Taking inspiration from nature

One of the growing trends in interior design and architecture is biophilia.

Humans are innately attracted to nature, which has resulted in the biophilia trend. This embraces nature and seamlessly integrates its elements indoors, whether through the use of natural materials or nature-inspired designs, incorporating plant life, maximising natural light, or embracing natural ventilation. It has been a trend in architecture and interior design over the past few years and continues to grow.

Jason Wells, Brand and Marketing Manager at PG Bison, says that in bedrooms, this is reflected in lighting, colour palettes (greens, browns and autumnal colours), artwork choice, incorporating house plants, and design inspired by natural forms. “Curved shapes that emulate nature and fractal patterns are on trend currently, and we’re seeing many people opting for natural-look materials, as well as embracing botanicals and botanically inspired colours,” he says.

A fractal pattern is where a shape is repeated over and over, at different scales, leading the eye to focal design aspects. As Science World explains, “The repetition that occurs in a fractal is called ‘self-similarity’. Another way to think of this is, when you zoom in on a small part of a fractal pattern, it looks just like the whole thing.” Examples in nature include fern leaves, Romanesco broccoli heads, ice crystals and peacock feathers.

There are many different approaches to biophilia, from seeking out ways to bring nature indoors to biomimicry, which refers to design that simulates processes used in nature, such as solar panels that mimic the way that photosynthesis happens in plants, or ventilation designs based on the airflow in termite mounds.

Incorporating biophilia into your own spaces

1. Bring nature indoors, literally: Use indoor plants (or entire indoor gardens/terrariums), green partitions or walls, and even fish-life aquariums as a design feature.
2. Use palettes that reference nature: From greens that make you think of lush plant life to blues that reference the open skies, colour is an easy way to incorporate biophilia.
3. Make use of natural light: Incorporating natural light into architectural designs not only cuts down on electricity use – it also boosts your mood.

Consider texture: Colours and designs that mirror natural materials, such as wood, stone or marble, or natural textiles, such as hemp, can help create soothing spaces. For example, PG Bison’s Tunari wood-look panel board, and Volans Formica LifeSeal Worktop, which mimics grey marble with white veins.