Inexpensive beauty indoors and outdoors

You can achieve beautiful environments indoors and outdoors without a big budget by using pieces with character and charm. Natural materials, colors, and textures generally look good, and plants and foliage always add beauty. Be true to your taste. A place with a heart and soul is always pleasant and nothing can creates that warmth like pieces that are well-used, well-liked, and personally meaningful. Avoid status symbols. Because an environment that displays virtues; like resourcefulness, efficiency, creativity, honesty, and modesty is a cozy and an inspiring environment. A place that intends to display wealth and status cannot achieve the same.

^ It's not flawless craftsmanship, perfectly pruned plants, or luxury furniture that makes this area so cozy.

^ Inexpensive colored glass marbles and a little creativity and can turn a standard wooden fence to something lovely.

^ Sometimes it is not applying a fresh coat of paint that adds charm.

^ Lots of foliage can make any place beautiful and inviting.

^ A varied collection of unpretentious, simple, and honest items are more welcoming than matchy-matchy status symbols.

Sources: image 1, image 2, image 3, image 4,  image 5

Plants on Balconies, Terraces, and Rooftop Gardens

Whether they are placed indoors or outdoors; in yards, balconies, or rooftop gardens, plants have aesthetic, ecological, health, and psychological benefits. All of those benefits come together to create more livable and beautiful spaces. Especially when plants are used outdoors not only the occupants of those spaces but the whole surrounding area, the whole city, enjoys those benefits.

As usual, plants look their best and create more relaxing environments when their natural size and shapes are appreciated. Trimming them to specific shapes and fighting against your plants' nature to keep them at a certain size stresses them out, makes them more vulnerable, and creates a lot of extra work for you.

Sources: images 1 & 2, image 3, image 4, image 5

Lush xeriscapes

That "lush xericapes" title is not an oxymoron. It is possible, low-maintenance, and gorgeous!

All images from agrowingobsession.com

Stone paths, stairs, & rustic outdoor dining

These images make a great case for natural materials and forms, don't they? They age better, they look better, they're easier to maintain, and take less processing to prepare. What else could we ask for? Btw, the paint job in that patio is really nice, too.

Images from bluepueblo.tumblr.com

Lush xeriscapes

We all know the benefits of xeriscaping, the major ones being saving water and time (xeriscaped yards are generally low maintenance).  Some people dismiss xeriscaping as an option because they claim the prefer greener, more lush landscaping. Well these images are good examples showing that xeriscaped landscapes can be very lush, colorful, and brimming with life.

Top two images from anthonypaullandscapedesign.com and bottom image from plastolux.com

Plants, planters, & foliage

Planters help you have plants and foliage in areas where there wouldn't be any otherwise.  They are quite under-rated and under utilized in my opinion since foliage and plants improve any setting, indoors or out.

Image from brookegiannetti.typepad.com

Succulents & flagstone walkways

Flagstone walkways, stuff growing between pavers, and succulents come together to create beautiful and water-wise yards. Although honestly, I tried doing this with my flagstone and I found it a lot easier to live with and to maintain when the gaps between the stones were filled with concrete. Flagstone still has a lot of that casual and natural look without stuff growing in-between anyway.

Images from sunset.com

House plants make things better

Plants, and anything natural really, tend to make spaces more lively, cozy, and relaxing.

Image from GypsyYaya.blogspot.com