How To Bring The Outdoors Into Your Home

In this edition of Home & Living, Sarah Sham – founder of independent design practice, Essajees Atelier – is letting us in on five simple tips for bringing the outdoors into your home! Whether you’re conscious about sustainability and “living green” or are simply looking to brighten up a neglected corner of your home, these thoughtful insights will certainly enliven your interiors with a vibrant refresh!

Five Simple Tips For Bringing The Outdoors In

Fresh Indoor Plants

Bringing a few outdoor plants inside are a great way to feel better connected with nature. Apart from air purification, plants also help spruce up and enliven the decor of any space. Plants such as ZZ plant, raphis palm and snake plant are particularly indoor-friendly and do extremely well in low light spaces!

Edible Plants In Your Kitchen

You could also set up an edible vertical garden directly in your kitchen. Imagine plucking fresh coriander, mint leaves or even tomatoes straight off your walls whilst cooking! Since space is usually a restriction in kitchens, the fact that such vertical “edible” gardens hang onto a wall much like a painting, is really a space saver and still serves the same functionality.

Harnessing Daylight

It’s easy to track from where the natural light filters into your home. Simply add mirrors onto that wall to double the amount of sunlight that is coming through, amplifying the brightness and daylight even more! Instead of simply installing a single mirror on a wall, why not try to mirror the entire wall end-to-end. This will maximise the impact and the amount of light reflected, bringing the sunshine directly in.

Use natural materials in your space

Using materials like natural wood and cane on furniture, as well as organic cottons on the upholstery will elevate the entire space with an aesthetic that is much more connected to nature. Try to ensure that these materials are finished with a natural polish without any added colours, so that these materials really feel closer to their roots in nature and make you, as the homeowner feel more connected to nature as well.

Styling accessories inspired by nature

There are so many styling accessories that are all natural – rocks, shells, dried plants like pampas grass, gravel, marbles that will make you feel a closer to Mother Earth. The great part about this inexpensive (read: free!) decor hack is that you can easily forage these different things from the outdoors and style them in simple glasses or simple vases that you already have at home! What’s more: the simple act of picking up shells off a beach can also help serve as a keepsake of a fun day at the ocean, epitomising a cherished memory as well as doubling as a decor item.

About Sarah Sham/ Essajees Atelier

Essajees Atelier was established by Sarah Sham in 2014 as an independent design practice founded on the legacy and ethos of Essajees, a 106-year old company specialising in fine art, antiques, and collectibles alongside custom-made flooring and high-end furniture. Having studied Art History at Duke University & Oxford University, Sarah honed the nuances of interior design at Erika Brunson Couture Living in L.A., in addition to stints as an art consultant and at Saffron Art. Since its inception , Essajees Atelier has successfully completed 45residential and commercial projects and is currently undertaking over 50,000 sqft of development across the country.

Furniture, design and floor spaces aside, Sarah is a fitness enthusiast and hits the gym at every given chance. Sarah has a deep love for all things related to plants and has close to 50 plants in her own home. She has a young daughter and is also a pet-parent to a dog and a cat, between whom she juggles her time at home.

Follow her @EssajeesAtelier @SarahMSham