The 14 Essential Patterns of Biophilic Design Explained
# Those 14 Biophilic Design Patterns Everyone Talks About (And What They Actually Mean) You know how sometimes you walk into a space and immediately feel better, but you can’t…
Sustainability in Focus Is Biophilic Design the Future
# Why I Think Biophilic Design Isn’t Just Pretty—It Might Actually Save Us You know that amazing smell after it rains? That earthy, clean scent that makes you want to…
Phyllotaxy in Plants Optimizing Light for Lower Leaves
# How I Got Obsessed with the Secret Math Behind Leaf Arrangements (And Why It Changed How I See My Garden) I was having coffee on my fire escape last…
How Churches and Community Groups Are Leading the Nature-in-Buildings Movement
I’ve been following the work of nonprofit organizations in promoting what they call biophilic design, and I have to say, it’s impressive how much these groups are accomplishing on limited…
What I Learned About Real vs. Fake Biophilic Design (And Why It Matters for Our Kids)
You know that feeling when you walk into a space and immediately feel calmer? Like your shoulders drop and you can actually breathe deeper? I’ve started noticing this more since…
I Analyzed What Makes Offices Actually Work Better – Here’s My Data on Natural Elements
I was consulting on productivity metrics for a company in Atlanta about five years ago, and their downtown office was basically a case study in how to kill employee performance.…
Portland Just Became America’s First Official Biophilic City and Here’s Why That Actually Matters
So I was scrolling through my usual urban planning Reddit rabbit hole the other night (don’t judge, we all have our weird interests) and came across this news that honestly…
What I’ve Learned About Making a Home More Natural-Friendly After Eight Years of Trial and Error
When my wife had her stroke eight years ago, I started reading about something called biophilic design – basically bringing natural elements into your living space. At first, it sounded…
Resilience and Recovery: How Biophilic Spaces Aid in Emotional Healing
# Why My Tiny Apartment Changes Made Me a Believer in Nature’s Healing Powers You know those moments when you realize something pretty obvious that somehow escaped you for years?…
How Nature Sounds Changed Our Home and Could Transform Public Spaces Too
When I step out our back door these days, I’m struck by how much more aware I’ve become of the sounds around me. The rustle of leaves in the maple…
When Your Apartment Gets a Digital Nature Upgrade (And Why I’m Not Sure How to Feel About It)
Look, I spend way too much time staring at screens already – between work, doom-scrolling Instagram, and watching Netflix in my tiny studio – so the idea that technology might…
Native vs. Exotic Plants: What I’ve Learned About Making Green Spaces Work in the City
Living in a tiny Chicago apartment with basically no natural light has taught me more about plants than I ever expected to know. When I started trying to bring some…
How I Learned to Work with My Apartment’s Weird Weather (And Why It Actually Matters)
So here’s something weird that happened to me last week. I was standing on our building’s rooftop garden, watering the tomatoes, when I realized that one side of my body…
Making Tiny Apartments Kid-Friendly: What I Learned About Bringing Nature Into Small Spaces
Okay, I’m definitely not a parent and I don’t claim to be an expert on kid spaces, but something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately is how kids growing…
Real Talk: The Hidden Costs of Making Your Small Space “Nature-Inspired”
Walking into one of those Instagram-worthy biophilic spaces makes me feel some type of way. You know the ones – all that gorgeous reclaimed wood, those smooth stone countertops, plants…