Biophilic home design is a prominent trend that has captured the imagination of many bespoke homeowners. It provides a unique opportunity to bring the beauty of nature into their living spaces, creating a connection with the great outdoors that’s hard to find in busy urban suburbs.
Biophilic interiors allow people to enjoy lush greenery, exotic scenery, and sparkling natural waters. They can savour these biophilic interior design elements in the comfort of their own home, providing a natural sanctuary where they can relax, rejuvenate, and recalibrate.
This blog will explain the benefits of biophilic design and the various ways it can liven up your home, providing homeowners valuable insight and an opportunity to create natural, appealing surroundings they can enjoy for many years. A biophilic abode is a sense of accomplishment, knowing you’ve created an elegant space that enhances your well-being and comfort.
What Is Biophilic Design?
The term “biophilic” traces its origins back to the Greek word “biophilia,” a compound word that combines “life” and “love.” In contemporary house design lingo, “biophilic” refers to natural components that enhance well-being and sustainability.
Studies have shown that biophilic design has legitimate health benefits, including better sleep and mental health. They prove that natural surroundings can uplift people and significantly improve their quality of life.
This approach integrates natural elements, such as plants, water, natural light, fountains, and aquariums, into a residential structure’s prevailing theme. Biophilic design principles make your living space appealing and optimise natural light and fresh air, invite Mother Nature into your abode, and make it a place where you can unwind and rejuvenate.
Regardless of your preferred biophilic home interior design elements, ensure they align with your unique lifestyle preferences. As a trusted and experienced Brisbane luxury home builder since 1996, we recommend making your bespoke home aesthetics reflect your personality to optimise functionality, maximise space, and enjoy long-term satisfaction.
Biophilic Design Ideas That Bring Your House To Life
This section explains biophilic home interior design ideas that give your living space the feel of Mother Nature, considerably enhance its aesthetics, provide long-term satisfaction, and increase curb appeal.
Increase Fresh Air
Maximising fresh air is an excellent strategy that complements your biophilic design interiors.
We encourage nature-loving homeowners to open their windows daily even during the Australian winter months from June to August. Opening them for hours isn’t necessary; even ten minutes of fresh air daily can eliminate stale air and make your home look and feel fresher.
Collaborate with your builder to create a residential biophilic interior design that increases fresh air flow. For instance, a house with expansive windows in the lower levels and roof windows achieves this objective.
The lower-level windows create low pressure, which attracts surrounding air that rises and exits through the roof windows. Placing small trees, plants, or shrubs near your windows significantly enhances natural air flow inside your home.
Optimise Natural Light
Many Australians who spend more time indoors are disconnected from Mother Nature. Worse, they are exposed to artificial light from incandescent bulbs, fluorescent tubes, and light-emitting diodes (LEDs).
Studies have shown that these can disrupt our circadian rhythms (our bodies’ internal clocks that regulate the sleep-wake cycle), increase stress levels, compromise memory, and cause health issues, including obesity and cardiovascular disease.
Tactical natural light placement is one of the most critical elements that can offset these detrimental effects, increase energy efficiency, lower monthly electricity bills, and improve health. Skylights and large windows help increase natural light in your biophilic residence, providing homeowners with a hefty dose of daily vitamin D for optimal fitness and well-being.
We recommend using sheer curtains over opaque versions. The former enhances natural light, brightens interiors, and reduces harsh glare. Regular window cleaning and removal of window obstructions, such as large items on windowsills, ensure maximum natural light in your living space.
Take Advantage of Natural Shapes
Furniture, fixtures, and decorations with natural shapes are aesthetically pleasing and help create a soothing natural environment.
We encourage homeowners to use curved armchairs, coffee tables, or vases that make their interiors look and feel natural. Examples of other natural shapes include the following:
- Leaf- and petal-shaped furniture and decorations
- Cellular and honeycomb patterns
- Columns, beams, and structures that resemble trees
- Floors, seats, and decorations with rocks and pebbles
- Flowing water shapes and ripple effects on hallways, pathways, ceilings, and walls
- Cloud-like shapes in ceilings, lighting, and furniture
Select Natural Colours
Natural colours are one of the best biophilic interior design ideas. They make your surroundings resemble Mother Nature and its various therapeutic elements. Integrating these colours into your home will make you feel like walking in a tropical forest, basking in the sun on the beach, or wading through a crystal-clear stream.
