5 Ways to Incorporate Biophilic Design Into a Small Space

Biophilic design is not just a new buzzword, it’s an intentional and scientific way of bringing nature indoors to promote healing and greater alignment with the natural world. Biophilia simply means the “love of life,” and biophilic design can be enacted on the macro as part of the design of cities, neighborhoods and public buildings, or by individuals as part of home-remodeling and home design. 

This may be easy in a bigger home, but what if you are living in a small Brooklyn apartment, or in any other small space in a densely populated urban area? You may be facing design problems which could revolve quite simply around how many plants you can fit in your space. You could also be facing issues with the rules in your building and citywide rules about growing in outdoor spaces.

Biophilic Design Solutions for a Small Home

One key element of biophilic design is staying connected to nature, wherever you are, even if you are in a big city. Biophilic design acknowledges that humans have spent hundreds of thousands of years evolving alongside plants and animals and design that incorporates natural forms, materials, plants and animals can improve mood and health. One obvious way to achieve this is by surrounding yourself with green and growing things, but this can be difficult in a small space. The following are a few ways you can bring biophilic design to your small space:

1. Intelligently use the space in your apartment to grow plants. Research has shown that houseplants have a positive effect on your health, but fitting houseplants into a small space can be challenging. Beams, hooks, nooks, floating shelves and mobile islands are your friend. Optimizing your space to add plants to your environment could include creating floating beams where you can place plants. Macrame is a trending interior design solution for hanging multiple plants from the ceiling. In a small space, you can make the most of unused spaces to place hooks, shelves and other solutions for growing and storing plants.

1. Mirrors and artwork can create a sense of depth and extra dimensions. Murals  of natural scenes and wallpaper can help achieve a biophilic effect. Research has shown that the color green has a calming effect and that exposing people to scenes from nature can be calming even if it’s through a screen. In a small apartment there may be scope to turn an otherwise blank and forbidding wall into a mural with natural forms, or to add mirrors which increase the sense of depth and space.

1. Create a hanging garden effect with vertical spaces for sleeping, relaxing and hanging greenery. It’s common for New Yorkers or city-dwellers to mimic the city’s high rise strategy for space saving. When New Yorkers are looking to make the most of space they go up. In apartments with higher ceilings, adding an elevated platform for sleeping or relaxing can be a good way to optimize space. It can also be an opportunity to create a “hanging garden” effect, with plants hanging down from a mezzanine, or arranged on steps.

1. Lighting. Natural lighting has an extremely positive effect on mood and is also necessary for growing most houseplants. The addition of small light wells and even interior windows that connect spaces can help to create light when exterior windows are scarce (a common problem in cities with high rise buildings like New York City). 

1. Use natural, non-toxic materials throughout the home. The use of natural materials not only affects mood, it has a strong impact on health. Biophilic design should also consider ecosystem and animal impacts and human health impacts. The use of reclaimed wood, stone and sustainable, organic cotton and linen furnishings is preferable to MDF, plastic and other materials that harm the environment and animals in toxic and cruel processes. These materials are often finished with toxic chemicals and fire retardants that can cause cancer or otherwise negatively impact human health.

If you are embarking on a home remodel or home redesign for your small space, at Earth Science Design our ten years of research into the science of biophilic design and green interior design can help guide you with your project. It can be daunting to overhaul your way of living, especially if you are living in a small space or a shared space that may have certain limits and obstacles to work around.

Our innovative green interior design team specialize in seeing the potential for healing and cruelty-free, non-toxic living in any space. We can help you envisage a clever and environmentally conscious design for your space, whether it is an upgrade, a full remodel, or a home design. We do remote consultations for people living nationally and internationally. We also have local offices in Brooklyn, NYC, San Diego, CA and Paris, France for those who would like to sit down with us in person. Please contact us to learn more about our biophilic design services.