days of winter! From an event theme to home decor and more, there are many ways to brighten up your space by taking cues from the natural beauty of mother nature herself.
Image via Country Living Magazine
I love the Alvi chair from Lulu and Georgia for so many reasons, perhaps most of all because it brings to mind the chairs that spectators would sit in at an ultra-chic Argentinian polo match seventy-five years ago. Yes, that is a very specific description, but it is exactly what this chair is reminiscent of! Pairing these chairs with tables dressed in vintage-inspired floral linens punches up the midcentury aesthetic even more.
Clockwise from top left: Grassy Meadow, Sailor Boy, Bashful, Everglade Mist. All by PPG.
If you aren’t exactly ready to dive into an over the top pink floral theme, cooler tones are a great place to start. My preference lies in shades of cornflower blue, icy aqua, cream, and clover green. All of these colors play nice together, and the soothing tones provide a welcome counterbalance to the relative busyness of a floral pattern linen. Make sure to inject lighter and brighter decor elements in shades of natural wood and cream in order to break up your tables and let the individual elements shine!
One of the wonderful things about a “bringing the outside inside” theme is having the opportunity to get creative with the floral (of course)! In general, nine times out of ten I prefer looser, more natural arrangements that allow flowers and greenery to keep their shape, organic textures, and unique qualities. If you’re going to purchase the freshest flowers, they won’t need much manipulation to shine!
One of the keys to achieving a “freshly picked” arrangement is to create a bountiful look. Allow the floral and greenery to cascade over the edges of your vessel- the flowers shouldn’t be constrained by the boundaries of the container, and they certainly shouldn’t be squeezed together tightly. Create texture and volume by varying the heights of your flowers, with the (slightly) higher blooms towards the center. I am also a big proponent of using similar, but a bit different, vases to give off an effortless “just found” feel- think glass vases mixed in with jars in varying heights and widths.
Image via Rocky Hedge Farm
In the next installment of “Bringing the Outside Inside,” I’ll share some specific examples of events that I have designed and produced. There will be lots of pictures, an abundance of color, and more than enough cheerful springtime vibes. Stay tuned!