We encourage Australian homeowners to try earthy colours, blue hues, or green tones to make their living spaces biophilic. Combining these hues mimic various natural elements, including sand, stone, sky, water, foliage, and forests, which create a calming and therapeutic environment.
Use Eco-Inspired Furniture
Colours are just the tip of the iceberg when selecting quality biophilic furniture. Nature-loving homeowners select fixtures and applications made of eco-friendly materials and fabric that make your living space feel and look earthy.
For instance, to spruce up your interiors, choose rattan bedframes, reclaimed wood, marble tabletops and natural fibres. Linen, bamboo, or wool are plush textiles that add a unique biophilic touch to your living space.
Furniture with designs and features that mimic nature’s characteristics achieves this unique objective. Examples include deep-green carpets or blankets that imitate moss or wicker cocoon chairs that resemble a bird’s nest; raw timber benches, stone coffee tables, tree stump tools, and earthware seating take it a step further; these fixtures retain their raw, unprocessed states and stress organic features.
Include Houseplants
Houseplants take centre stage in eye-catching biophilic layouts, allowing your living space to mimic a greenhouse and enhance its natural feel. Live greenery helps rejuvenate your surroundings and produces a calming, soothing effect,
We recommend integrating various air-purifying houseplants, such as the snake, peace lily, and spider versions. Biophilic house designers also recommend other indoor plant species, including the following:
- Monstera deliciosa
- Fiddle leaf fig
- Pothos
- ZZ plant
- Aloe vera
- String of pearls
- Herbs, including basil, mint, and rosemary
- Lemon tree (dwarf variety)
Wise people say variety is the spice of life. This saying holds true for biophilic houses, so use a variety of houseplants, including the tropical, indoor flowering, hanging, and potted versions, to give your indoor space a unique natural feel.
Maximise Natural Materials
Be mindful of materials for fixtures, architecture, decoration, and other interior design elements and ensure you select only natural components instead of synthetic versions. This strategy guarantees a natural, tranquil environment that provides relief from the frenetic outside world.
We recommend using natural materials such as sustainable wood, stone, rattan, stone, clay, cotton, wool, bamboo, and terracotta to accentuate your biophilic interiors. These resilient components provide your household with eye-pleasing aesthetics that endure over time.
Assimilate Aquatic Elements
Water is an alluring and calming element that perfectly complements your indoor greenery, combining forces to create the ultimate indoor biophilic sanctuary.
Installing water fountains and aquariums makes your indoor space visually appealing and therapeutic, offering wellness enthusiasts an opportunity to disengage and recalibrate.
Assimilating rainfall showerheads, freestanding bathtubs, waterfall faucets, and Japanese-inspired stone basins that complement indoor spas and hyperbaric chambers will make your bathroom the ultimate indoor haven.
Use Biophilic-Friendly Home Decorations
Although biophilic design is straightforward, it isn’t minimalistic. We encourage homeowners to diversify their decor options to improve their living spaces’ functionality and sustainability. This strategy also significantly enhances their indoor living experience.
People who want to create tranquil surroundings and follow a minimalist strategy can focus on blank spaces and neutral colours, creating a simple, inviting atmosphere.
Natural decorations, such as houseplants, living walls, tabletop fountains, aquariums, woven textures, and sheer curtains, complement your biophilic interiors. Handmade adornments, such as clay pots, indigenous art, and fabric wall hangings, are excellent additions to your natural home.
Incorporate Nature-Centred Designs
Furniture and decoration arrangements significantly impact your biophilic interiors, prioritising nature-centred themes.
Homeowners with gardens, terraces, or balconies can organise fixtures to face outside doors. This setup lets them enjoy picturesque views and lush green scenery at home.
We recommend eliminating hindrances to your garden doors to create a smooth transition between indoor and outdoor spaces. Adding outdoor chairs to covered patios allows homeowners to enjoy natural scenery regardless of the climate.
Contact Us
Biophilic designs transcend aesthetics and your home’s overall appearance. They enhance well-being, improve air quality, indoor lighting, and energy efficiency, promote an eco-friendly lifestyle, strengthen the connection to Mother Nature, and increase curb appeal.
Specific strategies, including natural light, fresh air, nature-focused fixtures, soothing colours, and houseplants, can help homeowners achieve these objectives over time.
Contact us to discuss your biophilic home requirements. As a trusted custom designed homes Brisbane builder who has assisted numerous clients since 1996, we can help improve your quality of life. We will schedule an on-site inspection and create a customised quotation for your needs and budget.
