Some designers and even some studies claim that the design of your home can have as much impact on your wellness as nutrition. You’ve probably noticed that when your house is a mess, you are stressed and anxious. And when you tidy it up, you feel better, right?
Biophilic design has the capacity to turn your home into a relaxing, stress-free, and creative oasis. This is because we are at our best when we are one with nature. If you want to experience all the benefits of this approach to interior design, here are a few ways to bring natural and organic elements into your home.
Wood as the Go-to Material
Wood is a popular interior design material for both furniture pieces and larger projects such as flooring. Incorporating real wood into the interior can bring many of the perks of spending time outdoors into your home. Here are some tips on how to introduce this natural element indoors:
- Parquet flooring: This option adds glamour and warmth to the entire home. The best type of wood to use for flooring is oak treated with oil or varnish. Depending on your preferences, you can opt for planks of various lengths, widths, and thicknesses, as well as different shapes such as mosaic, pattern, or herringbone.
- Paneling: Covering walls may seem old-fashioned, but there are many ways to incorporate it indoors. For beach-style houses, this means light-colored wood or white planks on the walls. Other design approaches (e.g., countryside) can benefit from darker shades.
- Separating wall: You can use vertical planks to divide the living and dining space.
- Wooden ceiling: Wood highlights the ceiling and can work in both modern and classic designs.
- Doors: Wood is the best material to use for doors.
- Stairs: Wooden staircases are visually captivating and low maintenance.
- Furniture and décor: Finally, furniture and accessories (including light fixtures) made of wood bring additional warmth and coziness into every home.
Natural Fabrics
Natural materials are finally pushing aside the synthetics that have been inhabiting our homes for years. They are safer, they make you feel better, and more often than not – they last longer than their synthetic counterparts. Here are a few examples of using natural fabrics indoors:
- Natural fabrics are the most important in the bedroom, so choose the best organic mattress that provides support and comfort. Also, you can opt for linen, cotton, and hemp bedding.
- Make wool your go-to choice for rugs and carpets.
- Replace your plastic storage boxes with baskets.
- Finally, you can use organic fabrics for the upholstery, drapery, and pillows.
Add (Plant) Life
Greenery can turn any home into an oasis. It adds color and freshness to any space. It can be introduced into every room, including the bathroom. Of course, in the bathroom, you won’t be using plants that require dry air and a lot of sunlight. Instead, you can opt for succulents. Other rooms are more welcoming to different plant types. For the kitchen, you can combine beautiful and useful and grow an herb garden.
Stone Cold
Besides wood, stone is another popular interior material, particularly if we are talking about the modern or industrial style. Stone backsplashes in the bathroom or the kitchen are visually striking and durable. A more drastic stone use is for flooring in other rooms. If you want to be more subtle than that, consider using stone plant pots, making a pebble terrarium, or using other stone-made accessories.
Let It Flow
Waterfall sounds are very soothing for our minds. Can you bring them into your home?
The closest thing to a waterfall you can have indoors is a slate water wall. These features are pricey, so if this is not something you can afford, you can always go with a mini fountain in the bathroom or as a table centerpiece.
Sunlight Is a Crucial Design Element
What’s the best natural element you can’t buy? Sunlight, of course.
While this isn’t something you can find on a Walmart shelf, you can install large windows, glass doors, and skylights to welcome more sunlight into your home. For a cheaper and less demanding solution, you can remove the window coverings and leave the windows bare to let in more natural light indoors.
These were just some of the ways to welcome Mother Nature into your home. Let them inspire you for your next remodeling project!
