Biophilic Design and Ways to Incorporate It- Easy Project Included
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The term “Biophilic design” can sound a bit technical and somewhat scary if you aren’t involved in the world of interior design but I promise, it’s your best friend when it comes to creating a calming environment to live life in.
Ultimately Biophilic Design is understood when you break down the Latin in Biophilic. Bio in Latin is “life” and Philic from Philia means “love of”. So, Biophilic Design is designing around the love of life. And the life we’re talking about is nature. Plantlife, fresh air, sounds of birds and animals, cool water running over weathered rocks, they all detail the focus of Biophilic Design. The point of it all is to keep us connected with nature even when we are indoors.
Biophilic design isn’t just about the visuals, it’s a holistic experience that sets a calming tone which makes your home a low stress space to recharge. There are many studies and people smarter than me who connect this style of design with better sleep, better mood, and better overall health.
I absolutely love Biophilic Design. Creating spaces that include the serenity and calm of nature? Yes, every time. But sometimes the space I have isn’t conducive to an elaborate indoor garden. “Sometimes” may be an overstatement. In fact, my home lacks the space and light needed for such a project. As much as I would love to create a tranquil arboretum in my entry, it’s likely never going to happen. What I can do though, is add nature-inspired design elements that still give the feel and reflection of a calming forest without installing the actual forest in my front hallway.
This project was a sort of homage to the beautiful trees that, for most of the year, keep my home feeling enveloped and protected by their tall trunks, spindly limbs, and visual brilliance. Yep, I love them, so I’m going to bring them in the only way I can. This tree installation is also going to be replacing a little table I had in the corner. It was just missing the mark when I did the Entryway Refresh.
This was a simple, slow project that I quite enjoyed. There isn’t a long list of things needed but the process took some time. I work better when I’m not restricted by time. It’s so much more enjoyable when I leave time constraints behind and really savour the process of making and creating. In this case, it was more refining than making but quite satisfying all the same.
Things I used to complete my entryway tree installation were (*links to purchase included):
· Tree limbs gathered from my backyard. They fell from the trees already so they were pretty dried out and not green at all.
· Sandpaper*
· Gorilla glue*
· Wood glue*
· Wood putty*
· Chop saw/hand saw
· Metal eyelet*
The most time consuming element of this project was the gathering of branches and removing the bark. Spring is a great time to collect branches for activities like this. They’re easy to find especially after a nice spring storm. We had a few big ones this year so tree limbs were all over.
Careful consideration was taken when I was choosing the right branches. Of course I kept in mind size but I was also looking for how I wanted the arch of the branches to curve, the direction was important to be able to install this creation without poking someone’s eye out when it was all said and done. I also didn’t want the branches to get broken off by my dogs after I had it where I wanted it. This led me to piecing some of the branches together in order for them to work just so in the final installation.
Before piecing things together I removed the bark from each branch. I first used a non-flexible putty knife and took off the larger, easy to remove pieces of bark. I made sure not to attempt using this tool on the most delicate parts of the branches, particularly the thin ends.
Next, I went back over all the branches with a wood carving knife. This process is so enjoyable to me. I love carving things and have some experience carving blocks for block printing and printmaking. Carving can be so satisfying especially when the material you’re carving is solid enough to produce clean, smooth cuts but soft enough so it doesn’t hurt your hands. The tree limbs and branches from my backyard were perfect.
I really had to take special care the closer I got to the ends of the branches. They are a bit delicate and I did have a few that broke during the process. I was able to use some super glue to repair them and it’s holding up well.
I sanded any areas that were too faceted but left the evidence of my carving. It was a collaboration between me and the trees after all.
Here’s where the design of the finished product started to come together. I first laid them out on the floor and then propped them up near their new home. I picked and moved and rearranged to my heart’s content until everything fell into place. I used painter’s tape to hold the branches to the wall while I was figuring out the way I wanted them.
I used my chop saw to take any length off that I needed. That may have been overkill as the thickest part of the branches are maybe 1 ½ to 2 inches – a hand saw would have been fine for that.
A few pieces were joined up with ¼ inch dowels so that they looked like they were part of the same branch. Here’s a look at how I did that.
Mark, drill, glue and insert dowel into one branch. Then drill, glue, and attach the other section. I used painter’s tape again to hold the branches in place while the glue dried. Any space that was left open I followed up with some wood putty. I was careful to let the glue set up completely before adding the putty so that I didn’t weaken the bond by messing with it.
Once the putty was dry, I smoothed it out a bit with sandpaper and then added a touch of acrylic paint just to blend in the joints made. They really turned out great and look like they were one big branch instead of a couple of branches joined together.
My installation process was a bit make-it-up-as-I-go.
I screwed in a metal eyelet in an inconspicuous area on the wall that I thought would hold the weight of the branches well. If I placed the eyelet too low and they would topple over and too high would make it easier to move them out of place.
Using the clear line, I tied them all to the eyelet individually and then weaved some of the line around a couple to make sure they were in place and things were secure while keeping the eyelet hidden behind the thickness of the branches.
They seem pretty solid and I haven’t had any problems with the dogs knocking them over or anyone running into them yet. We don’t have little ones in the house anymore so the security of your tree sculpture may be dependent on that, along with the installation location. I did go back and add some Museum Putty to the bottom of the branches that touch the floor for added sturdiness.
I’m thinking some dried flowers or preserved greenery could be added on occasion for a more seasonal effect. I love how it turned out and it melds effortlessly with the wallpaper mural I installed previously. (If you’d like to see my small entryway get some much needed attention click here.)
A nature-inspired, biophilic-ish design element that adds an outdoors-in vibe without being log cabin-esque was the plan. Mission accomplished if you ask me. Milo approved as well, so really that’s all that matters.
I hope this little project inspired you to come up with ways to bring some of the tranquil and calming natural world into your home! Don’t forget to sign up for my email list to the right to be notified when new projects are launched!
