Biofilico founder Matt Morley shares easy ways to achieve a biophilic home for better health and well-being.
11 October 2021
A 1993 study by Dr Roger Ulrich focused on biophilic design applied to various settings, one of which was a windowless, hospital emergency room. They traded blank walls and artificial furnishings for a design that aimed to connect people with nature through potted plants, furnishings made from natural materials, and a colourful wall mural of plants and animals in a Savannah-like setting. The result? A significant decrease in stress and aggressive behaviour among patients.
While bright tones can add energy, neutrals will help a biophilic home to feel grounded in nature. Try opting for colours that you often see in the wilderness, like browns, beiges and greens. Still looking for a pop of bright colour? Try a dash of sunshine yellow and a bright sky blue.
Nature is never about perfection, so why should your biophilic home 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.
One of the ways to introduce nature into your biophilic home is by opting for materials that are natural and sustainable. Using organic materials can also lessen the presence of harmful chemicals that are regularly found in building materials and furniture – think benzene, formaldehyde and trichloroethylene. Avoid plastic where possible.
Fill your space with natural light whenever possible, but if that’s a bit of a challenge in some spaces, find a lighting system that uses blue-white tones in the middle of the day, and amber tones early and late, like the Philips Hue.
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