You can hear more and more today that people are losing touch with nature. While it is true that today, we’re leading a faster life, full of technology and digital experiences, to say that we’ve completely lost contact with nature would be simply wrong. Many people are still spending their days surrounded by nature or they’re at least trying to. If you don’t want to go outside to feel like you’re surrounded by nature, you don’t have to! Contrary to the popular belief, the home design doesn’t have to be all grey to be elegant and effective. Instead, you can design your home around nature and make it an oasis. Thanks to the biophilic design, the natural elements could easily be incorporated into the environment you live in.
What is biophilia?
Before you start making changes in your home, you should first know what biophilia is. Understanding this concept, in general, will make it much easier for you to make the right decisions and change the way you live for the better. The term “biophilia” first appeared in the 1980s. It is a term explained and popularized by Edward Wilson and the term means “love of nature”. In his book Biophilia, Wilson goes into great detail while explaining what the concept is and where its importance lies.
The focus of the book is to show that people create connections with nature and that this is innate to all humans. That is the core of biophilia. Loving nature and bonding with it. Urban places are usually designed in such a way that nature is put last. However, that practice has been changing in recent years.
Today, you can see public spaces designed around nature, while we used to destroy nature in order to build public spaces in the past. This doesn’t have to refer to public spaces only. It can also refer to our home. For quite some time, the home design had everything to do with running away from nature or protecting people from nature. Luckily, this has also been changing.
What is biophilic design?
Loving nature and introducing it into the complex process of home design is the core purpose of this concept. Even though the name biophilic design hasn’t become as popular as it should yet, it sure is going towards that well-deserved recognition. However, it is still rather obvious what it is all about. Incorporating nature with design, while keeping in mind science and esthetics is the key to biophilic design.
It’s important to remember that this isn’t just something people do to be trendy. People love this design because it brings the most to their homes. Not only that, but it also brings the best in people. Namely, most architectural designs aren’t paying enough attention to science. That isn’t the case with biophilic design. This one puts science, art, and people at the heart of the matter and it achieves great results while bringing natural elements such as animals, natural shapes, materials, colors, and light into our homes.
Biophilic design in the home
There are plenty of ways to introduce biophilic design in your home. All you need are some creative ideas and a bit of knowledge about nature and its therapeutic benefits and you will gain so much! You can introduce nature into every part of your home – from the kitchen to the bathroom. Every room has its own ways to welcome natural elements and it’s up to you to find the perfect balance.
You can bring in natural elements such as vegetation or materials and colors while keeping in mind what is suitable for which room. For instance, you won’t pick wood and stone for the same area. This is why it is important to think about the design in advance and to be careful when choosing the elements for each room. Here are some ideas for introducing the biophilic design in your home.
Kitchen
If you don’t know where to start, you may start your biophilic design journey from the kitchen. Especially if you like cooking and if you spend a lot of time there, you could think of some ways to get more natural elements in your favorite room. For instance, wood, natural stone, cork, glass, metals, terracotta, and bamboo are all pretty great options when it comes to kitchen materials.
Picking sustainable materials isn’t the only thing you could do. You could look for some interesting shapes that come from living organisms. Such patterns will bring even more life to the space and if you combine them with the right colors, you’ll get the perfect kitchen!
Living room
Working your way throughout the home, you could tackle the living room next. Here you could focus on the plants and lighting. These two elements of nature are the most important for a room you come to relax in. If you don’t know where to put your indoor plant gifts, put them in the living room! They are as cute as it gets and they can be pretty beneficial for you!
As far as the lighting is concerned, you should focus on the windows. Whenever you have a chance to let natural light in, you should. That means that your drapes and curtains game should be as strong as possible. Gaining control over the light can help you create the atmosphere you need in your home. Whether it is raining or not, night or day, you could always manipulate the lighting in the room to suit your needs!
Bathroom
The next room on the list is the bathroom. The biophilic design of a bathroom is rather simple. The best way to start is to look for ways to improve your water spending habits. If you feel like you could cherish the fuel of the future, even more, you could install some low-flow faucets and start using rainwater. Recycling water is another way to connect with nature more.
Again, you could put some plants up in the bathroom as well. As nature is the heart of biophilic design, it’s no surprise that plants can find their place in each of the rooms. When it comes to other ways to introduce nature, you could buy cotton or bamboo towels and bath mats made of pebbles. If you’re planning to change your bathroom tiles, look for some with naturalistic elements.
Bedroom
When it comes to the bedroom, this may be the most important room in your home. This is a room where you go to forget about everything else! Your job, the fight you had with your mom, the unpaid bills – it all must disappear when you enter the bedroom. This is a room where you recharge and this is the one thing nature can be perfect for.
Nature is well-known for its calming effects. There is no worry in the world that seems important when you’re sitting next to a stream and you listen to the water flowing. Birds singing, water flowing, and wind blowing can all help you reduce the stress you often encounter in urban settings such as sirens honking or construction sites noises. That is why you can introduce large windows into the bedrooms. Get some cotton or bamboo bed sheets and play soothing natural sounds as soon as you get to the bedroom!
Home office
If you have a home office, you probably find it hard to distinguish your personal life from your professional life. This kind of arrangement often comes with this risk. While looking for a way to set boundaries between these two worlds, you could look for ways to include biophilic design into your home office.
For instance, you could have glass walls and make the whole home office seem a less stressful space. You could plant some trees outside and improve the experience this way. You could also use wood as your primary material while setting the office up!
Exterior design
Finally, biophilic design doesn’t have to refer to interior design only. Instead, it can make your outdoor spaces as green as possible. For instance, a green plant wall may be the perfect way to create the transition between the two worlds – indoors and outdoors. A sunroom might be another way to connect these two.
The best way to nurture nature is to have your own garden. As soon as you get the chance, you should plant as many things as possible. Another way is to invest some time and money into the green roof. This can be a unique way to cherish nature even more and to give your house an elegant look. This will definitely make you the most popular neighbor and soon, everyone will follow your example.
Conclusion
A biophilic design means remembering where we came from and respecting it. It is such a rewarding experience and it really gives more than it takes. You get a beautiful home full of interesting corners and you get better health and general well-being! All it takes is a little bit of your time and you get so much. Make sure to implement these tips into your home and educate others on this amazing opportunity to make your home and life better!
