How to bring nature into your home via biophilic design
If you want to know what is the best way to bring nature into your home, office or gym, and make your interior to truly look and feel its best, incorporating biophilic design elements is a tried-and-true method to add not just soul but wellness benefits to an interior.
By implementing a few of these key biophilic design strategies when designing your home, office, or gym you can create a space that prioritizes personal well-being—and looks aesthetically pleasing while doing so - while also respecting the planet. Here’s how:
Bring nature home by adding some plants!
We’ll start with an obvious one; plants are a quick way to incorporate direct biophilia into any interior. This can be as simple as a few potted plants or as expansive as a vertical garden wall. To reap the most benefits from this easy addition, aim for plants that will clean the air, as well as please the eye.
Why stop there though when there are terrariums, aquascapes, domestic animals and countless other ways to bring nature into the built environment.
Use indirect biophilia
If you were wondering how to bring nature into your home, or any other space for that matter, when plants and other direct biophilic elements aren’t available, look to what is termed indirect biophilia. Photos, murals, and illustrations of nature, animals, and plants are a great way to ground your space in nature, plus these strategies have stress-reducing properties.
Studies have shown that even indirect biophilia—using elements that are merely representational—still holds an arsenal of benefits similar to direct biophilia.
Use natural materials
The materials you choose for an interior space will not only influence the final ambiance but also impact the users’ health and wellness. Natural materials are reminiscent of nature itself, of course, which is why one of the ways to introduce nature into your home is by opting for materials that are natural and sustainable will help ensure that both a room’s users and the planet stay healthy. Good materials to consider include FSC wood, bamboo, linen, cork, and ceramic. Do away with plastic completely.
Light it up - make the most out of natural light’
Bringing nature into your home or office also refers to natural lighting, that can truly brighten up any atmosphere. Implementing a circadian lighting system that follows the body’s natural rhythm can help improve both productivity by day and sleep by night.
Fill your space with natural light whenever possible but when the sun’s rays aren’t available, find a lighting system that uses blue-white tones in the middle of the day, and amber tones early and late. The Philips HUE system does a decent job of this.
Bring the outside in interior design by mimicking nature’s voice
Speaking about bringing the outside in, serious biophilic design appeals to all the senses, including sound. Possibly one of the most soothing things about being immersed in nature is the soft sound of birds, running water and the rustling of trees.
The great news is that you can easily recreate this sensation by playing nature sounds, which are widely available and come in an array of themes and compositions.
These are just a few of the simple biophilic design strategies that you can start implementing today, and by using just a few of the elements mentioned above you can be on your way to a healthier and happier interior.
Harness Nature’s Aromas
Bringing nature into your home, gym or office can now be sensed by incorporating certain aromas into a space is a simple way to extend the user experience and influence not just the tone of the room visually but also how its users feel whilst in it.
Forget synthetic fragrances though, we keep it clean with organic essential oils such as pine, cedar or lavender, preferably diffused into the air for 30-60 mins straight. This is especially beneficial first thing in the morning and last thing at night, while taking a relaxing bath or while concentrating on a writing or work task.
Commit to the nature theme and purify the Indoor Air
Urban living comes with its benefits, sure, but one of the inarguable downfalls is the reduced air quality, especially in certain cities such as Barcelona for example where the municipality struggles to keep pace.
If you want to give an all-around nature effect to any room, and at the same time keep your lungs happy and healthy - start by deploying an air purifier—preferably one with a HEPA filter. Dyson Air Cool is our model of choice for our bedroom in Casa Biofilico for example.
This helps restore air to its natural state by removing pollutants that off gas from furniture or, more likely, drift in from the streets outside. Incorporating a few plants can also assist with this goal although you’ll need to go big on quantities and choose the right species, and even then we still recommend using an air purifier. Take no prisoners on this front!
Go Organic on your Materials
If you want to support the natural world in the best possible way, then going full on eco-friendly and organic is the way. Using organic materials can lessen the presence of harmful chemicals that are regularly found in building materials and furniture— think benzene, formaldehyde, and trichloroethylene. Yes, this is a thing.
While plants and purifiers are a great method to filter the pollutants that get in, going organic is a preventative measure that will help ensure their presence is minimal from the get-go, which is also an indirect way to introduce nature into your living or working space. Rather like taking your shoes off before entering a home so as not to bring in the dirt from outside. Joined-up thinking is the way to win this battle.
A Natural Neutral Palette
The color scheme is arguably one of the biggest influencers of the mood that an interior elicits. While bright tones can add energy, neutrals will help any commercial or residential room feel grounded in nature - a simple way of bringing the outside in interior design.
Try opting for colors that you often see in the wilderness, like browns, beiges, and greens. Still looking for a pop of bright color? Try a dash of sunshine yellow and a bright sky blue.
Welcome ‘Wabi-Sabi
Nature is never about perfection, so why should your interior design be? Harness the intrigue and natural beauty that imperfection can bring and integrate pieces into your design that have variations in the finish or maybe even a couple of chips or cracks.
Wabi-Sabi is a Japanese concept common among vintage and handmade products, so look for furniture, crockery sets, and pottery with such ‘imperfections’.
These actionable, biophilic design strategies can help propel any home, office, or gym design in the right direction, and bring the natural outside world right into your home, office, or any other space you need refining. Whether you implement a few or all 10, both your interior and health will thank you! In case you need more advice, check out more biophilic design strategies (coming soon) or contact the experts at Biofilico today.