When something has been around for a long time, do you still call it a trend? Apparently so, if media is to be believed. The nature-inspired home or biophilic design is still considered a trend even if its been around since the earliest human structures.
The term biophilia, or our innate connection with nature, was coined only in the 70s. In 2020 at the start of the pandemic, I wrote about it to show how architects and interior designers use biophilic design in homes to promote overall well-being.
Six biophilic design elements were discussed in the post:
- environmental features (air, water, sunlight, and plants)
- natural shapes and forms
- natural patterns and processes
- light and space
- space-based relationships
- evolved human-nature relationships
Click on the link (image) to see the article and the explanation for each element.
Nature-Inspired Home
If you follow this blog, I’m sure you’ve realized that nature-inspired homes is a topic that we come back to often because it is a well-loved home decor style that appeals to most of us.
Indoor Plants
Pinoys can’t seem to resist personalizing their homes with touches of nature. There’s #teamputi bringing in potted plants, either to show off their plants or to show off their white walls and furniture. There’s #teamkahoy who build their homes using wood, a purely organic material. Even #teamindustrial can’t help but soften the hardness of concrete with wood elements, natural weaves, and architectural plants with their distinctive shapes.
This info is not relevant but I still want to make kwento. I visited the MaArte Fair in Manila Pen last Saturday and saw a plant that cost P450,000. It was not huge and although beautiful, it didn’t blow me away. The zeros did. My inner Marites is wondering whether someone bought it.
Green Walls
One of the easiest way to bring in nature into your home is painting your surfaces green. We’ve got several greens in the Boysen Color Trend 2024-2025 that would make a home look fresh and inviting.
There are newer greens on the scene and you can see what they are in this post. They’re olive, green tea, and brat. Please handle the last one with care, if at all. It’s too acidic a hue that it’s not easy on the eye. If you intend for people not to come and visit your house, maybe painting the walls brat green could be a decisive deterrent.
Not convinced with the greens in Color Trend 2024-25 and the trending greens? Check out the other Boysen green color swatches in this post. To personally see the green paint colors on offer, go and visit any Mix and Match Station and flip through the fan decks.
Natural Textured Materials
I saw several exhibits in MaArte showcasing natural textured materials.
Bouclé (a heavy nubby fabric woven from looped yarn) may be the fabric of choice for many interior designers and furniture manufacturers for 2024. But we have fabrics too from traditional habi that can be and were used for rugs, upholstery, table linens, and bed covers. There were also home accessories that used capiz or mother of pearl inlays in wood. Rattan and abaca were made into home accessories.
Fashion items like clothes, shoes, bags, and jewelry, also used natural materials, which can be found in the islands producing them as well as in stores and markets in the cities.
If you are feeling creative, you can design your own items and make unique accessories that can be found nowhere else but your home.
Flora and Fauna
Do you want some flora and fauna on your walls? You can either make stencils for your walls. We’ve made many videos showing how you can use stencils to decorate your walls. Just surf the DIY videos in our YT channel.
Or if stencils are too much work, you can use wallpaper, which are also still trendy. Just make sure that if your wallpaper is dramatic, you then keep the other surfaces and furnishings simple so the wallpaper becomes the focal point.
Recycling
The photo below shows the recycling of tin cans with floral designs into vases for herbs or indoor plants.
There are four things happening in this vignette that make this a nature-inspired home:
- green paint is used on the wall
- wood is used for the floor
- floral recycled cans are used as vases
- plants are brought into the home
The way I see it, recycling is a way to give thanks to nature for serving as inspiration for a warm and cozy home.
If you’ve got creations inspired by nature that you made with your own hands, send us photos below or at info@myboysen.com. Meantime, subscribe to this blog and get updates in your inbox when we post something new.
