Creating a Welcoming Front Entrance: What I’ve Learned About Bringing Nature Indoors
When you walk into any building – whether it’s a doctor’s office, a business, or even our church – the first space you encounter sets the tone for everything that…
Making Stairs Work Better: What I’ve Learned About Bringing Nature Indoors
You know, after thirty-eight years in the same house, I’ve given a lot of thought to stairs. Not just because mine are getting harder to climb – though there’s that…
How Cities Are Bringing Nature Back – What I’ve Learned from Visiting Biophilic Cities with My Kids
When I first heard the term “biophilic city,” I had no idea what it meant. But after watching my kids respond so differently to various environments – thriving in some…
Making Tiny Urban Spaces Feel Less Soul-Crushing: What I’ve Learned About Bringing Nature Into the City
Okay, so I’ve been thinking a lot about fabrics lately, which is honestly not something I expected to care about when I first moved to this tiny studio. But after…
I Accidentally Fell in Love with Nature’s Secret Design Algorithms (And You Should Too)
So this is going to sound weird, but I spent last Saturday morning lying on my stomach in a community garden watching ants. Not because I’ve completely lost it (though…
Living Walls Forty Stories Up: Why Some High-Rise Buildings Are Actually Growing Gardens (And What That Means for the Rest of Us)
I saw this photo on Instagram a few months ago – someone had posted a picture from what looked like a hotel room, but instead of looking out at the…
What Bars and Restaurants Taught Me About Making Home Feel Better
You know, I never thought much about why some restaurants and bars felt comfortable while others made me want to finish my drink and leave. After thirty-eight years in the…
The Healing Power of Biophilic Healthcare Design: Restoring the Human Connection with Nature
# Why Healthcare Buildings Make Me Feel Better (Or Worse): What I’ve Learned About Nature’s Role in Medical Spaces You know how some places just make you feel awful the…
What I’ve Learned About Bringing Nature Into Industrial Buildings – And Why It Actually Works
When I think about industrial buildings – the factories where I spent my career, warehouses, manufacturing plants – what comes to mind is concrete, steel, exposed pipes. Pure function, nothing…
Why I’m Obsessed with Libraries That Feel Like Nature (And How They’re Helping My Kids Love Reading Again)
I never thought I’d become the kind of parent who gets excited about library architecture, but here we are. It started when my daughter was struggling with reading focus and…
What I’ve Learned About Bringing Nature Into Public Spaces (And Why It Matters for All of Us)
When my daughter sent me an article about Singapore's approach to urban design a few years back, I figured it would be another one of those feel-good pieces about putting…
These Green High-Rises Are Making Me Rethink What City Living Could Actually Be Like
Okay, so I’ve been seeing these photos on Instagram lately of high-rise buildings that look absolutely nothing like my sad pre-war brick box, and I had to dig into what’s…
Why Your College Campus Probably Feels Like a Concrete Prison (And What Some Schools Are Actually Doing About It)
Okay, let me just say this upfront: most college campuses feel like depressing concrete bunkers where happiness goes to die. I know because I spent four years on one, and…
What I Learned About Creating Kid-Friendly Spaces From Hotels and Stores That Actually Get It Right
I never thought I’d be taking design notes during family vacations, but that’s exactly what happened last summer when we stayed at this amazing boutique hotel. I walked into the…
Bringing Nature Indoors: The Rise of Biophilic Design and Regenerative Architecture
NEW_TITLE: How I Started Bringing Nature Inside (And Why Your Space Probably Needs It Too) I used to think the whole “plants make you feel better” thing was just something…