Outdoor
There are several things to consider when it comes to furnishing the outdoors; choosing your deck materials, for one. That gorgeous dry-treated deck board in charcoal grey that matches perfectly with the beautiful wrought-iron garden furniture? Ruined by the incessant spring showers. Make sure your designer has experience in outfitting an outdoor space, otherwise similarly rookie mistakes will crop up soon enough.
Maintaining your outdoor furnishings is another thing designers occasionally overlook; teak and cedar look amazing and are reassuringly expensive, but it's far too easy to forget that the upkeep cost is similarly astronomical. Don't forget, sometimes the best thing to do in your outdoor space is to keep it as nature intended - with lots of greenery! Outdoor furniture stores in Horizon Plaza stock a range of furniture in treated wood such as teak; synthetic woven or rattan. Treated metal, hardened plastic or composite-engineered materials should also be considered.
If you've got the space, consider bringing the outdoors inside. An indoor garden is very now; ask your designer for specialists. You don't want to wake up one day to find your Japanese bonsai garden withered because of wrong climate settings on your a/c. Indoor gardens are great for feng shui and cleansing the air, while at the same providing a soothing element to your home. However, in a small home, an indoor garden eats up limited space, making it look cramped and overly busy.
Loving the idea of growing something green indoors but squeamish about bugs and such? Philips is releasing a self-contained greenhouse herb garden called the Biotower which looks like an oversized but chic fish tank that wouldn't look amiss in a luxury home. It is perfect for growing your own herbs and vegetables right in your living room: how is that for erasing carbon footprints?
