I remember as a child feeling calm in a way that only nature’s presence could bring. This comfort and connection have stayed with me and now deeply inform my work in biophilic interior design. Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of working with a variety of homeowners, all with their own unique design problems, whom I have helped look to biophilic design for solutions. Reconnecting with nature indoors as a basic human need is more relevant now than ever. We often spend almost all of our time inside. Biophilia is our bridge back to nature. It can completely transform the way an individual perceives their interior space and, in my experience, the transformations it creates can be life-changing. This goes far beyond just adding some plants and calling it a day. Biophilia must be viewed as a comprehensive design philosophy if we are going to take it seriously as the restorative design element it can be.
One of my earliest undertakings was to assist a family who resided in a modern apartment in a densely populated city. Their living space was constructed of concrete, glass, and steel, and although they embraced the appearance of their sleek, contemporary dwelling, it felt devoid of warmth and earthly life. We undertook a project together—conceptualized mostly by them and steered by me—that sought to embed biophilic design principles into their home. By their own admission, the family now feels much more at ease in a space that is supposedly ‘contemporary,’ yet is filled with natural light, textures, and an abundance of greenery. Moments like these reinforce my belief in biophilic design.
The basic tenets of biophilic interior design Biophilic interior design is all about blending nature with the manmade world in such a way that it enhances human health and well-being. My designs almost always start with these principles: Natural light. Light is the most underrated aspect of human biology. It is profoundly impactful yet so many of us spent our lives without fully appreciating its power. Light affects us on a cellular level. It has been worshipped and feared. It has been the “angel” in our biology and the “devil” in our biology—an almost neutral tool that can be both good and bad, depending on how it is used.
Natural materials: Being around materials that come from the earth is quite simply the next best thing to being outdoors. Dancing connections between you and your dwelling are nothing but positive. There are myriad opportunities to make connections with your space, which can support a sense of well-being. You might think that connecting with your space only happens in sustainability, but sustainable living isn’t the only way to create connections through design methods. Living with your space and using it as a sustainable design laboratory comes with a variety of rewards. First, there are natural materials. Whether you are enjoying the tactile quality of wood, stone, or leather; the fine finish and stability of a biosourced composite; or the feel of cotton, linen, or wool next to your skin, you’re being given a direct invitation to connect with the earth.
Water is another extremely powerful biophilic element. When present in nature, the sound and sight of water can evoke some of the most calming and tranquil feelings humans can experience. While not every architecture project has room for a large water feature, even small, indoor fountains can go a long way toward achieving that same sense of hush and shelter. In a pond or fountain on an urban rooftop, the appearance of water at any scale might just be the most effective meditative element of the whole structure. As should now be clear, the biophilic need to see and hear water is not satisfied unless there are unfurnished looks and sounds of water.
One project that really stands out in my memory is when I worked with some clients—the husband was in the military and was about to retire; the wife was a college professor—who had convinced me to not only make over their horrible living room but also to make over their horrible living room “biophilically.” Their living room, which was supposed to be wide open to the sun, felt like a dark cave, despite its large windows. The room was oriented in a way that received almost no light (my clients said, “It’s like it’s always overcast in here!”), and all the furnishings were synthetic. They were literally living in a cold, dark, lifeless cave. To help them, I recommended starting with the artificial light. I said to forget about the sconces and floor lamps and to put in a giant skylight.
Once the project was finished, the clients could hardly fathom how changed the room was, how much better it looked. But more importantly, they couldn’t get over the fact that they felt more energized and happy in the space now. “Nailed it!” I thought. “Biophilic design won again!” But should it even be a surprise? Biophilic design is not just about looking good. It’s about functioning well and, in a sense, “biologically” as good spaces should.
Section 2: Infusing Biophilic Design into Each Home Chamber When we think about biophilic design, we usually picture rooms or outdoor spaces that have something like a green wall or a water feature. But how do we make the principles of biophilia work in every inch of our homes—even in the rooms where we might engage with them in a less holistic sense? I’ve found that infusing the principles of biophilic design can easily happen in every part of the home, from most private to wild spaces. And while doing so makes each room feel more natural, more like its occupant’s kind of space, the effect is even more pronounced in the kitchen, where smells and sounds and textures can take the biophilic effect to a whole other level.
The bedroom’s biology: a biophilic blueprint for pause and permit.
