Blurring the line: How to create an indoor-outdoor flow in your home

As Australians continue to enjoy life al fresco, we are discovering creative ways to blur the line between indoors and out for stylish living at its best.

“We have some of the best weather in the world so it’s important to design spaces we can enjoy all year round,” says exterior design consultant Ascher Smith.

Caleb Smith from Elenberg Fraser, one of the architects behind YarraBend in Melbourne’s north, agrees.

“Connection to the natural environment is part of the national collective memory but with our increasingly urbanised environment, it’s challenged,” he says. “Given the well-documented benefits it provides, it’s vital to find connection with nature.”

Smith has designed YarraBend’s Papersmith Apartments and Wellness Centre with this in mind.

We asked him and other experts how they create living spaces that bring the outside in and the inside out.

Materiality

Create instant visual flow by applying the same materials inside and out.

“This includes your interior colour palette and flooring materials,” says designer Lisa Koehler. “It provides a seamless connection between the two spaces and the illusion of depth.”

Caleb Smith agrees and says nature-inspired materials are key for creating healthy connections.

“Each of YarraBend’s Papersmith Apartments is equipped with either a beautiful winter garden, balcony or terrace that is integrated with landscape-inspired colours, finishings, joinery and textures.”

Natural timber and metal finishes in the apartments subtly reference the railway that once stood on the site.

Clear openings

Creating flow has little to do with size and more to do with the floor plan and window placement, says Lauren Li from Sisalla Interiors.

“A small space benefits with some outdoor scenery that is found through sight-lines to views, and this is best achieved through placement of windows and doors,” she says.

Create spaces that open up from floor to ceiling to the outside. Bi-fold doors and large glass sliders are ideal and help bring the garden in, even when they are closed.

At Papersmith Apartments, large picture windows frame views of the landscaped Paper Trail to the east.

“It’s an effective architectural device we use to draw the landscape closer,” says Caleb Smith. “All bedrooms and living rooms have an outlook to landscape.”

Styling

Style outdoors as you would your interior, applying similar colour schemes and textures through furnishings, linens and decor.

“Think of your comfortable indoor sofa, then buy a quality outdoor version,” says Ascher Smith. “Spend as much money on your outdoor furniture as you do on your interior. It’s what makes all the difference.”

Li agrees. “Outdoor furniture is upholstered in incredibly soft, luxurious fabrics now that are constructed with acrylic fibres. Complete the look with outdoor rugs for a sumptuous feel.”

Add potted palms, artwork and statement-making lighting that looks impactful and is practical too. “Festoon lighting creates real ambience,” says Ascher Smith.

Indoor plants

The benefits of indoor plants such as cleaner air and reduced noise levels are well-known, as is the impact they can have aesthetically.

“Styling indoor plants is about finding a neutral pot that complements your interior palette and finding a plant that acts almost as art,” says Ascher Smith.

“I love philodendron monstera because they are hardy and make a strong statement. They are ideal for inside.”

Caleb Smith agrees it’s important to invest in indoor greenery.

Winter gardens, like those at Papersmith Apartments, “protect indoor plants from the extremes of temperature while also doubling as acoustic control,” he says.

Plants also play a key role in YarraBend’s Wellness Centre.

“The outdoor pool and steam room are imagined as underground landscape grottos. Thoughtful selections of natural stones and timbers become the background for the landscape experiences.”

Outside, communal spaces throughout the precinct provide spaces for recreation, socialising, contemplation, wellness and exploration, says Smith.

“It becomes your own backyard.”