About English Garden-Themed Interior Decorating

The romance of an English cottage garden can be translated into interior design.

An English garden-themed room blends the best elements of indoor and outdoor design, bringing a sense of freshness, romance and whimsy to the home. Similar in nature to English country cottage style, an English garden-themed room ties seemingly discordant materials together through the careful use of color, balance and composition.

Fabrics

Floral chintz fabric, a mainstay of English country style décor, can be used to great effect in an English garden-themed room. Pillows, curtains and small chairs covered in traditional floral prints draw the eye throughout the room, like clusters of flowers in a garden. Natural fabrics in muted colors can create an attractive foil to these brighter accents. A sofa, for example, covered in moss green cotton fabric, will attractively display a collection of floral pillows.

Accessories

According to Dr. Leonard Perry, University of Vermont extension professor, one of the key features of an outdoor English garden is a sense of whimsy. This is achieved through the addition of unique structures or statues, he says. Unexpected accessories can bring the same sense of whimsy to the interior of the home. Sundials, antique watering cans or mossy terracotta pots are all good choices. Other accessories, such as botanical wall art, terrariums and bird figurines, will also add to the garden feel in a room. Smaller accessories should be grouped in odd numbers for balance and impact.

Colors

Color is used to create balance in an English garden, bringing together a seemingly random planting style. According to Perry, contrast in an English garden is achieved through using blooms of opposing colors. But, he advises, limit the palette to three or four main colors. The same effect can be achieved indoors through judicious use of color. Opposing shades found in nature, such as blue and yellow, offer an attractive contrast in a room. Varying shades of the main colors produce variety and interest.

Furniture

Outdoor furniture can be put to good use in an English garden-themed room. Some furniture pieces, such as garden benches, tables or chairs, can serve their original purpose, taking the place of similar indoor furniture. Other pieces can be used in new and unexpected ways. A potting bench, for example, can be repurposed as a bookshelf, sofa table or entertainment center. A section of picket fence or lattice can be used as an interesting headboard.

Flooring

Natural flooring enhances the look of a garden-styled room. Hardwood, stone or terracotta tile floors bring an outdoor feel to the room and mimic the materials used in English garden pathways. Warmth or color may be added through the use of rugs. To best duplicate the design of an English garden, rugs and floors should serve as a negative space, offering a bit of calm among the busier patterns in a room. Simple and monochromatic colors mimic sections of turf, adding visual impact to the other elements of the room.

References

• University of Vermont Extension Department of Plant and Soil Science: Designing an English Garden
• Texas A&M University Department of Horticultural Sciences: Designing the Country Cottage Garden