My wife and I were in town last week – she needed some new shoes, and I was along for moral support and to carry packages. We ended up at one of those newer stores, and when I walked in, I had to stop and look around. Plants everywhere, real sunlight streaming in, the sound of water trickling somewhere in the background. It didn’t feel like a store at all. Felt more like being in someone’s conservatory, if they happened to sell merchandise.
That got me thinking about how different shopping environments have become since I started paying attention to these things. When I was younger, stores were just places to buy stuff. Now I’m reading about something called biophilic retail design, and it’s fascinating how much thought is going into making commercial spaces feel more natural and comfortable for people.
The research I’ve been looking into shows this isn’t just about making things look prettier – though these spaces definitely do that. What’s interesting is how much it changes how people behave. Customers spend more time browsing, they’re more relaxed, and they end up buying more. That makes sense to me. When you feel comfortable somewhere, you don’t feel rushed to leave.
From what I’ve read, this goes back to basic human nature. We evolved outdoors, so being around natural elements just feels right to us, even if we can’t always put our finger on why. Put someone in a sterile, artificially-lit environment versus one with plants and natural light, and you’ll see measurable differences in their stress levels within minutes.
Apple seems to understand this better than most retailers. I’ve been in a few of their newer stores, and they don’t feel like electronics shops. Those big glass walls, the trees inside, the way natural light moves through the space during the day – it’s like they’re trying to bring the outdoors in. And it works. People don’t just rush in to buy something and leave. They hang around, try things out, bring their kids to explore.
The numbers back this up from what I’ve read. Stores that incorporate these natural design elements see customers staying 40% longer on average. Sales go up by around 10-12%. But what really caught my attention is how much it helps the employees. Lower stress, fewer sick days, higher job satisfaction. Makes perfect sense – if you had to work eight hours a day, would you rather be in a windowless box or somewhere with plants and natural light?
I’ve been thinking about this in terms of the changes I made to our own house after my wife’s stroke. Adding more natural light, bringing in plants, creating better connections to the outdoor spaces – those modifications didn’t just help with her physical limitations. They made both of us feel better just being in the house. Same principle applies to retail spaces, apparently.
Anthropologie is another store that’s doing this well. My daughter dragged me into one a while back, and I’ll admit I was impressed despite having zero interest in women’s clothing. The whole place felt like walking through a garden that happened to have merchandise in it. Plants hanging from the ceiling, natural materials everywhere, displays that changed with the seasons. I could see why people would want to spend time there even if they weren’t buying anything.
The environmental angle is another thing that makes sense to me. Using reclaimed materials, maximizing natural light to reduce energy costs, incorporating living plants that actually improve air quality – these aren’t just feel-good measures. They’re practical improvements that align with what a lot of customers, especially younger ones, care about these days.
What impresses me as someone who’s spent decades working with building systems is how complex this can get from a technical standpoint. You can’t just stick some plants in corners and call it good. The successful implementations I’ve read about integrate everything from the beginning – lighting systems, HVAC, irrigation for living walls, drainage considerations. It’s real engineering work, not just decoration.
Water features are particularly tricky, from what I’ve learned through my own mistakes with that fountain disaster a few years back. Done right, the sound of moving water can mask harsh mechanical noises and create a calming background. But they require proper planning and maintenance, or they become expensive headaches. I’ve read about retail spaces where well-designed water elements actually help customers feel the space is more private and peaceful, which encourages them to linger.
The sustainable design aspects remind me of conversations I’ve been having with other retirees about how buildings have changed over the decades. We used to design spaces that connected to the outdoors – porches, big windows, materials that aged naturally. Then we sealed everything up for energy efficiency and climate control. Now we’re trying to bring nature back inside, but it’s more complicated because we built it all out in the first place.
From my reading about natural design elements, the most effective retail spaces don’t try to replicate being outdoors exactly. They capture the essential qualities that make natural environments feel restorative. Sometimes that’s actual plants and water. Other times it’s natural materials, good daylighting, or just views of outdoor spaces.
The maintenance considerations are something I understand from managing our home modifications. Living walls need proper irrigation systems. Natural lighting optimization affects heating and cooling loads. Plant selection has to account for indoor growing conditions and the store’s capacity to care for them properly. You can’t just install these systems and forget about them.
What I find encouraging about this trend is that it’s pushing retailers to think about the complete customer experience, not just efficient transactions. Similar to how I learned that small environmental changes could significantly affect my wife’s pain levels and mood, these stores are recognizing that the physical environment affects how people feel and behave in measurable ways.
The workplace wellbeing research I’ve been reading aligns with what I’ve observed in our own community spaces. When our church improved the lighting and added some plants to the fellowship hall, people started staying longer after services. Conversations were more relaxed. The space felt less institutional and more welcoming.
The shift toward experience-based retail makes sense from a business perspective, but it’s also just more human. Instead of treating shopping as something to get through as quickly as possible, these environments encourage people to slow down and actually enjoy being there. That’s good for business, but it’s also good for people’s general wellbeing.
The principles behind creating nature-connected spaces aren’t complicated in theory, but they require thoughtful implementation. You can’t force it or make it feel artificial. The best examples I’ve seen integrate natural elements so seamlessly that you might not consciously notice them, but you definitely feel the difference.
I’m curious to see how this evolves as more retailers catch on. I’ve read about experimental concepts like stores connected to urban gardens and retail spaces that change with the seasons. Some urban developments are integrating retail with vertical gardens and green roof systems.
What strikes me most about this whole movement is how it represents a return to common sense that somehow got lost along the way. Of course people feel better in spaces with natural light and living plants. Of course the sound of water is more pleasant than mechanical noise. Of course natural materials feel better than synthetic ones. Our grandparents knew this intuitively. We just spent a few decades building in ways that ignored these basic human needs.
The retail transformation I’m seeing reflects something larger that I’ve been thinking about since working on our home modifications. Our built environments can either support human wellbeing or work against it. When businesses start prioritizing customer and employee health alongside profit margins, everybody benefits. That’s not just good business – it’s good citizenship.
Robert is a retired engineer in Michigan who’s spent the past few years adapting his longtime home for accessibility and wellbeing. He writes about practical, DIY ways to make homes more comfortable and life-affirming as we age — from raised-bed gardens to better natural light.
