In many respects, textiles are the unsung champions of biophilic design. We often discuss the significance of natural light, living walls, and organic materials in the push toward designing our built environments to create more natural experiences. But what about the fabrics we touch, sit on, and surround ourselves with? Textile biophilia—that is, the idea that our homes and workplaces can be enhanced by the patterns, textures, and even the “natural healing” qualities of biophilic design—is, for my money, an underappreciated environmental force. Biophilic design is about creating a sense of place. Biophilic textiles, I’m convinced, can help achieve that.
Textiles offer a never-ending variety and are perfect for introducing biophilic design into a room. I can hardly imagine anything better for evoking a room’s biophilic design when seasonal moods call for it. They are not fixed. What could be more adaptable? They can be used almost anywhere and at any scale, from the large expanses of the walls to the intimate folds of a curtain. And I cannot think of a better way to say “I’m here with you, my friend,” when you wrap someone in a quilt.
I recall a specific project where I was responsible for the design of a boutique hotel within a dense urban context. While contemporary and streamlined, the hotel’s interiors were decidedly prosaic. Our client wanted us to infuse the space with certain design elements that would establish a dreamy, even tranquil, quality in the guest experience. After considering various options, the design team landed on the idea of using textiles to accomplish this goal.
The design of the hotel was not altered in any major way, nor did we add what could be considered “obvious” biophilic design elements, like a large indoor garden. The use of textiles—curtains, floor coverings, and throws—was the main component of the guestroom design. And honestly, it was a more modest and articulate way of establishing a sensory connection to nature that many people desire in their living spaces.
Biophilic textiles are built on an age-old and fundamental component of the human experience—natural fibers. Systems of living organisms, including humans, have coexisted with and depended on natural fibers for millennia. When our ancestors learned to cultivate and manipulate the fibers of plants and animals, they not only constructed the necessary outer shells to protect their bodies from the elements but also transformed their environments in ways that benefitted them and their progeny.
A fundamental tenet of biophilic textiles is the employment of natural fibers. Wow! You might think. Why don’t they live in the stone age if they are so into natural fibers? I mean, a wool textile or a silk textile is not a product of the stone age. You can argue that wool has been used since, what, 6,000 B.C.E? But still, an authentic wool textile is still so much better connected to nature and to biophilia than a synthetic textile (even if the synthetic textile has “state-of-the-art” imprinted on the surface).
Wool has always held a special place in my heart. My affinity goes beyond mere appreciation; it’s more like a love affair, really. Wool’s role in biophilic design, particularly in biophilic textiles, is something I hold dear. The warmth and texture of wool can only be described as grounding. I think of it as a hug for the senses, invoking memories of being swaddled in a skank, “like a good book or a blanket,” as Kate Dwyer puts it in her article about wool for the biannual magazine “All You Need” of the Urban Outfitters brand. Wool has played a large role in many of my interior design projects.
… It is part of the hardwired, biophilic universal design elements that I rely on.
Linen is another textile that I really love in biophilic design. It seems so simple and unassuming, yet so perfect for fulfilling biophilic design’s aim of bringing nature into our built environment. It has a certain elegance to it that makes it perfect for evoking the natural world. Because linen is a foundation textile in biophilic design, I wanted to share some linen-inspired vignettes and use them to illustrate the different ways one might think about incorporating linen into rooms while upholding both the spirit and the principles of biophilic design.
And because the principles of biophilic design can be applied to textiles and interiors in many different ways, I will also show you how a simple pair of linen curtains can be used to comply with biophilic design’s aim of creating the illusion of sunlight.
Botanical motifs and natural textures.
Biophilic textiles can also provide an affinity to nature through the makeup of their materials, though, and it is the materials that are my main interest as I begin this exploration of biophilic textiles and how they function. I’ve always had a penchant for botanical prints. In my mind, they aligned me and those who gazed upon them with the essence of nature, a connection that—at least in my case—was obviously more pronounced than the experience of seeing a lovely painting of a natural scene.
In one of my recent projects, I collaborated with a couple who wished to incorporate the beauty of their garden into their formal dining room. Rather than including live plants, we opted for a wallpaper in a botanical pattern. One accent wall, a pair of custom seat cushions, and my room gremlin never looked better. Indeed, on a recent visit, I was wowed by the whole space. In part, it had to do with the effortless way the siding duo of wallpaper and upholstery worked to create a seamless visual extension between the garden and the formal dining room.
