Have you ever sat in your backyard and wished you could bring everything you saw back inside the house with you?

With all the beauty nature has to offer, is it any wonder we want to carry that into our homes. From brightly colored flowers to deep green trees and shrubs to the rich earthly tones of boulders and land, nature paints her canvas with a wide variety of colors and textures.

But there's no need to resort to planting a tree in your living room to get the effect of bringing the outdoors in. Here are 3 interior design tips to get you started.

1. Windows. This is the obvious one but it bears mentioning. If you want to enjoy the views surrounding your house, then adding windows is a must. Make them as large as you comfortably can small windows may work for air flow but they wont make it easy to enjoy your views.

You may not, however, be in a position to change or adjust windows. If you arent building a new home or remodeling, then check out Tip 2 to get more mileage out of the windows you have.

2. Dont distract with heavy window coverings. You want your eye to flow from inside to outside without interference. Elaborate drapes and window coverings can distract the eye, pulling it away from the window and the view.

You may want to try less formal, less structured window arrangements. The more involved the coverings, the more theyll dominate over the outside view. And stay away from busy patterns as they distract instead choose soft, solid lightweight fabrics.

This tip is especially important if you arent in a position to make your windows larger. Before you do anything else, try minimizing the window coverings. That may just do the trick. (However, for windows that dont have much of a view, you may want to consider drapes to dress them up a bit.)

3. Use color. This is probably the most important tip and one of the most underused. By using colors you find outside, you can pull the outdoors in with you.

So how do you do this? Start by choosing colors that are in your environment. Greens, reds, browns, maybe even blue for the sky or water. You may want to stand outside with paint swatches so you can actually match whats already out there.

Once you know what colors you want to use, its time to go shopping. And no, dont start in the paint section. While painting the walls is an obvious way to add color, that can also distract the eye from admiring the window views the same way drapes can. Instead, why not look at fabric pillows, new upholstery for the coach, throw rugs, etc. Or other accessories artwork, vases, candles, knick-knacks, etc. If youre remodeling or building, you can also use those colors in your tiles, cabinets, floors, etc.

It isnt that difficult to bring your outside inside. With a little planning and time, you can enjoy the beauty of the outdoors both indoors and outdoors.

Amy Snyder

Amy Snyder has been Sun Pine Homes? interior designer for 14 years and decorated several model homes. Most recently she did a superb job with the company?s highly praised Granite Park model, featured in several national magazines and on home tours. Amy is especially skilled with color and tile/granite selection. She has developed specifications for all of our spec homes over the years and has extensive contacts with interior furnishing suppliers in Arizona. Amy is always a pleasure to work with and is available to assist our customers with colors and interior specifications.