We can create stronger connections with nature, which is especially more enjoyable in winter when we spend longer time in our homes, by using its natural resources as interior features in your home.
There are multiple ways to do this, with the most obvious being to fill your home with living plants. This is not to say that plastic plants don’t achieve the same good feeling, but they come with only a visual aesthetic, whereas live plants have other benefits, such as improving air quality, acting as a natural screen or partition, and can boost creativity or productivity.
However, live plants are not the only way to increase your connection with nature indoors. Consider these options and their benefits:
Living walls
A modern day trend, living vertical walls have actually been around for centuries, tracing their history back to ancient civilisations, where walls were covered in vegetation for warmth, protection from the elements, and other practical purposes. Today, when used inside the home, they are not only dramatic, but can also reduce noise and temperature. They also remove air pollutants and may even improve energy consumption. If planted with herbs and small vegetable species, they can be beneficial to cooking, with the immediate availability of fresh ingredients. (Insert the link to vegetable gardening feature presented this month).
Stone
The use of natural stone in the house is not just cooling in summer, but warming in winter. Like living walls, it can help reduce the energy consumption of the home, especially in the kitchen where its naturally cool surface, such as found from marble and granite, is a great option for countertops.
Debatably one of stone’s biggest advantages is that is has longevity, lasting hundreds of years because it is impervious to insects, rot, even fire. It also has a sustainable eco-friendly aspect in the use of natural stone because it can be repurposed, and requires fewer processes to generate new products from virgin stone. It is exceptionally low-maintenance as well.
Wood
What’s not to like about wood in the home? It’s sustainable, recyclable, renewable, and almost all regions have a selection of wood types that can be utilised in the home. Wood actually prevents dust circulation and, (who knew) the conduction of static electricity. It is the only construction material that is totally organic, renewable and climate-smart. From a wellbeing perspective it can produce a sense of warmth and comfort, derived from how their natural patterns may calm a stressful person. In the processing of wood products, less energy is required compared to other building materials.
Colour
Colour is a big part of the biophilic design concept. The use of colour in the home reduces the barrier between the interior and exterior of a home. For example, if living on the coast, using blues and whites in the home creates a sense of being at one with your environment. Similarly, living in the bush and incorporating greens, browns and yellows also provide a sense of flow from the outdoors. Colour is part of the biophilic design concept, which experts claims that the use of nature colours or even scenes from nature - paintings and other decor elements - pushes the brain into a natural restive state.
Water
Water features have many health benefits, even if only in photographs or paintings featuring this element. It has long been a symbol of purification and vitality, improving mood and promoting relaxation. The easiest way to introduce water in your home is to install a small fountain feature, which can be simply installed on your patio. Water is also reflective, which adds new tones in a room, and if positioning well, can even serve to highlight areas. Listening to water can induce a sense of meditative relaxation, although for some it can be an irritation.
Using biophilic design in a work-for-home environment, can lower blood pressure in stressful situations, improve mental wellbeing and positively change attitudes. If you are stuck indoors, with biophilic design you will feel less trapped, and, suggests research, even inspired. Incorporating many biophilic elements can also support healing processes for those that are ill or recovering from an illness.
