Biophilic design for beginners: Step 1, don't kill your first houseplant
Creating a nature-themed look that's doable for newbies with green thumbs
Shortly after graduating from college, I became a switchboard receptionist. Although it had nothing to do with my degree, I already had a decade of experience working at my mother’s credit union job and multiple summer office jobs. I could easily nail administrative work. But then the office manager had the bright idea to bring a neck-high plant to sit next to my desk — and that’s where I knew I was going to fail at this job.
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Transferring calls on an 81-line switchboard phone? Easy. Talking to hysterical customers who threatened to sue our client? A breeze. Keeping this plant alive? Nightmare. It didn’t take me more than a week before the leaves were brown, and I was trying to push plant life onto one of the claims adjusters. Although my mother and my grandfather had green thumbs, my thumbs were about as black as tires.
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Ten years later, I became a caretaker for my grandfather, and an overly talkative chaplain stopped by. In his hand was yet another plant. Why people kept bringing me plants was beyond me. This time though, I took it as a personal challenge. My grandfather had taken care of a fruit and vegetable garden my entire life. I refused to let this arrowhead plant die, mainly because the chaplain gave me this greenery as a “thank you” for being a caregiver. I looked at this plant a little differently than the plant in an office lobby.
That arrowhead lasted for three years in my always-too-hot condo rental. (Tropical plants like a Syngonium podophyllum grow amazingly well when you’re too frugal to fix a broken air conditioner.) When I bought a condo, the plant couldn’t get the hang of a less-humid home and died.
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As much as I should’ve been relieved to no longer have a plant to take care of, I missed it. I finally understood what all the hype was about when it came to gardening and plants. I went right online and bought four plants at once! That arrowhead turned me into someone who waters lawns, pulls weeds, invests in hanging plants and who watched my home surveillance cameras to make sure my plants got enough light when I was gone for two weeks over the holidays.
So, is it safe to say that someone with a beginner-to-intermediate-level green thumb (like me) can join the Biophilic Design Club? Yes, but there has to be some serious planning ahead of time.
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Is a Biophilic design in your home realistic?
A Biophilic design is an architectural and interior design bringing nature into living spaces. If done correctly, it highlights natural elements and exudes peaceful energy. But before you rush to switch up that accent wall for a vertical garden, know where your home’s weaknesses are.
When and where does daylight enter? Which windows can be used to nourish plants in your living wall? Could skylights or LED lights be alternatives? Would you rather have water sounds or an actual water fountain? Do you have the patience to care for fish or is a fake fish tank all you need? Are you willing and able to properly mount a living wall? Will you want to make your Biophilic room into a Bibliophilic-themed room?
Recommended Read: “Privacy please: 13 of the best blackout blinds ~ Homegrown Tales listicles: The home upgrade shopping trip you didn't know you needed to take”
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Before trying to grow a living wall, look at your actual walls
While soundproofing your home and investing in blackout blinds sounded like a good idea for privacy, a nature-themed home needs to be open, sunny and welcoming. It’s time to take down the heavy drapes and replace them with sheer fabric. With a Biophilic design, you’ll need to open those blinds and the windows too. And if furniture is blocking any of the above, which works well for soundproofing, it’s time to move some bookshelves, desks and couches around to make the home sunnier, brighter and more spacious.