This home improvement season, get inspired by the outdoors with biophilic design.
“Biophilic design — the concept of integrating nature into interior design — is not only gorgeous, but it fosters a healthy living environment, promotes happiness and comfort, and reduces stress,” said Jennifer Kline, multimedia graphic artist. “There are many ways to reap these wellness benefits while adding vitality to your living spaces.”
To connect to the natural world within your home, consider these ideas:
Foster tranquility
Taking a stroll through the forest can summon feelings of tranquility. Capture this inner peace at home from the moment you step inside with a fiberglass woodgrain entry door.
Authentic-looking woodgrain textures, such as oak, cherry, mahogany, knotty alder and fir can accommodate various door glass enhancements. Engineered for energy efficiency, they’re also a sustainable choice, helping you protect the natural world as you embrace its splendor.
Other design choices, such as exposed rustic ceiling timbers, rich hardwood furniture, warm hardwood floors and vinyl woodgrain windows can help you carry the forest motif throughout the home, while imbuing interiors with richness and warmth.
Let light in“If you’re lacking natural light, it’s time to open those blinds and drapes and let the sunlight stream through your windows. It also might be time to consider a few enhancements that will help you enjoy more sunshine and observe your natural surroundings, even when you can’t be outdoors,” Kline said.
For kitchens and breakfast nooks, bathrooms and dens, consider vinyl garden windows, which invite more light into your space and include shelves ideal for housing indoor plants, such as fragrant herbs. Their three-dimensional design helps give rooms an airy, spacious feel.
Family rooms and bedrooms are great locations for vinyl picture windows, which let in large amounts of light while providing unobstructed views of outdoor scenery.
To brighten your foyer, add an entry door with glass. Energy efficient sliding glass patio doors also let in sunlight and give you the option to invite fresh air into your home or enjoy the melodies of singing birds on nice days.
Skylights can flood small or closed-off spaces, such as walk-in closets or bathrooms with light and give you views of blue skies.
Let it growTo give your home a welcoming, fresh feel, add houseplants and indulge in fresh-cut flowers.
A windowsill with small plants of varying shades of green can add texture, while larger potted plants near doorways help guests feel welcome.
Fill dark, underutilized spaces with taller plants and place bright, lightly-scented garden flowers in such spots as the kitchen island and coffee tables. Use earthen or wood-carved vases for additional warmth.
Create dramaFrom the warm brown tones of a picturesque southwestern mesa to the cool, earthy feel of quarried rock, manufactured stone veneer adds rugged texture, intriguing patterns and shapes, and a variety of hues straight from Earth’s natural color palette.
Whether you’re creating a focal point in a bedroom with an accent wall, adding character to your kitchen with a stone veneer backsplash, surrounding a tub with stone veneer for a spa-like bathroom or highlighting your fireplace, different stone profiles and grout colors can help you customize the look.
“Incorporating biophilic elements into your interior design can transform your home into a warm respite from your busy life,” Kline said.
