Residential biophilic interior design

Even if you’ve never heard of biophilic design, you already love it. After all, biophilia is a love of nature and a way to “invite nature into your home. Let’s explore together why biophilic design is becoming a popular tool for home improvement and decoration.

What is biophilic design?

The word “biophilia” itself translates as love for all living things, for our nature. Humans have a genetic connection to nature. It has long been established that surrounded by a lot of greenery, a person feels more comfortable not only psychologically but also physically. Therefore, more and more architects and designers integrate natural elements in their projects, creating so-called biophilic interiors.

The concept of biophilic interiors is relatively new, for the first time Professor of Social Ecology Steven Kellert started talking about the method of incorporating nature into architecture and design. It was he, in the 1980s, who substantiated the fact that the integration of nature into the human dwelling has a positive effect on it.

How do you create a biophilic home interior?

It’s not enough to just pick up and furnish, deck the house with houseplants. Let’s go over the main points that characterize the biophilic interior.

Lighting

Light plays a major and perhaps the key role in creating such an interior. Day lighting allows a person to keep in touch with the time of day. Panoramic windows or a glass roof are not available to everyone, but you can increase the amount of daylight by using reflective surfaces, glass and mirrors.

There are no restrictions, many mirrors have never hurt any interior, and the light and air added many times.

The main thing is to place mirrors so that they reflect the daylight. The use of glass partitions when zoning rooms will also add not only more light, but also more air.

Air

Not only is it necessary to artificially create a volume of airspace, which I wrote about in the previous paragraph. Natural ventilation is just as important. For this, you need to properly design the air conditioning and ventilation system. And humidifiers, fragrances, diffusers are the “cherry on the cake”.

Water

The sound of the sea, the sounds of the waterfall calms and soothes, creates a necessary oasis in your room. You can put an aquarium or a table fountain, underwater garden would fit nicely into such interior.

Fire 

Fire is pleasant to the human eye, it has a lot of heat and light. If it is impossible to install a fireplace in the room (nowadays, the range of fireplaces allows them to be used in any room), or you for some reason do not want to do this, ordinary candles, of any size and in any quantity, will do.

Finishing materials

Only natural materials are welcomed: stone, wood, cork, rattan, bamboo and natural textiles: linen, jute, cotton.

The color scheme – only natural neutral shades. Surround yourself with these colors, and you’ll get the feeling that you are in a park. The decor, tableware, textiles – everything should be associated with natural elements. If the window does not make you too happy, you can divert your attention from it by hanging a painting with a landscape on the opposite wall.

Plants

Plants in biophilic design does not happen a lot. The only problem is that they all require care. To begin with, it is better to consider options for unpretentious plants. For example, interestingly looks in the interior of moss, which can finish one of the walls, and not only in the room, but even in the bathrooms.

I would strongly advise against using artificial analogues of plants, because natural flowers are triggered as sensors, reacting to mold or high levels of carbon dioxide.

We all strive for comfort, both physical and psychological, but it is biophilic design that allows us to create harmonious conditions for the human soul and body.