Relax, most of us are biophils and always have been. But now we have a word for loving green things and nature: biophilia.
What is biophilia? The dictionary meaning is “love of life.” Human beings are hard-wired to live in touch with the natural environment, something many of us know intuitively, but in recent times we seem to have lost our way. Being connected with nature and living green things relaxes us, improves our ability to think and be creative, and generally improves health, wellbeing and productivity, but sadly too many of us spend too much time in sterile environments, far removed from the natural world.
Biophilic design, which is an attempt to address this deficit, is having an impact on architecture and is currently the fastest growing trend in interior design. Buildings are being built to meld with the outdoors, to include living plants and natural wood and stone in the interior, to create a more humane environment with the use of building materials, lighting and decoration.
While the innovative work taking place in the business world and public spaces is inspiring and fascinating, how does this apply to, say, your own apartment or house in the suburbs? How can we use nature in our own homes to calm, sooth, inspire and relax us?
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| terrarium |
A few suggestions:
· Live plants in the house was biophilic before biophilia was a thing. Take it a step further and build a terrarium.
· Make a statement with wood: an unfinished wood stump as an end table, rough wood picture frames.
· Add river rocks, branches, preserved leaves and flowers to your décor.
· Add moss to a floral centerpiece, terrarium, or as a wall decoration, either live or preserved.
Take something simple and “ordinary” from the outdoors and use it to make a statement: flowers, twigs, rocks.
As a true biophil, you will find even a small amount of natural décor has the power to rejuvenate and restore the human soul.
What are you doing to restore your soul with nature?
Margaret
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