BIOPHILIC OFFICE DESIGN
Inspiration from Nature
By Cate O’Toole
Did you know that by incorporating nature into the workplace you can help increase employees’ creativity and focus while reducing stress? This type of interior design is referred to as BIOPHILIC DESIGN.
Though this could be interpreted by some as “throw a bunch of potted plants around the office,” it involves so much more than that! This type of design incorporates the following:
Natural Materials: Wood, stone, and greenery to literally bring the outdoors inside
Environmental Graphics: Wallpapers and imagery to mimic a landscape or faux scenery
Variety of Color: Get away from sleepy (boring!) office colors and try vibrant color tones
Natural Light: If windows or skylights aren’t an option – go for lighting features with sunlight bulbs
Outdoor Spaces: From roof gardens to patios, if you have access to an outdoor space, use it!
This brings me to some design inspiration from Mother Nature herself: INSECTS!
Quick disclaimer: I am not suggesting you fill your office with bugs since HR would frown on that… Though a little desktop ant farm or patio beehive might be OK’d.
Instead, I’m showing how nature itself is an amazing palette to draw color and texture inspiration from. Here are three little guys that stood out to me in my little garden here in Worcester, Massachusetts and are each their own example of the design elements above.
LOCUST BORER //
ENVIRONMENTAL GRAPHICS
This is the first guy that inspired me to write this blog entry. I mean, look at that geometric pattern – the bright yellow against the dark background, and the cream-colored flower petals underneath him create even more color contrast.
Those flower petals could be a window film pattern, maybe with black and yellow Room IDs?
RED-BANDED LEAFHOPPERS //
VARIETY OF COLOR
Aside from having an amazing geometric pattern to them, look at those colors!
The bold red and blue combo stands out so well against the green leaf. It’s obvious these guys aren’t trying to blend into the background.
This color combination could definitely brighten up a bland space.
GOLDENROD SOLDIER BEETLE //
NATURAL MATERIALS
Look at this color-matching marvel! I guess if the name of the flower is in your name, you should probably look like it, right?
Those long legs and antennae – clean lines. The dark patches have a lot of speckles and texture to make them unique.
Just imagine these woodtones and a bright yellow flower display throughout a space.
Want to discuss Biophilic Design for your office space?
See the slideshow below featuring a selection of photos from our previous projects including environmental graphics, use of greenery, and natural materials. Biophilic Design in action!