The bedroom is my favorite room to work on and an intimate space. My clients retreat there at the end of a long day and seek rest and rejuvenation. Their experience is ripe for enhancement by biophilic design, which can play a significant role in mood and well-being.
I often see the most dramatic changes post-biophilia with people’s bedroom experiences, and for good reason. We spend about a third of our lives in bed, and sleep is a vital part of our experience.
One of my clients suffered from insomnia, and in our work together, we sought to transform the bedroom into an environment conducive to sleep. We started with the most basic form of environmental control: light. I recommended shades that could be used to block all light at night but that could also be opened in the morning to admit the kind of beautiful, warm, full-spectrum sunlight that helps the brain transition from sleep to wakefulness. We didn’t start with any kind of evening ritual or medication or even with the idea of “try harder to sleep.”
We employed soft organic bed linens made of natural fibers, such as cotton and linen, to boost the tactile connection to nature. We placed a large houseplant (not just a pretty accessory, as plants also help improve indoor air quality) right next to a window that was enhanced with 3M’s security film. Within weeks, my client reported sleeping better than they had in years—and they credited much of that improvement to the calming, nature-inspired environment we had created.
The Lounge: A Center for Community and Calm
From my perspective, the living room is where loved ones unite. This space, essentially, can be labeled the heart of the home. It is where we as families tend to congregate. To infuse this room with biophilic design makes it all the more inviting and, even more so, creates a living room that can be called a sanctuary.
I worked on a project recently where the biggest space in the house was the living room, but it felt completely separated from nature. There were no sight lines leading to the outside, and the furniture was all contemporary—almost cold in its modernity. To somewhat reverse this effect (and I don’t say “reverse” lightly, as we are not against modern design), we planted a living wall to be the room’s main visual event. The piece became not only a space filler (as part of what had to be a sizable remodel) but also a growing work of art.
To deepen the bond between family and nature, we incorporated organic materials, such as a coffee table made from reclaimed wood and area rugs woven from New Zealand wool. We also manipulated the lighting, installing dimmable LED lights that are capable of mimicking the varying intensity of sunlight throughout the day. From feeling cold and sterile, the new family room better embodies the warmth of nature and invites the family to spend time together in that space.
Incorporating the Outdoors into the Kitchen
While kitchens are seen as the most functional spaces in our homes, they can still be dramatically affected by biophilic design, and I believe they are the ideal places to merge nature, aesthetics, and functionality. In part, that’s because the kitchen is the one space in the house where we can confidently use nature to help us achieve two of the most common, and one of the often overlooked, kitchen goals: sustainability and health.
One of the most unforgettable projects I worked on asked for a kitchen that felt as if it were part of the outdoors. The remedy? Install large, folding glass doors that opened directly onto the garden. On sunny days, they could open the doors fully, allowing the indoor kitchen to operate in symbiosis with the garden. The kitchen had become part of the garden. The connection wasn’t just visual. It became a functional part of the inhabitants’ cooking routine. The DIY herb garden just outside the kitchen door supplied the fresh rosemary, thyme, and basil integral to my clients’ every kitchen experience. And those herbs weren’t the only thing with a green thumb.
The kitchen featured natural stone countertops and reclaimed wood cabinetry. There was even indoor plant shelving, for growing microgreens and cherry tomatoes, which we speculated would make the space even more vibrant. He thought my ideas were great and pretty much left the direction of the kitchen to me. And so, deferring to my vision, the chef and I set about creating an atmosphere inside the kitchen that not only looked good but also engaged all the senses.
Restrooms: A Place of Peace and Tranquility
The design of bathrooms frequently receives scant attention, but I contend that these spaces provide a remarkable and underrated opportunity for biophilic design. The bathroom is a room where we seek privacy and self-care, and natural materials can transform it into a room where we achieve moments of calm and serenity, transcendent of the typical experience of being in a bathroom.
A client recently engaged us for a project to turn their master bathroom into a spa-like retreat. We started with natural materials, such as stone, wood, and pebbles, used in fairly common bathroom elements. Yet somehow, the combination felt much less common and more luxe. No tactile detail was too small to help us achieve that. The bathroom and everything in it—right down to the doorknob—was designed around ideas of natural personality, privacy, and light.
Among the most distinctive aspects of the bathroom renovation was a new indoor water element: a wall-mounted fountain that gently trickled water into a stone basin. The water flowed with such a soft sound it was as if it were whispering, “Calmness awaits you here.” And then you stepped into the humid, plant-filled room and felt the air—cool, moist, and rich with plant life—that was so different from the air in your dry, pre-renovation bathroom.
