At home with nature.
Biophilic design is a fancy term for bringing the outside in. Simply put, it’s a method of design that creates space that’s in harmony with nature. It’s not new, but in the last several years, it has resurfaced as a viable concept in interior design. By using elements of nature, including wood, plants, water features, and colors found in nature—the greens, blues, and browns—you see outside, biophilic design can naturally reduce stress, helping create a healthy space that promotes overall wellbeing.
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Biophilic Design’s Top 7 Principles:
1. Natural Light: Incorporate large windows into your design, and keep them clear and unobstructed. Then create groupings nearby with views of the outside. Let fresh air in, and take advantage of cross ventilation. Bring in the sites and sounds of nature.
2. Botanical Art: Trick up your walls with botanical wallpaper or nature-inspired art—from birds to foliage, butterflies to landscapes.
3. Wood: Incorporate wood of all manner, from furniture to flooring and walls, that showcase its natural grain and character. If your budget is tight, consider wood finishes in laminate flooring and tiles.
4. Natural Materials: Use jute, organic cotton, linen, stone, and rattan in upholstery, linens, cushions, carpet, flooring, and even wall art.
5. Plants: Connect the dots to nature by using plants, perhaps the most obvious of biophilic decor principles. Grow succulents, a vertical garden, fragrant plants, and tropicals in pots on windowsills and on the floor, or as hanging plants.
6. Earthy Colors: Paint walls in shades reminiscent of being outside, like the green hues in nature (think moss, grass, leaves) or sky blue tones. Also consider grays, browns, sands, and terracotta. Carry those colors into slipcovers, upholstery, and rugs.
7. Go Biomorphic: Incorporate patterns from nature like honeycombs or rippling waves in fabric and tiles. Use the curves of nature in arched doors and abstract shapes in furniture. Choose texturally rich upholstery and rugs that add dimension to your space.
