I never really understood how much my workspace affected me until I started working from home during the pandemic. Like most parents, I’d cobbled together a “home office” in whatever corner of the house wasn’t being used by the kids – first the dining room, then a corner of our bedroom, finally settling into what used to be a craft room in the basement.
The basement setup should have been perfect. Quiet, separate from the chaos upstairs, plenty of space for my monitors and files. But something was off. I’d sit down to work and within an hour feel this low-level anxiety creeping in. Couldn’t focus, kept getting up to walk around, found myself making excuses to go upstairs “just to check on things.”
My wife pointed out that I seemed more stressed on days when I spent longer periods down there. I figured it was just the isolation from family, but then I started reading about something called biophilic design – basically how our brains are wired to respond to natural environments, and what happens when we spend time in spaces that work against those instincts.
That basement office was working against me in every possible way. No windows, so no natural light variation throughout the day. Fluorescent ceiling fixture that cast harsh shadows. Concrete walls painted beige (seemed “professional” at the time). Even the air felt stale despite having a dehumidifier running.
I started experimenting with changes we could afford. First thing was lighting – found some LED panels online that could shift color temperature throughout the day, mimicking how sunlight changes from cool morning light to warmer afternoon tones. Sounds gimmicky, but the difference was immediate. I stopped getting that 2 PM energy crash that had been plaguing me for months.
Next was sound. I hadn’t realized how much the hard surfaces were bouncing noise around – the hum of the HVAC, footsteps from upstairs, even the clicking of my keyboard created this subtle cacophony. Couldn’t afford acoustic panels, so I tried something I’d seen in a YouTube video about moss walls. Bought some preserved moss sheets (they don’t need maintenance like living moss) and created textured panels for the walls.
My kids were fascinated by the moss when they’d come down to visit my office. My son, who has ADHD and usually bounces off the walls, would actually sit calmly next to the moss wall while I finished up work calls. Something about the organic patterns seemed to hold his attention in a different way than screens or toys.
The floor was trickier. Wall-to-wall carpet that had seen better days, but replacing it wasn’t in the budget. I ended up getting some area rugs with natural, irregular patterns – nothing matchy-matchy, just organic shapes that your eye could follow. It helped define different areas of the space and absorbed more sound.
But the real breakthrough came when I started adding what I think of as “fidget elements” – things I could touch or interact with during phone calls or thinking breaks. Started with a small desktop fountain made from river stones I’d collected during family hikes. The sound was subtle but somehow made the whole space feel more alive.
Then I added some plants, though not the typical office plants everyone suggests. Did research on what would actually thrive in my lighting conditions and settled on some pothos and ZZ plants in terracotta pots. The terracotta was key – there’s something about the texture and warmth of natural clay that just feels good to touch.
My favorite addition was a collection of interesting wood pieces displayed on floating shelves. Driftwood from beach trips, a piece of burl wood I found in our yard, some smooth river stones. During long calls, I’d find myself picking up and handling these pieces. My wife teased me about it until she read an article I shared about how touching natural materials actually reduces stress hormones.
The transformation wasn’t just aesthetic – it was physiological. I started sleeping better, felt less anxious during the workday, could focus for longer periods. When I mentioned this to other parents in our school’s Facebook group, turns out a lot of them were struggling with similar issues in their makeshift home offices.
Started sharing what I’d learned and tried, mostly because creating a functional workspace as a parent is hard enough without fighting against your own biology. Not everything worked – I killed several plants before figuring out the care routines, and my first attempt at a water feature leaked all over my desk. But the successful changes made such a difference that I kept experimenting.
One parent tried just the lighting changes in her kitchen nook office and reported that her afternoon energy levels improved dramatically. Another dad created a small nature display in his garage workshop and found he actually looked forward to woodworking projects again instead of seeing them as chores.
What I’ve learned is that biophilic design isn’t really about decorating – it’s about understanding how our brains evolved to function in natural environments and creating indoor spaces that work with those patterns instead of against them. We spent thousands of years outdoors, with natural light cycles, organic textures, varied sounds and scents. Fluorescent lights and beige walls aren’t just boring – they’re actively stressing us out.
The most surprising thing has been the ripple effects. Making my workspace more naturally-aligned didn’t just improve my work focus – it affected my mood throughout the day, which meant I was more patient with my kids, slept better, felt generally less stressed. When one space in your life works better, it impacts everything else.
I’ve been documenting these changes partly for my own reference (what worked, what didn’t, what’s worth the cost) and partly to share with other parents trying to create functional workspaces in family homes. We’re not working with unlimited budgets or perfect spaces, so the solutions need to be practical and family-friendly.
Latest project is helping other parents in my kids’ school think about learning spaces at home. Turns out the same principles that improved my work focus also help kids with homework and creative projects. Natural light, reduced visual clutter, access to natural textures and sounds – it’s not revolutionary, just working with human biology instead of against it.
My daughter’s homework battles got significantly better when we moved her study spot to a window-adjacent area with better light and added some plants she could care for. My son’s art projects became more elaborate when we set up his supplies near the moss wall where he naturally gravitates.
The key is understanding that these aren’t just aesthetic choices – they’re environmental factors that directly impact how our brains function. As parents, we can’t control everything about our kids’ environments, but we can optimize the spaces where they spend the most time. And honestly, when those spaces work better for them, they work better for the whole family.
Not every change requires a major investment or renovation. Sometimes it’s as simple as adjusting lighting, adding some natural textures, or creating better acoustic conditions. But done thoughtfully, these modifications can transform not just how a space looks, but how it makes everyone feel. And as any parent knows, that feeling ripples through everything else in family life.
David is a dad of two who started caring about design after realizing how much their home environment affected his kids’ moods and sleep. He writes about family-friendly, budget-friendly ways to bring natural light, plants, and outdoor play back into everyday life.
