It’s a known fact that urbanization is on the rise…and with that is the lack of nature in people’s lives.
I mean look at this. Aside from the city parks, if you lived on Long Island, New York, and wanted out of the city, you’d have to drive around 2 hours through the city to true, not manmade, nature. Would you bother? Because I sure wouldn’t.
So, what do you do?
Humans and nature have been supporting each other throughout the many years of human existence on Earth. And we need nature.
When was the last time you went out on a hike or stroll through a forest?
Do you recall what you felt?
Most people report feeling a level of reduced stress.
So why not bring this into our cities, whether it be in the workplace or a café? It’s almost a guarantee that it will increase the productivity of your employees or make your café the spot to relax.
So, what is biophilic design, actually?
Biophilic is, in Flexxform terms, essentially the introduction of nature into your space.
This can be done in multiple different ways.
It can be direct, or indirect.
The direct approach to biophilic design would be introducing elements such as light, air, water, plants, animals, weather, etc.
To design your space with direct biophilic design, you could create direct access to natural light and abundant plants.
Whereas indirect biophilic design is more focused on the images of nature, natural materials or colors, and simulating things like natural air, light, etc.
This could be accomplished by using specific lighting and sticking to colors that you see in nature: browns, greens, and blues.
Below are 2 mood boards to give you a little inspiration for your next project!
As you can see, they both focus on natural colors and materials, but they have completely different outcomes.
Links for Products in Photo: Rug, Plant, Vase, Light, Camira Upholstery, & Architex Upholstery
The first is more of a stereotypical biophilic color palette. It features light wood and rattan that are directly influenced by bark and wood found in nature. And then of course the green is the tops of the trees and plants. We are surrounded by green.
For this inspiration board, we featured Camira’s Rivet – Tungsten and Architex, Cancan – Leaf (Shoutout to those upholsteries – come see them in real life at Neocon!).
The second mood board is a little bit different.
Links for Products in Photo: Rug, Light, Bench, Vase, Camira Upholstery, & Architex Upholstery
This inspiration focuses more on earth tones, the warm almost pink tones to the pottery and light are representative of the earth clay and the darker wood brings in a different shade of the bark. The blues reflect what we see in the sky or bodies of water.
And of course, there’s greenery included in plants, which is a must. This plant is a Silver Ponysfoot plant, which is a silvery-blue-tinged green that mixes with the blues perfectly!
The upholsteries featured are Camira, Rivet – Tensile and Architex, Texture – Palette.
Reach out for more inspiration or assistance on your upholstery choices – info@flexxform.co
References
Bennett, J. (2023, February 28). What Is Biophilic Design? How to Incorporate This Trending Style. Retrieved from Better Homes & Gardens:
Kellert, S. R. (2015, October 26). What Is and Is Not Biophilic Design? Retrieved from Metropolis:
Roberts, T. (2020, July 21). What Is Biophilic Design? Retrieved from Build With Rise:
Space Refinery. (2022, September 20). Everything You Need to Know About Biophilic Design in 5 Minutes. Retrieved from Space Refinery:
Thermory. (n.d.). The six elements of biophilic design. Retrieved from Thermory: