Balance: The Biophilic Way

by Nancy Labrada and Gabriela Carrasco

“Balance” has been a buzz word in American wellness jargon for over 50 years, but its varied interpretations beg a closer examination. What specifically are we so longing to balance? Is it work life, home life, physical health, mental health, spiritual health, or a mixture of these? Where do we begin to understand what makes us feel off-kilter? How do we reduce the anxiety we feel? Enter: Biophilic design as lifestyle.

Biophilia, coined by a psychoanalyst in the early 1970s, eventually made its way into the world of architecture and design by the mid 80s. The design goal was to help people and companies bring the outside inside as a way to ground themselves, reconnect with nature, and reduce stress by incorporating natural colors, textures, and patterns into the home or workplace. Woodworkers, for example, make use of imperfect pieces of lumber where the grain tells a story of its roots and cycles of life are visibly preserved in those pieces. In creative hands, they become functional décor, organic artwork, living walls, but also furniture and construction. Building to bring nature-based materials, patterns and principles into people’s homes and offices is the logistics side.

A home or office could be centered around using Greenguard certified, low to zero-VOC products, and local art that showcases the community’s history and talent. Lime paint on walls; cleaning products recognized by the EPA Safer Choice program and contain zero-VOCs; and a majority of the furniture could be locally sourced/thrifted from clean homes to avoid potential off-gassing of typical harmful chemicals. A gallery biophilic art wall could even be arranged to mimic the Golden Ratio echoing Mother Nature’s original.

When we stand or walk in a natural setting long enough, with minimal distraction, our heart beat slows, our blood pressure drops, and our mood lifts. So why don’t we get out into nature more often? Many of us simply don’t have the time or the opportunity. People that work long hours at a job, are at-home caretakers, or those who live in urban areas might experience this. However, we live in cohesion with nature, not alongside it, behind it, or before it. Biophilic design is a response to the quest for less stress and more interconnectedness. What makes us feel reactive instead of responsive can often trigger anxiety. Knowing your natural self, holistically and organically, not just your patterns, renders the balance you seek.

A structure made of sustainable natural materials will endure, but one that also cultivates the soul is a home, or home-away-from-home, that will nurture the actual human being.

Nancy Labrada and Gabriela Carrasco form the mother-daughter team/business called Moss & Medium located in Rosemont, NJ. For information email [email protected] and visit MossAndMediumLLC.com. See ad below.