Want to add elements of nature to your home? In this guide, we’ll discuss how you can create a strong connection to the outdoors by creating a biophilic home. Let’s begin!
Introduction to a Biophilic Home Design
A biophilic design sees elements of nature integrated inside a home to enhance the design. Biophilic homes differ from eco homes due to somewhat different principles.
It has been argued that biophilic homes are more human-centric than eco homes. Biophilic homes can mix art and science to create smart, beautiful interior design.
How to Create a Biophilic Home
So, what exactly is needed to make a biophilic home and create a strong connection to the outdoors?
Use Natural Light
One of the simpler and least extravagant steps you can take is to ensure your home has plenty of natural light.
An easy way to do this is to add curtains and blinds to your windows as this will let you control how much natural light enters. However, to add more natural light, you should consider having skylights installed.
Skylights can be a great match for kitchens. Not only can natural light improve your mental wellbeing but can make a space feel larger too.
Green Roof/Living Wall
Opting for a green roof or/and living wall can help connect your home to the outdoors. Such green spaces can enhance the view from windows. These spaces can also add to the biodiversity of your home by attracting insect life and birds to your garden.
Indoor Water Features
Water features tend to appear in back gardens, however, you shouldn’t close off your mind to the idea of having water features added to your interior design.
Of course, it goes without saying that you’ll need to consider safety here as you want to ensure none of the water will ever come into contact with any electrics. Consult with a professional designer if in doubt.
Some popular indoor water features include:
- Water wall cascade
- Interior water fountain
- Waterfall cascade planter
- Four-tier cascade water feature
- Garden flower steel water feature
- Bubble tube LED water feature *
*This feature is a bit of an exception in that it’s actually an ‘electronic water feature’.
There are tons of indoor water features to choose from online and some will fit better with a Biophilic home design than others.
Patio Doors
You might also be interested in adding patio doors to your home to help complete the experience. Patio door costs tend to range anywhere from £500 to £4,000. However, exact costs will depend on what type you opt for with the primary choices being sliding doors, French doors and bifold doors.
Include Suitable Plants
Of course, adding plants throughout your home can really help give a feel of nature to your interior. However, you’ll want to be sure to pick the right ones for your home. You’ll need to consider things like allergies and if you have any pets, make sure that any plants you have added are not poisonous to animals.
Create an Internal Courtyard
You might also want to think about converting your kitchen into an ‘internal courtyard’. Some key elements you’ll want to consider include:
- Patio doors
- Skylights
- Plenty of plants, including preferably some tall plants
- Marble elements (e.g., marble floors and countertops) *
- Kitchen island
*Tiled flooring could work well as an alternative to marble flooring, although marble-effect tiles also exist.
What Else Should You Consider?
Here are some other ways of creating a biophilic home:
- Combine natural colors, patterns and textures to give your home an Earthly feel and appearance
- Softer shapes to recreate the general feel/looks of nature
- Use nature-evoking tones including greens, blues and ochres
- Include timber elements where suitable
To get a fuller sense of what’s possible or/and to help refine designs that you have in mind, you may want to hire a professional designer or decorator to bring a biophilic home design to life.
When looking for the right professional, it’s best to get quotes from three people before making up your mind. Take into account factors like their level of experience and any online reviews or online ratings they might have.
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