5 ways to get closer to nature in your home in a city environment
Updated: Apr 12, 2022
Considering using biophilic design concepts in my work started very naturally to me. I did not know, at first, that I was doing it. To me, it was just what I liked, what felt right, what made me feel good. I liked sunny spots in a room, listening to the sound of the sea/ocean/lake (any water, really), I felt every corner empty without a plant or two or three… In recent years talking about biophilic design became a thing. I even wrote a few blog posts on the topic myself. It became the centre of attention of a lot of studies and experiments and what they found is as obvious as surprising. I won’t quote these studies here now, you better hear the facts from the experts 😊 What I would like to talk about is based on that natural instinct that led me design my homes the way I did, and what turns out to be along the lines of biophilic concept.
So here is five, easy to implement steps that will transform your home into a little heaven closer to nature, no matter what your post code is.
1. Plants
Whether they are real our faux, they do the trick. I would, of course, encourage you to go for real ones as they instantly bring life to any place. Quite literally. It isn’t always possible, though, so you may need to opt for fake ones. If that is the only option you have (or want), I recommend you only buy very good quality faux plants. This comes at a cost, they are sometimes more expensive than the fake ones, but they have their advantages. The cheap ones usually make your home look cheap, so choose carefully.
If you are confident to look after real living souls, plants in pots, hanging or trailing plants, green walls are not just decorative but therapeutic. Make sure you spend enough time with your plant babies to keep the healthy and beautiful, and keep yourself calm and balanced!
Start with easy ones, like the un-killable collection from Patch, try herbs in the kitchen, trailing plants, around windows or bookshelves.
Make sure you place the plants in decorative pots and that the pots are coordinated (colour or patterns) with each other and the rest of your home decor.
2. Natural light
This one can be sometimes tricky. I live in a country where there is considerably less sunshine than what I would like. Sunshine instantly lift the mood. Did you notice? I certainly learnt to appreciate it more since I have been living in the UK. Even if you live in a sunny area of the world, in crowded cities, where all the block of flats are so very close to each other, your tiny apartment could still be a bit dark and gloomy. There are some ways to improve this. But, whenever you can, just go and spend time outdoors!
Consider your window treatment carefully.
The right window treatment can make a huge difference to the feel of the room, it also defines how much light comes in. Try to use layers of different weight curtains and blinds to be able to adjust the level of light comes in throughout the day. To maximise the the amount of incoming light, use "barely there" roman blinds from sheer linen, like the one below from Blinds 2 Go.
Image credit: Blinds 2 Go
Change the temperature of the artificial light in your home.
Did you know that the temperature of the natural daylight is 5000-6500 K? Even though this represent a sunny sky, this is considered cold! Getting the light right in your home is actually a very complex task, so I would encourage you to consult with an interior designer or a lighting specialist, but if you just change some of your light bulbs to types that emit colder temperature light in rooms where this is appropriate or it is your preference, it will help improve your mood when inside. I would advise not to go above 4000 K indoors, however!
Get in touch if you would like to consult about the lighting in your home and want to learn how to layer ambience, task, mood and accent light in order to feel comfortable in whatever you do at home throughout the day.
3. Wood
Wood is a very versatile material. It has been used for flooring and furniture for over hundreds of years. The warm touch of the wood and the huge variety of it's natural colours makes it a very popular choice for many people. Apart from this it is beautiful, elegant, timeless and durable.
I recommend you choose natural solid wood over heavily processed, polished lacquered ones that you would never find in nature. apart form the obvious choice for flooring and furniture, there is the recent trend of wall panelling, that I am totally mad about! It is so easy to install with no particular skill and even just a few panels add a tonne of character to any place. Check out my blog post about how to use it in many different ways. I am also currently designing to have some in our new living room, this and the whole process of decorating are entire new house will be shown in my brand new YouTube channel! check it out and subscribe now so that you will be notified the minute the first video is up!
Until then, below is a little sneak peak to the design I created.
4. Natural fabric
There is nothing better feeling then sink in a soft bed or cosy up with cushions. Did you notice that that natural fabric feels so much better on the skin? When it comes to choosing your soft furnishing, whether it is bedding, cushions, curtain or upholstery, go for natural material like, linen, flax, cotton. The textile industry is so advanced now, they make super durable, stain resistant, easy to care for variations of these well known and often used materials, so you no longer have to choose between practicality and aesthetics.
5. Colours of nature
What are the first colours that come to your mind when I say "colours of nature"?
All the greens? Or browns and earthy colours? Or all shades of blue perhaps? They are ALL the colours of nature. You may have your preference for certain natural colours, but even the biggest colour lovers can find their ideal combinations. As I advised before, your colour choice for your home needs to come from a feeling you wish for. Remember this post?
Have a look at my Pinterest board with all the gorgeous nature colure inspirations, like these
+ And a plus one!
This doesn’t fit in any of the categories above but, yet, it fits all categories. They are my new favourite decorative elements these days, not just in biophilic design but in general.
Wall murals! An instant transformation to any home in any style. My favourite is Photowall on this market (there are some more). You can be sure to feel close to nature if you have this wall mural here!
Image credit: https://www.photowall.com/
All the above elements have their own benefits to your home decoration and your healthy living at home but they don’t need to be implemented at once. You can just start with one that sounds the easiest to you and go from there. I promise you; you will feel the difference so soon, you will know what step to take next. Or, if you cannot figure it by yourself, I will be here to help.
Until later, x Agi
