Lawns are a British institution, just like strawberries and cream, teatime, and cricket. But in modern day Britain, the average person spends 90% of their time indoors — on tiles, carpets, and hardwood floors.
This paradox is at the heart of a range of experiments that aim to bring lawns indoors.
Whether you want to play authentic bowls from the comfort of your lounge, provide a poop-station for your pooch, or just bring a slice of the summertime into the house to be enjoyed all-year-round — these indoor lawn ideas will provide you with ample inspiration.
1. Micro Pet Lawns
It is not only humans that have an affinity for grass.
Dogs and cats have an instinctive preference for the green stuff, and loving owners around the world have created mini indoor lawns for them to relax on, gnaw, and even poop on.
Dog grass pads, also known as potty-pads, are typically rectangular-shaped patches of grass in shallow trays that absorb liquids and control odour naturally.
Cats, on the other hand, are more likely to use an indoor lawn for playing on, napping, and snacking! Cats particularly enjoy eating rye grass.
2. A Sanctuary from Study
A little indoor greenery is scientifically proven to lower stress and anxiety, encourage a positive mood, and even increase attention span.
That’s why U.S. universities Cornell and MIT have both experimented with indoor lawn installations to help students de-stress by laying down and rolling around on the grass before and after exams.
The impact of the installation on exam results however, hasn’t been measured!
3. Artificial Balcony Lawns
Most apartment-dwellers’ outdoor space is restricted to a small balcony. But this can be made to feel as natural as possible with a lawn. Even if it is only artificial, it can still provide a green and natural-feeling escape, especially when combined with real pot plants.
More ambitious balcony designers can even experiment with real grass if there is sufficient drainage available. Luckily, most balconies are designed to drain water as effectively as possible.
4. Grass Rugs (Be Careful)
Austrian artist Martin Roth directly contrasts the natural with the man-made by filtering grass through the fibre of Persian rugs.
This provides a spectacular result, but one that is quite ephemeral – in time, the rug will rot and the grass will completely take over.
5. A Living Carpet Be Extra Careful)
A lawn laid out on the floor of York Cathedral created a spectacular effect, and was prepared specifically for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.
While most people’s homes can’t hope to match the architecture, the construction principles can be used to inform your own design – even if on a much smaller scale.
To get such a large area of grass, the seedlings was grown on recycled textiles without the use of soil, and then rolled out in the cathedral by a small army of workers.
But here’s a quick note of caution: think twice before re-carpeting your living room with turf.
Although impressive, bringing real grass indoors requires significant planning.
You would have to keep the turf well-watered, which would inevitably create moisture and humidity, and would need to simulate sunlight with LEDs or similar, unless you have a bountiful supply of natural light.
And, even if you manage to get the lawn growing and healthy, maintenance is still likely to be an issue.
Not only will you need to keep the lawn free of critters, unless you want worms escaping into the kitchen, but you will need to mow, unless you want an indoor meadow! A push mower would probably be best for this task or even an electric one, but steer well clear of polluting petrol mowers in confined spaces
About the Author: Larry is an avid gardener and lawn expert. You can find him at Lawn Mower Larry.
