We had a friend who had a gorgeous home that only had one downside: it overlooked a transfer station (nice words for a dump). Okay, we made that up, but the idea of this represents just how much of an impact the exterior environment has on the interior environment. 

When doing an interior site visit, it is not unusual for our team to walk to the windows and take in the view. While it may seem strange for our interior designers to stare out the window on an interior design visit, the truth is that it may be one of the most important considerations we make. 

Connections (or Separations) Between Rooms

When walking from the dining room to the kitchen, we want the comfort of knowing the spaces feel connected. We want to feel a welcoming transition, and while that transition may be dramatic (light to dark, high ceiling to low ceiling, bold color to neutral color, etc.), the spaces should feel intentional and designed with consideration for one another. 

An exterior room is no different. When landscape designers develop outdoor spaces, they look at these spaces in terms of zones (or outdoor rooms). They develop intentional connections that create a transitional experience from one space to the next.  Interior and exterior areas should flow together and continue this sense of cohesion. 

Creating a Draw 

Sight lines are highly emphasized throughout design education. When designing a house, we avoid immediate views of private spaces. The same goes for our sight lines between interior and exterior spaces. When we design a home, we consider views from within the home, but also the views as a guest approaches the home and from the exterior entertaining spaces.

We want there to be a draw from the interiors to the exterior and vice versa. On a beautiful day, the views of the outdoors should spill into our interior spaces.

Material and Scale

Transitions can create unique experiences and are a part of the art of design. If a stunning view exists on one side of the home, we may propose standard-height ceilings on the opposite side, and a vault to enhance the grandiose view. This creates a spatial hierarchy that is used to emphasize the best characteristics of a home or its site - a gorgeous view in this case.

We might look at a home with a private “secret garden”- and play with contrast using an oversized entry door into the home to enhance the transitions and openings from one space to the next. Or, perhaps we decide the privacy is appropriate and use a humble arched door into a comfortably enclosed entry just the right size to hang a coat and feel the warmth of home.

We love to use interior finishes that relate to exterior finishes. A home with exterior pebbles may have a pebble tile entry. Cedar siding may come into play as a cedar ceiling on the interior. A wide open field as a yard may be expanded into the home with an open plan, where a compartmentalized garden may relate to compartmentalized home design. When the window to the kitchen is opened, do we get a breeze with the scent of the garbage cans outside the window, or a soft breeze picking up the scent of trailing sweetpeas just outside? Knowing how that exterior works with the home helps to create an experience that can be carried between the two environments. Even thinking about how each area feels to touch is a consideration. Are we walking in from concrete to carpet or bark to cork? Does the transition interior space allow air to flow through freely, creating a comfortable temperature transition as well?

Lighting

When interior designers or architects work with landscape designers there are quite a few areas we focus on. Natural (and artificial) lighting is typically at the top of the list. Landscape architects certainly consider lighting conditions for the outdoor spaces they create. It influences plant selection but also has an enormous role to play in terms of comfort. In the northwest, we typically don’t place decks or courtyards on the north side of a home because we typically need direct sun for outdoor comfort. The reverse is true too.

Just as structures influence the design of outdoor spaces, we discuss how exterior elements may influence the interior experience. We may collaborate to provide deciduous vegetation which shades southern windows in the summer but allows direct sun in the fall and winter. We may provide interior (or exterior for that matter) surfaces that become canvases for the shadows of tree branches or the rippling reflections of a water feature.

These characteristics of the design are difficult to execute but the results can have meaningful impacts on a home’s comfort as well as inspiring feelings of joy or contemplation.

Texture & Color

Another area we always look forward to when we collaborate with landscape architects is the use of color and texture. As elements of design, we can manipulate materials (including natural ones) to achieve whatever goals we’ve set for ourselves. Color and texture can enhance connections between spaces or draw a distinction between them or be a hybrid of both. They can work to grab attention or they can recede into the background to allow the focus to live elsewhere. Regardless of their purpose, color and texture are never an afterthought. They need to be considered - at least at a high level - from the very beginning so we can leverage all of our “tools” to serve the design intent and contribute to a space that works for you and that you truly love being in.

We love working with consultants and other trades to develop cohesive and considered spaces for our clients. If you’re looking for fantastic landscape design services on Vashon Island, we collaborate with each of the following and are always interested in adding to our connections!:

Schaefer Specialty Landscaping

Bob Horsley Landscape Architect

HG Organics