Coming Back Home To Biophilia

Biophilia is a term coined by one of the world’s most brilliant naturalists, who we sadly lost in December 2021. Edward O. Wilson – American biologist, writer, and Harvard professor nicknamed ‘Ant Man,’ ‘Father of Socio-biology,’ and ‘Father of Biodiversity’ used biophilia to describe the human craving for deep bonds with Nature and other species.

Going deeper, biophilia is also about the human instinct for focusing on what life and life processes mean.

For the realms of interior design, what may have started out as a specialist focus has now become an important benchmark for its evolution

Sunlight & Plants: The Soul mate Connection That Uplifts Spaces & Soothes Moods

The new look of our flagship store has a biophilic theme. There are potted plants everywhere, because we love the unconditional nurturance of plants, and large casement windows to let the light in. You can also make the most of your all-glass, panelled, or grille windows. Do you have ceiling panels? Lucky you! 

Window sill planters are popular in kitchens and bedrooms, but, really, you’re limited only by your imagination. The same applies to ladder shelves and floating shelves. It’s almost impossible to critique a healthy, fanned out areca palm in the den, or drawing room. Any other seasonal floral-foliage combination, or evergreen option works, too. For many, the amount of maintenance a ‘statement plant’ requires is the deciding parameter. 

Plants on stair landings or in lobbies is always a welcome surprise. Botanical arrangements make for timeless centrepiece ornamentation on any table, of course.

Last but not least: no matter how old-world or contemporary the space design, a plant is still amongst the first ideas that come to mind, to embellish an empty area. This brings us back to the biophilic instincts that come naturally to us, for we are but an aspect of biophilia ourselves. 

Colours Wall To Wall: Winter, spring, summer, fall.

First to mind with biophilic colour stories are shades of the earth and sky: greens, blues, beiges, whites with inventive combinations across them.

The popularity of sage green, fawns, sienna, and mushroom beige continues.  So does that of cornflower, Mediterranean, teal, and powder blue. All-white-everything, perhaps shot through with pearl grey, continues to capture the imagination. But Nature has vivacious shades of red, orange, pink and purple too, with their more modest pastel counterparts. 

Block colour walls in any of these colour stories is completely a matter of personal preference, tempered with some restraint according to scale and size of the walls.

However, biophilia art themes are never out of style where wallpaper or wall artworks are the preference. 

Nature-Inspired Shapes

Appreciate your arched entryways or winding staircases (we certainly love ours!) for they reflect Nature’s gentle, inviting contours. 

All shapes – Spheres, hemispheres, spirals, and strong geometrics like triangles and cubes – are rooted in Nature. You can incorporate them in just about any way as is feasible. 

Think silhouettes from tables, sofas, chairs, and headboards; to kitchen slabs, cabinetry, and decorative accents. Not to mention digital and dyed prints or surface embroideries of cushions, upholstery, and house drapes. 

You can get really creative with abstract art inspired by natural formations, like this bee-hive detail here.

Don’t Forget Favourite Materials – Or Fragrances!

From experience, we find that teak wood, walnut wood, and ash wood cover multifaceted lifestyle needs, from lightweight flexibility to long-term durability – and they’re not the only ones. Hand-layered sisal on the floor or walls makes for ventilated earthen elegance. Recently, our high grade marble cubes and ceramic pieces have been very popular with patrons.

You can bring your favourite scents of Nature indoors with candles, potpourri, fragrant resins, or diffuser reeds. Besides florals, the smell of spices like vanilla, cinnamon, and anise, or mystical trees like pine or cedar are very popular.