Incorporating a biophilic design into your home can have some excellent mental and physical health benefits, but what exactly is it? Ultimately, it’s a concept to improve our connection to nature and the environment by directly implementing natural elements into the home. 

The health benefits of having plants at home and work have been well-documented, but biophilic design takes that to the next level. Exploding in popularity after the pandemic, biophilia can improve mental well-being, physical health, and productivity. 

Understanding biophilic design and its health benefits

With a similar ideology to shirin-yoku, the Japanese practice of forest bathing, biophilic design uses natural elements throughout the home to reduce stress, improve cognitive function, and improve overall mental health. 

In fact, studies have shown that exposing patients to biophilic design in a healthcare setting can lead to faster recovery and reduce the stress on providers.

Biophilic design has 8 major attributes relating to the direct experience of nature. These elements include light, air, water, plants, animals, weather, landscapes, and fire. While you don’t need to use every single element throughout your home, combining certain elements can help give your entire home a more biophilic feeling. 

Practical ways to incorporate biophilic elements into your home

If you’re interested in adding biophilic elements to your home, one easy method is to add plants around the house. In properties where you might be pressed for space, it can be a good idea to consider alternative methods of plant storage. For instance, vertical planters can help coat a single wall with plants, not only providing a textured accent wall to your home but also making the plants easier to care for. 

If your issue is with getting enough light into your home, then you might need to invest in some mirrors. Having mirrors throughout your home can help daylight easily reach previously darkened corners. Alternatively, you could pick out some lovely sunlight lamps, designed to mimic more gentle and yellow tones, rather than the harsh white lights which are becoming increasingly common. 

In terms of furniture, using natural wood products will be far more beneficial than plastics or metals. 

Biophilic design in new build homes

Of course, if you want a home with biophilic principles that have already been incorporated, you might want to consider buying a new build home. To meet the growing demand for nature-ingrained living spaces, various property developers have already begun building homes with a key focus on these strategies. These new builds often include large window spaces for natural lighting and use sustainable materials throughout construction. 

Since these properties have been developed with biophilic features from the start, they can further enhance your own efforts, potentially providing an enhanced improvement to your physical and emotional health. 

Ultimately, if you’re interested in improving your family’s well-being, adding elements of biophilic design is a brilliant step in the right direction. It’s also good to bear in mind that taking manageable steps towards improvement is better than trying to change everything at once.