TRANSFORMING SPACES WITH BIOPHILIA

Ever wondered why a room filled with greenery feels so much more inviting? Join us for an engaging chat with Robin as we unravel the magic behind biophilia, the concept that humans have a natural affinity for nature and living things. You’ll walk away with a fresh perspective on how the presence of plant life can transform any space into a haven of tranquility and comfort. Discover why biophilic design is more than just a trend; it’s a fundamental aspect of creating spaces that promote well-being and reduce stress.

Robin shares compelling studies and practical examples, shedding light on the profound psychological benefits of biophilic elements in diverse environments like schools, hospitals, and senior living facilities. Learn how these natural touches can enhance memory, boost creativity, and alleviate symptoms of depression and ADHD. Whether you’re designing a trauma-informed space or simply looking to make your home more inviting, our conversation offers indispensable insights and tips for integrating nature into your surroundings. Tune in and find out why a touch of nature is essential for a harmonious and enriching environment.

We welcome your questions! If you would like to learn more about us or connect for a conversation, please visit www.pasleycommercialinteriors.com.

Episode Transcript

Randi Lynn (00:01):
So, Robin, over the past few episodes we've talked
about ergonomic furniture, thepsychology of color and lighting
, but today I wanted to unpackusing plant life in design and
the benefits of it Awesome.

Robin (00:16):
One of my favorite topics .

Randi Lynn (00:18):
Biophilia is the actual phrase Biophilia.

Robin (00:22):
It's such a fun word, right, it's a fun word.

Randi Lynn (00:24):
Here's a little just water cooler trivia for you,
our listeners.
Biophilia is the idea thathumans have an innate tendency
to connect with nature and otherliving things.
The term comes from the Greekwords bio and philia, which
literally translates to love oflife.

Robin (00:43):
Oh, I like that.
I didn't know that, I know.
I mean I probably could havethought about it long enough and
put it together, but you know,yeah, never had done that before
.

Randi Lynn (00:52):
I always thought green, but it means love of life
, love of life.
Harvard naturalist, Dr Edward OWilson coined the term in his
1984 book Biophilia to describethe rich natural pleasure that
comes from being surrounded byliving organisms.
So you guys can just casuallydrop that the next time you're
in a place that's usingbiophilia.

(01:12):
Well, or you can, like,convince your spouse to let you
buy a new plant.
Yeah, there you go.

Robin (01:18):
I guess it probably has to do with why, um, you know, uh
, they say that putting a fishtank lowers your blood pressure,
you know, and brings calm,because it's a life form that is
contained.
I think if there were puppiesrunning around in a room I
wouldn't feel less, A littleless Comforted.
But you know, when the fish arein there and it makes me feel

(01:41):
good because there's- a lifeform over there doing its thing.
Yeah, so now we know biophilia,yeah, so I've I've often talked
to um clients about this,because I I find some pushback
sometimes and when I want to usebiophilia in a project and I
have to say I use it in almostevery project simply because it

(02:02):
is our human connection withlife.
You know so, when you thinkabout a movie where they're
going to Mars or another planet,TV show whatever, and what are
they looking for?
They're looking for plant lifebecause it tells us that we can
survive there.

Randi Lynn (02:21):
We'll be okay, right .

Robin (02:23):
I will be okay, can survive there, we'll be okay.
Right, I will be okay.
And I think it's the same waywhen when we see plant life in a
space or some other form, life,natural life, form, um, even if
it's water or like you know thefish or whatever that it tells
us that I'm going to be okayhere.
So it does actually kind ofregister in uh biometrics in our

(02:44):
body, yeah Something you'resort of unaware that it's
happening, but you know whenit's missing right, you know
when it's missing.
So we could do a whole reallyamazing design with all these
great textures and colors andlighting and things, but not
have plant life in it orsomething that reminds us of
nature, and it will feel staleand sterile.

Randi Lynn (03:07):
Yeah, so there's that innate sense that we have,
but there are actually studiesthat show how biophilia can help
with mood and whatnot.
Would you just?
mention some of those things.

Robin (03:21):
Yes, the psychological effects, oh for sure.
So they can have a restorativeeffect that reduces stress and
anxiety.
So, um, you know, putting thesein school locations and
educational spaces, where maybethose stresses or anxieties
might be higher, um, is superimportant, gosh.
Think about hospitals and areaslike that where stresses run

(03:46):
high.
Another great thing it helpspeople recover faster in those
environments.
There's also been a study wherethey found that the biophilic
environments can improveshort-term memory by up to 14%.
Can you believe that?
That's so interesting?
So you know, having those insenior living facilities, oh for

(04:07):
sure.
And memory care, you know thatkind of environment.
We've done projects that aretrauma-informed design and
biophilia in those is a must.
It's not just an option, it's amust because we need to bring
down the anxiety levels in thosespaces.
They also have proven toincrease creativity by impacting

(04:32):
the cognitive functions andhelping our moods be elevated.
So it helps us access that partof our brain that wants to be
more creative when our mood islifted like that.
They also have seen thatthey've decreased symptoms of
depression and ADHD.
So again for those.

Randi Lynn (04:49):
All good things, yeah, in schools.
I was going to say back inthose education environments.

Robin (04:54):
It's really great, and one of the things I run into is
clients that are nervous aboutputting plant life in a public
space or a space where theremight be people, that you know a
couple of things, kidsinteracting with the real plants
and soil and things like that.
There there's always somenervousness around that and then

(05:15):
just the maintenance of it.
But what here's what's funny isthat where there is obviously,
um, some good benefits of havingreal natural plant life I mean
just cleaning the air that weare- breathing and all of that,
but because it's a psychologicalthing, it doesn't matter if
they're real or not.

Randi Lynn (05:35):
Okay, that was.
I did want to ask you thatspecifically if it made a
difference.
I mean cause, yeah, it'll cleanthe air and what is great, but
you can have faux and we've comesuch a long way oh my gosh yes,
artificial flower for sure, yes, I mean there are some really
great ones now and I mean theycost more.

Robin (05:54):
But when you think about you buy it once and, yeah, all
you have to do is just dust it,which here's the.
You know the 411 on that.
It doesn't matter if your plantis real or fake, you're gonna
have to dust it anyways yeah, Ihave these big, beautiful birds
of paradise plants here in ourstudio and they're.
they have huge leaves andthey're just dusty all the time.

(06:14):
So that's just a note thatyou're going to have to dust
your plants either way.
So if you don't want to have tokeep up with them and have a
service or someone on your staffthat waters these plants it's
great to do faux plant life.

Randi Lynn (06:27):
You mentioned a little bit like how you've used
some biophilia in your design.

Robin (06:32):
Yeah, it doesn't have to be just a plant in a pot.
I mean, there's these livingwall systems now which, again,
they can be real or they can befake.
Faux is a nicer way of sayingthat.
Thank you, French people, butthat's another way of bringing

(06:53):
that in.
Even, just, like I said, theappearance of water.
there's even some patterns andthings that remind us of wood
textures and water and thingslike that that can help that
psychological piece, um, that wecan just bring in, and part of
it's just breaking up the staticline of what is formed and made

(07:18):
.
You know, it's not natural,Right, Right.
So it's just interrupting thatand disrupting those clean and
static lines with somethingthat's organic and natural, that
says to our brain this is reallife and that's what sets us at
ease.
There's even studies about itreducing anger and fear, which

(07:38):
is, I mean, gosh, I mean theworld we live in these days.
Wouldn't it be nice to havesome of that reduced?
So the more that we can engagenature in our designs, the
better it is for us as humanbeings.