A design for life

With a palette of colour with shapes and texture from nature, the trees and plants, and earthy tones of soil and stone, you could say we are surrounded by natural art, plenty to inspire any homemaker, designer or architect.

Biophilic design connects humans to nature and the well-being benefits, opening the door to beauty, and meaning, an interchange for the mind and senses. The health benefits are wide ranging from reducing stress and symptoms of depression to stimulating memory and improving sleep. Not to be confused with the ancient Chinese practice of Feng Sui that focusses on the placement of furniture and the positioning of natural elements within a space to bring balance and prosperity. Biophilia is a response to the modern age of technology, urbanisation and a growing disconnect with nature. It’s a way to regain a feel good factor by mimicking nature in the surroundings we spend most time in.

Love of life

New builds with a stamp of sustainability and the use of eco materials may already be standard practice, a nod to energy efficiency and environment preservation. But this goes deeper, the word biophilia originates from the Greek meaning, ‘love of life’, aligning human’s inherent fascination with nature, and all living systems. Psychologist Erich Fromm introduced the term in the 1960s and Harvard biologist Edward O Wilson wrote about the biophilia hypothesis in his book Biophilia, published in 1984. He says it is evolution, it is “genetically determined”, a desire to be close to nature.

Pre-existing examples of biophilia can be seen in cave drawings from the Stone Age, depicting animals and the land, The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, a statement and display of love for Queen Amytis by recreating the landscape of her childhood. The Alhambra Palace of Granada, built in 1238 incorporating complex geometrics, water features, motifs of plants and patterns within the walls. The tiles painted using natural sources, shades of green from iron, reds from copper, yellow from lead and blue from cobalt.

How it looks today starts in the planning and construction ensuring to work in conjunction with nature. We see soft-lines and shaping allowing ease of movement or flow through a space. The use of light and efficient systems for water filtration and ventilation. Incorporating natural dyes and organic materials, with visual and immersive features that might show in a floral wallpaper or a mural depicting clouds or the ferns of a forest, bringing a sense of place and calm. There are many shapes and patterns to choose from, take a walk in a wood or along a coastal pathway and notice what is there. The all-encompassing nature based design brings the functional, artistic and holistic together under one roof.

“Greening up”

Tim Beatley, Teresa Heinz Professor of Sustainable Communities at the School of Architecture at the University of Virginia describes ‘greening up’ and how a biophilic city is more than simply adding plants, but to work with what is already there, He says that biophilic means, “a place that learns from nature and emulates natural systems."

There are so many ways to embrace the concept, a few years ago I interviewed the designer, Sophie Ashby, at one of her interiors she designed in a penthouse apartment in London’s Covent Garden. From the art on the walls reminiscent of the old flower market to the dining room centre piece, created with florist Mary Lennox where dried flowers and foliage have been intricately placed under a glass top dining table. Overhead, a tree like canopy made from metal, a spectacular sculpted light fitting. All the design elements organic and blended, subtle but pleasing to the mind’s eye. A friend posted on Instagram recently, a photo of the petals from her wedding bouquet dried and woven onto an organic material hanging in a frame, pride of place on her wall.

The late Stephen R. Kellert who was often referred to as the godfather of biophilia, was a social ecologist and Professor Emeritus, at Yale University in the School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. He believed, “contact with the natural world is not just beneficial for our well-being, but essential to it”. He came up with the following framework for biophilic design.

6 elements of biophilic design

1. Environmental features: house plants, or outdoor life brought inside. Think of a house built around an existing tree, living with a growing organism. Ivy covered walls or roof gardens, cork used as wall panelling or flooring. Add colour, water, light so aesthetically pleasing and sensory.
2. Natural Shapes & Forms: imagery or motifs that connect us to nature symbolically or subconsciously, like a vaulted ceiling that reminds us of a cave, or a den, a place of sanctuary. A line of a stairway and bannister curving upwards made of natural wood, creating a sense of climbing into a tree.
3. Natural Patterns & Processes: these might include reflections of light and shadow, fractals, shapes or materials that appear aged, of a time, with a worn or used look like distressed wood and the use of natural dyes.
4. Light & Space: allow natural sunlight in with use of glass and sky lights and canopies, use diffused light to create mood. Imagine a forest with light and shade and the atmosphere it creates.
5. Place Based Relationship: connecting a building and space to its locality through the materials used like Santa Catarina clay tiles, reliably sourced wood from the olive, chestnut or cork oak, ceramic light fittings and granite all associated with Portugal. Learn and follow local knowledge and traditions. The use of clay and straw in the construction of a Portuguese cob house, both economical and sustainable. Lime based paint or wash that lets the walls breathe and adapt to temperature. Or, if nothing else, include a piece of local art on the wall, something to emotionally connect with the space and support the local economy.
6. Evolved Human-Nature Relationship: by including these elements we have the potential to create awe and wonder within our homes and workspaces. It is an invitation to explore and discover more about the environment, how natural systems works and to protect and love your inside and outside world, to feel connected, productive, and full of life.

Suzanne Radford is a certified forest therapy practitioner and forest bathing guide based in the Serra De Monchique, helping individuals, couples and groups connect to nature through guided walks, workshops for wellbeing, and nature coaching.

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Suzanne Radford