But what I respect the most about the room’s quiet elegance is how it efficiently embodies the couple’s story.
The significance of textures in biophilic design cannot be overstated. When I create such spaces, I give a considerable amount of thought to the way the textures of materials, and in particular of textiles, will work with the natural daylight that floods my projects and interact with the elements I’ve included. Textures can take you somewhere else entirely. A grass-like jute rug might be located nowhere near the coast, but its presence can transport one to such an environment. In a recent project I helmed at a wellness center, organic textures helped establish a meeting point between nature and the sophistication of that place.
A lounge area’s handwoven cushions, made of wool, carry the same warmth and comfort provided by that unlit hallway. A silk throw in the same space shimmers under the presence of both soft and direct light, an effect that ripples across the surface as the ocean might, quietly mesmerizing a person seated in either space.
The Future of Biophilic Textiles Lies in Sustainable and Ethical Production.
An essential part of biophilic design—particularly biophilic textiles—is the push for sustainability. Just as biophilic design aims to bridge the gap between nature and the built environment, biophilic textiles should aim to do the same. We must be clear, however, that sustainable textiles are not simply a means of improving any one person’s connection to nature or the natural world. Making the kinds of choices for the materials of our spaces that have unsustainable, toxic, or harmful production processes doesn’t help anyone, especially in light of the myriad health benefits that come from residing in a sustainably built space.
If biophilic design seeks to accomplish anything worthwhile, it must accomplish this: connecting inhabitants of the spaces it encompasses to a natural world that helps not only them but also everyone else who shares it. That’s what sustainable means.
A particularly memorable project for a yoga studio wanted to go beyond biophilic design and the aesthetics of it. The studio’s owners were deeply committed to sustainability and wanted their space to reflect that commitment, right down to the textiles we use. We sourced organic cotton for the meditation cushions, used recycled fibers for the rugs and wall hangings, and collectively, the result was a space that not only felt serene and natural but also carried a deeper message of respect for the earth. And I guess that’s my overarching point… and the reminder that I take with me from the project: Biophilic design isn’t just about beauty.
When you opt for biophilic textiles, you’re making responsible choices that align with our connection to the environment—our desire to see within it, to take part in it, and to live in a way that makes it feel like home.
Textiles that invite nature indoors can enhance any area. Whether you’re partial to the bedroom or prefer the kitchen as your personal sanctuary, biophilic textiles can make every space feel more connected to the natural world.
The adaptability of biophilic textiles is impressive. They can be used in all kinds of spaces, from residences to offices, hotels, and even places like healthcare environments. No matter where they are used, biophilic textiles can help foster a feeling of comfort and well-being. In the home, the feeling of comfort seems almost a foregone conclusion. I recommend using biophilic floor coverings in kitchens and dining rooms to help ease the rigorous demands of life in a kitchen or the everyday life of a dining room. Still, it is hard not to see the beauty, too, in jute and sisal rugs, cotton or linen tablecloths and napkins, and other natural “pile” or flatwoven textiles used as tension-holding surfaces to cover the rigid contours of furniture.
Biophilic textiles can help reduce stress and increase productivity in office spaces, as I have found in my work designing such environments. For one project, we incorporated acoustic panels made from recycled wool and organic cotton that were both eco-conscious and visually inspiring. Another project featured wool wall hangings in the space between a corporate reception area and the adjacent hard-surface corridors. Softening those transitions helped to make the lobby and reception area feel less sterile and corporate office more a part of the biophilic, nature-filled ecosystem that so many places are pioneering these days. Wool wall hangings are great for sound.
In addition to being comfy nature-filled vibes, they are also sound-absorbent. The project for which we recalled the acoustic panels made clear why certain kinds of textiles—for those offices and other spaces, at least—play such a vital, mostly ignored role in not just the design of the places we inhabit but also the sensory experience we have when we’re in them.
How Biophilic Textiles Affect Our Feelings and Why It Matters
The most gratifying part of my work with biophilic textiles is their emotional effect on people. Textiles that evoke nature remind people of home, and in an increasingly urbanized world, achieving that primal sense of being “home” is more important than ever—biophilic cotton sheets, for lounging under on a lazy Sunday morning; the architectural plants in the botanical murals that greet you in the lobby of your apartment building; the moss rug installed next to the bathroom sink. Indeed, if ever we needed the kind of nurturing and grounding that a moss rug can undoubtedly provide, 2020 is that year.
