As warmer weather arrives, there are lots of ways to soften the boundaries between indoors and out.
Even city dwellers without so much as a balcony can create a modern mini-Eden by incorporating elements
of the natural world into their home.
For some, it may be a sleek bamboo print indoor/outdoor lamp (www.homeinfatuation.com), branch motif rug (www.smithandhawken.com) or sculptural root re-purposed as
furniture (www.vivaterra.com).
Faux zinc planters are lightweight enough to carry up a few floors and fill with serene greenery. There
are curvy, steel, barrel stools (www.homegoods.com), and display cabinets filled with found items
such as birds? eggs, shells and organic ephemera. Often imbued with an Asian or Californian aesthetic,
these pieces marry well with contemporary decor.
Advances in photoprinting technology have allowed designers to place evocative and beautiful images on
all sorts of furnishings.
Seascape Lamp?s misty, sepia-toned forest pendant lampshade is a perfect accent over a sleek table. Or
opt for a fixture with images of fresh green bamboo stalks on a crisp white shade. (www.seascapelamps.com)
At Urban Outfitters, find a leafy canopy imprinted on canvas. A group of them placed on a bedroom ceiling
would serve as a gently invigorating eye-opener in the morning.
Other folks might prefer the exuberant, showy side of Mother Nature with enameled cachepots in hot hues,
or a Zen-style large vertical garden planted with fragrant herbs that can go indoors or on a balcony
(www.smithandhawken.com).
Designer Jason Champion powder coats vivid shades like fire-engine red, Popsicle blue, Kelly green and
yellow onto aluminum screens, planters and table sets, laser-cutting them with geometric or leafy
patterns. They can carry a home?s sophisticated, modern sensibility out to the terrace (www.homeinfatuation.com).
Also for the terrace or a window is a clever planting bucket that straddles a railing and takes up very
little space (www.uptoyoutoronto.com).
There are pieces that evoke nature in a charmingly artsy way. Little bird wall hooks (www.wisteria.com, www.urbanoutfitters.com</a>); leaf magnets (www.uptoyoutoronto.com</a>); tiles brushed with blossoms (www.xeniataler.com</a>);
playful squirrels peeking out of trays (www.iddko.com</a>); and ornamented chests elaborately adorned with
flora and fauna (www.wisteria.com ).
Autograph a wall with letters fashioned from twigs, feathers and tiny dried flowers, from www.vivaterra.com.
Strings of whimsical little lights or hanging Bindi lanterns (www.homegoods.com )
give off a Bohemian vibe.
Finally, for those who wish to let their inner nature lover run wild, consider the garden murals from
www.muralsyourway.com. Among the offerings is ?Poppy Field,? a
riot of cheery blooms that, on a full-wall expanse, will elicit Lilliputian sensations. Or try a verdant
trail through a sun-dappled autumn forest: With the mural named ?The Path,? you can almost smell the
woods.
Sourcebook:
www.wisteria.com:
handpainted Bird Chest $1,399; Tin Bird Treasure Baskets, $34; Egg Display Case, $189
www.vivaterra.com: ?Dream? twig letters, $89; Entwined Root Coat
Stand, $259; Misprint Garden Letters, $69
www.muralsyourway.com: ?Colorful Meadow? mural, 6-foot-by-4-foot,
$190.80; ?The Path,? 6-foot-by-4-foot, $198.75 (larger sizes also available, or custom order $7.95 per
square foot)
www.iddko.com:
Squirrel or Deer Tray, $55
www.xeniataler.com: Moonlit Forest Rabbit Tile, $56; Blossom
Tile, $29
www.urbanoutfitters.com: Iron Bird Hook, $10; Green Leaves Wall
Art, $48
www.homeinfatuation.com: Frederick Cooper Indoor/Outdoor Lamp,
$550; Jason Champion aluminum screen $2,495
www.uptoyoutoronto.com: magnetic leaves, $2 each; Balcony
Planter, $65
www.smithandhawken.com: Bird on Branch coir doormat, $39.99;
?Camden Court? red trellis, $239; ?Living Wall? vertical planter, $399
www.homegoods.com: geometric wire stools, $29.99; hanging
lanterns, $16.99; handpainted Vietnamese garden pots, $7.99-$14.99
www.seascapelamps.com: Forest Sepia or Bamboo Green pendant lamp,
$230