Discover The Biophilic Lookbook

For the ultimate take on health-promoting style, an all-encompassing sensory experience should be considered. Sight, sound, smell, touch, even taste. If a space is to be truly biophilic, every human sense should be catered to in the way only nature can. Views outside are prioritised and greenery can be seen everywhere; windows are thrown open to allow birdsong and rustling leaves to be heard and water features are abundant; signature home fragrances blend with fresh air and the smell of natural materials; and finishes are tactile, inviting and welcoming.

Mastering the look, Louise Bradley’s Chelsea townhouse introduces natural elements into the otherwise urban space, proving that biophilia has the uncanny ability to transcend location realities. With its own garden room encased in Crittal windows, multiple shelving systems draped in cascading plants, and enviable views onto outdoor spaces as well-appointed as those indoor, the home perfectly unifies its spaces, on both sides of its walls, in a seamless way—a stylish paradigm for indoor-outdoor living.

Characteristically refined in her style, Laura Hammett proves that even classically designed interiors—those wall-panelled, high-ceilinged grand spaces which have earned her her prestige—can be enhanced by the natural. In her Kensington project, a space flooded with natural light (a key biophilic ingredient), living walls, mossy colour palettes and multi-story lightwells marry with classic contemporary silhouettes, sophisticated textures and honed marble to take the aesthetic in an elegant direction. Vast wall spaces, unencumbered by colour, patterns or texture, showcase pockets of green vegetation, effectively offering them gallery-like spaces where they are reshaped into features in and of themselves.

Speaking of colour palettes, there really is only one option. Verdant and life-giving, green lies in the sweet-spot of the colour wheel. Offering brightness and liveliness in an understated, nonchalant way, green in all of its complex forms is universally evocative of nature. If repainting isn’t on your agenda, achieve a similar look with faux plants for easy maintenance, a scattering of olive, sage or emerald-toned cushions layered upon soft neutral furniture and a blend of honest, natural materials.

These natural materials serve as major inspiration for smaller elements within a biophilic space. London design studio Sixty3 London renders raw textures in bronze for a textural tabletop design, whilst Andrea Benedettini incorporates aged, hammered elements, wicker accents and looped rugs into his schemes. Easy linens, imperfect ceramics and natural stone, whose inherent informality combine perfectly with natural finishes, are staple counterparts to more literal biophilic elements.

However you interpret the look—whether it’s a contervatory-cum-orangery feel for your upcoming living room renovation or a dedicated wellness space within your home—the benefits of biophilic design are the same and it’s a daily reminder to connect to nature. And, with the future of the design world focussed on how we interact with the world around us, incorporating nature into our indoor spaces is, for once, a trend that’s going nowhere fast.

Header Image: Louise Bradley