Why am I seeing a lot of images of indoor gardens in my FB and IG feeds? Am I in an echo chamber or is the interest  for biophilic design becoming mainstream, hastened by Covid-19?

Improve Your Well-Being with Biophilic Design

Trends on Nature in Living Spaces

The latest trends in product design, interior design and architecture recognize the longing of people for greenery and nature. A reason could be because of the quarantine which has limited our movements within four walls most of the time. So it is not surprising that people now aspire to having indoor gardens in their homes. This is difficult, of course, if you have a shoebox condo, but this reality does not have to stop you from dreaming.

One of the Ambiente (the leading international consumer goods trade fair) trends for 2021 is called Continual, Related to Nature, it’s “living with mindfulness and awareness”—

An interior theme that feels completely natural. related to nature transforms the experience of nature into a home whose rhythm beats more slowly and thoughtfully. We carefully curate what we allow to move in with us. We pay more detailed attention to the little things. And we enjoy life as we encounter it. We opt for reality instead of high-gloss aesthetics. The colours and alternative materials of this interior theme allow the creation of an almost natural environment. Conversely, the urge to experience the natural world means that the focus of our lives now extends outside. The terrace, balcony and garden as well as public parks, meadows and forests are gaining in importance and are seen as additional living spaces.

Read Discover Slow Living.

Indoor Gardens Defined

I am not talking about terraces, balconies or groups of potted plants around the house. What I mean with indoor gardens are spaces within the structure of a home that are specifically designed and built to contain plants. Nature is literally brought into the home.

Letting the Light In

 

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Usually, landscape architects, interior designers, or owners choose decorative plants (not edible ones) for indoor gardens. It can definitely be one of the highlights in a home, especially when experts choose the plants and consider color, form, shape, growth, amount of sunlight, soil and care. Experts don’t make random choices. They know their plants, can combine them well, and really consider how the plants impact the design of a space.

Aside from ornamentation, indoor gardens also serve a real function because an indoor garden can be a light well, which is an area in a building that is created to provide light and air to an interior space. These spaces can also be covered by a glass roof so as to protect the interiors from inclement weather.

A Space that Invites Mindfulness

 

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Studio Ku, an architecture and design firm, incorporated an indoor garden in this transitional space. As the partners said, “Sometimes it’s time to focus inward rather than outward.”

This certainly speaks of the Zeitgeist, which asks of us to slow down and ponder how we should be living our lives. Nowadays, more reflect on how we should connect with ourselves, our families, friends, work, play, and Nature.

Just like this transitional space, which provides a buffer space and a physical link between two separate spaces, as human beings, we too are in transition even if we don’t realize it. Most of us are in a process of change between one kind of consciousness to another. If we are to grow, we would need a safe space to hold us as we deepen our awareness of this time and space we call our life.   If we ever thought that we had control of our lives, now we realize how tenuous that control is, or more accurately, that we have no control whatsoever. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Imagine having a space like this where you can practice mindfulness and awaken your consciousness.

A Place to Honor a Living Thing

 

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This guavirá tree proudly stands in the middle of an architectural office called Caja de Tierra of Equipo de Arquitectura in Paraguay. There is no roof over the tree but around it are sliding glass doors that can be opened or closed depending on the weather.

I admire architects who put a lot of thought into the structures they build. They listen to their clients, to themselves, and to the environment that will hold their structures. To them, it is not a matter of conquering the environment but working with it. This is called critical regionalism and I invite you to read this post about it to understand it better.

To paraphrase artist and naturalist John James Audubon, we know (or should know by now) that the world is not given by our fathers (or mothers) but borrowed from our children.

If we take this to heart, we can understand why it is worth the time and effort to design a structure that does not mean the death of living things that came before us on the piece of land we own temporarily. How can we live in a way that minimizes our impact on the environment?

If you are interested in watching films about architecture and interior design, there is a series in Netflix called The World’s Most Extraordinary Homes. I enjoyed watching all the episodes, but if we talk about trees, the episode entitled “Forest” in Season 1 comes to mind.

The Importance of Gardens

Gardens are important for our physical and emotional health.

 

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First, a well-ventilated house that gets more natural light is much healthier. Second, some plants purify the air, and remove common household toxins like xylene, benzene, formaldehyde and trichloroethylene. Household air pollutants come from building materials, furnishings, furniture, or home products. Third, having access to a garden reduces stress, enhances creativity, clears the mind, and aids in healing.

If you have a garden inside and you’re working from home, you have immediate and constant access.

Neutral Colors for Your Interiors

Neutral colors go very well with greenery. The foliage is the star, and the walls are the calm canvases that bring out the beauty of the plants.Paint Swatches for The Healing Power of Indoor Gardens | MyBoysen

These color swatches are possible hues for the paint colors in the rooms. The first row contains a few of the light neutrals available at Boysen, and the pink and green tones of the swatches in the row below can complement the different green of the leaves. These subtle hues provide warmth and character.

Beige for paint colors is making a comeback. The ones shown above (Tulle White, Winter Morning, Just about White, and Diamond Stud) have a very slight hint of blush, which makes these colors chic and contemporary.

Use other natural materials like wood or stone to add interesting textures to your interior spaces.

If you are or will be building a new home, let your imagination run free and get yourself an indoor garden. A home does not have to be a box. Make it contain pockets of healing power with an indoor garden, or two.

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Author

Annie is the Managing Editor of Let it B | MyBoysen Blog. An unrepentant workaholic, she runs this blog and her own company Talking Lions (https://talkinglions.com). She thrives on collaborating with people who are good at what they do, and working together with them to create something special. Annie learned interior styling while managing her own wholesale business in the Netherlands, importing high-end, handmade home furnishings to stock four outlets and a showroom in the country.

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