BIOPHILIC DESIGN - Not just indoor plants

I saw one of those AI posts the other day where all these different design styles were shared and one of the 'styles' listed was Biophilic, the image was very natural, had an outlandish amount of interior plants and lots of natural light coming in.

While the post would be correct in listing this as a Biophilic space I thought if this was your introduction you might think thats what Biophilic design is - lots of indoor plants, but it is much more in depth and transcends styles themselves. Let me explain by listing a few principals of Biophilic Design and how these principals can be applied to any design style, beyond plants.

PRESENCE OF WATER

A little self explanatory yet so much to it.

A natural presence of water would be a view to rainfall or river and a constructed simulation may be a fountain or aquarium.

Being in the presence of water has been proven to lower stress, improve memory restoration and positive emotional response.

LIGHTING

Having a variety of lighting that changes throughout the day mimics how we experience light in nature, the benefits - improved circadian rhythm and visual comfort as well as general enjoyment of the space.

COMPLEXITY AND ORDER

Or as I like to call it, order and chaos.

In all of nature there is order and chaos, the easiest way to perceive this in interior design is to compare symmetry and clean lines with more organic lines and shapes. Do you prefer strong simple symmetry or do you like a space to be a bit more informal?

Understanding this of yourself will allow you to ensure choices soothe your nervous system rather than put it on edge.

MYSTERY

A space that holds mystery in a Biophilic sense is a space that has something about it that intrigues you to explore the space, either by a partial view or indication there is more to explore (like a space divider or translucent glass), intricate art or high contrast.

Study of this kind of experience resulted in a strong induced pleasure response.

If you compare a space just explained to a room that is fully understood at first glance, you can imagine how different that experience is and how some mystery really adds some spice.

There are many principals to Biophilic Design and as you can see the philosophy around it is quite complex and can be applied to many styles of interior.

I hope this post helped you consider the experience of a room and the kind of response that it can create. This is why nature is such a great muse for an interior space, there are many elements that can resonate with our innate being and therefore design spaces that serve in the right ways.

Have a fabulous day designing your life x

Lauren Shiels - The Healing Spaces Project