The client informed me that their morning routine had undergone a total transformation. No longer a hasty, stressful segment of the day, the morning had morphed into a tranquil ritual. The client now savored the dawn hours, engaging in an enhanced way with the reawakening world.
Biophilic Design Can Make Your Home Office More Productive.
As remote work becomes an increasingly common arrangement, many people find themselves in need of home office spaces. And just as with any other type of office, these spaces ought to be conducive to the sort of unfocused yet focused thinking that yields creative work. More than aesthetics, making a home office functional while also being design-wise eye-catching is a tall order. Enter biophilia.
A very recent project had a client asking for help in transforming their home office, which felt too much like a corporate workspace, into something that was actually creative and inspiring. We began this project by moving the desk to a position next to a large window that now offers a beautifully-framed view of tree branches swaying in the wind. That’s not the only part of the room where natural light now floods in: we took down the old, light-blocking curtains and installed some new ones that allow a good amount of light in while keeping glare at bay. And as for “natural elements,” we brought in a wooden desk, live-edge style, that happens to be right next an indoor garden featuring a nice variety of native Iowa plants.
Later, they informed me that the new space’s work atmosphere felt entirely different. They asserted that the new office made them feel more creative and attentive, and even on their most chaotic workdays, they felt “balanced and grounded” because of the nature around them. For a long time, I thought this was just my friends projecting their good vibes. And yes, I completely believe in the “good vibes only” mindset, but until I read the book “Biophilia,” I didn’t understand how biophilic interior design principles could be so drastically positive. The book describes how bringing nature into our surroundings makes us healthier, smarter, and more productive.
The most pronounced influence I have seen in biophilic design is the way it seems to affect mental health, particularly in making people feel less stressed. It’s common knowledge that when we spend time outdoors, our bodies are responding to the fresh air and sunlight. It seems obvious, then, that these same elements—which can be achieved, in part, through design—could evoke similar shifts in mood and cognition indoors. For the family whose house I redesigned with biophilic principles in mind (the specifics of which I can’t share for privacy reasons), we sought to make simple elements like daylight, room size, and the presence of plants work toward the end of achieving a restful, meditative peace in their haven home.
We began the process of transforming the family’s home by putting it on a diet and shedding some serious weight. First, we took a hard look at the house and what was in it. We decided to keep what best expressed the family’s values and aesthetics and to get rid of the rest. My husband and I, along with the kids, made a not-so-easy but ultimately better-for-everyone decision to trim our family’s collective weight by about 50 pounds. Then, with much less clutter both in and out of the space, we set up four rooms that act as a creative incubator and allow for playtime choreography. C really does come before E in this beautifully designed space, with all kinds of opportunities for various “E” activities that can happen in it and around it.
In one project, a client suffered from serious allergies and wished to enhance the air quality of their home without depending on mechanical filtration systems. We introduced a number of air-purifying plants into the living environment, including peace lilies, spider plants, and snake plants. The client also requested the use of only natural, non-toxic materials in the furnishings and finishes for the space in order to reduce the presence of harmful chemicals. After living in the newly designed and beautifully decorated space for a few months, the client informed me that they had experienced a significant reduction in their allergy symptoms. They attributed this to the better air quality and to the use of no synthetic materials in the home.
Biophilic design is a burgeoning area of research, especially when it comes to understanding its effects on cognition. Natural forms and elements in built environments seem to exert beneficial influences on concentration, productivity, and even creative ideation. A writer I worked with was underperforming in her previous office, which was a small, windowless room. She clearly felt stifled and uninspired, and it was affecting her output. We moved her to a workspace with large windows and filled the room with natural materials and forms. The transformation was complete; her productivity soared within this novel environment.
We utilized a wooden desk, placed plants around the area, and fashioned a small fountain for the tranquil sound of water. She experienced an immediate increase in productivity and creativity. The new space felt amazing, which helped her focus, and she reported completing more work in a much shorter timeframe. She told me that the new biophilic design helped her reconnect with her work. And she did it all with a powerful reminder of how our surroundings influence our mental states and work performance. One of the most basic elements of “biophilia,” or love of life’s natural processes and forms, is natural lighting and the effects of light on our health, which cannot be overstated.
