Life, Styled
Design is more than just creating a layout that is functional and beautiful; it is about turning a house into a home that has an atmosphere just right for you. A functional home is good, but a home where you feel at home is best, which is the end goal for every designer. One way to have a welcoming environment is to draw inspiration from nature, which is a trend that is gaining momentum in the design world. Biophilia is a holistic approach to design that focuses on health, safety, and welfare, a consideration of utmost importance for interior designers. Let’s take a deeper look into this topic and how you can create a home environment that not only works for you but also gives your family exactly what it needs to be and stay well.
Why Do We Crave Nature?
Often, our mood and behavior are influenced by the surrounding environment. Have you ever noticed that a walk on the beach or even spending some time in your backyard calms and refreshes you? Unfortunately, we tend to spend more and more time indoors due to work or even many of our recreational activities, such as watching television. Nature has a positive impact on us, and when we incorporate some of its elements into our home, we can bring those positive vibes to our family, which aids in our overall health and well-being. It is a part of us, something we crave without fully realizing it, so we should make it a priority to weave it back into our homes. Read more about Biophilia here.
Nature’s Elements
Water, light, plants, and more are all elements from nature that can be interspersed throughout the home through careful design planning. Here are some ways to include them in your next remodel or construction project.
- Water: This is a soothing element with its gentle sounds and calming movement. Consider including a small aquarium in the design, such as a part of the living room or even on one of the kitchen walls. A small indoor water fountain also brings added health benefits by producing negative ions and reducing air pollution. But the benefits of water can also be achieved in a beautiful art piece or even an LED screen that has moving water sounds.
- Light: We talk often about the use of natural light, especially when you spend multiple hours inside, like those of us who work from home more than we ever have before. Working with natural light to conserve energy and maximize comfort is called daylighting. Artificial lighting has negative effects on your health, which is why it is essential to take advantage of natural light whenever possible. Skylights, additional windows, and planning a layout to best utilize the light that comes inside our homes are just a few ways to make the most of it.
- Wood: A natural element that is not only beautiful but also beneficial. Integrating wood into your interior design can, like water, clean the air as well as reduce stress and blood pressure while increasing creativity and cognitive abilities. Flooring, exposed beams, accent walls made from reclaimed wood, and even shelving are great ways to bring wood into the home.
- Plants: While this may seem like an obvious one, placing plants inside the home can help reduce stress and anxiety, filter the air, and promote a better night’s sleep. Adding large potted plants is a great way to fill space in larger rooms, while small ones do well in window sills and kitchen tables. Don’t forget that they make great additions to bedrooms, too.
Talk to your designer about including some of these elements in your design plans. Your family matters, and choosing to add some of nature’s elements can lead to overall better well-being.
Benefits Of Connecting With Nature
With most of us spending nearly two-thirds of our lives indoors, it is no wonder we feel worn down and stressed. Exposure to the sun helps us get our dose of vitamin D, and enjoying the colors of nature gives us a mental boost. A home office with a large window that lets in lots of natural light and having several potted plants can help increase productivity while minimizing stress. Adding a sunroom where the kids can do their schoolwork creates a healthy environment for them to learn and be creative. Choosing to include wood flooring in your project means a cleaner environment for your loved ones. When you are inside for too long, it can create restlessness and lead to irritability. Nature is more than just a beautiful backdrop; it is meant to be enjoyed in person, and bringing it indoors will yield many benefits for you and your family.
Greenbrook Design Window treatments have made an interesting journey through the years in interior design. From floor to ceiling and mere window length, they have travelled the full circle of style. Today, window treatments can come in a variety of forms and options, plus they do more than just block out the sun; they can finish the look of a room and add the necessary touch that brings out the homeowner’s personality. Windows are our connection to nature and are an essential part of the home, which means they deserve proper consideration and care. They are also an area of the room that naturally draws the eye of the homeowner and guest alike. Most of the time, however, windows tend to be overlooked.
Greenbrook Design There’s nothing quite like the warm weather and smell of blooming flowers that come with springtime. While you may have grown used to cozying up indoors during the colder months, now you can start spending more time tending to your garden, playing with your kids in the yard, and kicking back on the patio while enjoying the sun.
But in order to fully enjoy your time outside (and potentially save yourself from having to pay for expensive home repairs in the future), you will need to perform some basic home maintenance. To help you get started, here are some key areas to tackle this spring, brought to you by Greenbrook Design.
Greenbrook DesignMaking the decision to open our own showroom was not done overnight. It began as the answer to a need for our clients. They needed a place where they could come and explore the possibilities that awaited them for their home renovation. It was important to our owners, Travis and Stacey Walker, that their clients could see and feel the products, enhancing their design experience. As the idea became a reality, the Walkers realized the added benefit of having more than just cabinets featured in the showroom. Greenbrook Design is proud to be an authorized dealer for not just four lines of cabinetry but multiple home furnishings and decor companies like Europe 2 You and Moe’s. Get a peek inside the showroom here and listen to Stacey share her vision of the showroom.
We have all witnessed the transformation this past year, bedrooms become offices, kitchen tables become classrooms, and your basement doubles as a home gym. The problem is that most of these spaces were not ready to accommodate double duty. Multifunctional means one area of the home can handle multiple duties, while this sounds great, no one wants it to look like it’s a three-in-one, which is where good design comes into play. Selecting furniture pieces that can serve several purposes or planning a layout that can fulfill multiple needs is key to creating a home that suits your family’s unique lifestyle and routine. Let’s discuss what goes into designing these spaces and how you can make the most of the space you have.
Walker WoodworkingDesign is more than just creating a layout that is functional and beautiful; it is about turning a house into a home that has an atmosphere just right for you. A functional home is good, but a home where you feel at home is best, which is the end goal for every designer. One way to have a welcoming environment is to draw inspiration from nature, which is a trend that is gaining momentum in the design world.
Walker Woodworking 