Biophilic Design – Enhance Your Home, Naturally

The concept of biophilic design has been around for a few years, but has come to the forefront recently. Perhaps it was all that time we spent indoors during the pandemic – but folks are yearning to be “out”, and if we can’t be out, we want nature, “the out”, to be in our homes. Even before the pandemic people spent up to 90% of their time indoors, says Katie Gloede of Architect Magazine.

So What is Biophilic Design?

First made popular by scholar Edward O Wilson in the 1980’s, biophilia is the urge for humans to affiliate with other life. Bringing natural elements into your home, to be experienced with all the senses, has a lot of health benefits. Studies conclude that the incorporation of biophilic elements in our work and home:
1. Decreases stress, enhances creativity, and lessens recovery time for illnesses (that alone is reason enough to bring in nature)
2. Is not just plants – even though that is a good start – but also is about biomorphic patterns and shapes, and water features.
3. Maximizes natural lighting, which balances our circadian rhythm.
4. By improving air flow, which improves brain function.

Here is a quick video from HGTV that shows different ways to bring in biophilic elements into your home.

If you are ready to start bringing natural elements into your home, Better Homes & Gardens recommends this starter list of easy care plants:

1. Norfolk Island Pine
2. Dieffenbachia
3. Philodrendron – the ubiquitous favorite – extremely hardy
4. Snake Plant
5. Spider plant
6. English Ivy – in the Tennessee area, some folks see this as a pest plant rather than a desired potted plant
7. Jade Plant
8. Ponytail Palm
9. Schefflera
10. Corn Plant

BHG also offers advice on how to bring plants into every room in your home.
Some great, biophilic friendly ideas are:

1. Surround seating areas, top to bottom, with plants.
2. Dress up your Dining Room with a potted plant instead of cut flowers.
3. Group closely spaced plants to create a focal point.
4. Go vertical with plants up a blank wall.
5. Put plants in unexpected places such as above a bedroom headboard or create a vignette of plants in a corner.
6. Succulents are great in the Kitchen.
7. Put statement plants in your main Living Areas – you want your guests to see the most beautiful plants in your home!
8. Put weather hardy plants in your Entry. They will be able to take the constant temperature changes of opening and closing your door.

Have you ever been out west – to Colorado, Wyoming, or Montana?

Do you remember how s p a c i o u s it was? You felt that you could breathe? Maybe your heart rate went down a bit? You can mimic that feeling in your home!
When the weather is nice, throw open the doors to your back deck and open up your interior living area to include the outdoors. Decorate your deck with weather hardy plants, comfy furniture. The fresh air and sunlight will invigorate you even if you are indoors and your home will feel larger. Perfect for parties or game days. Or just spend serene solidarity away from the hustle of the work day.

Don’t let the word “biophilic” scare you into thinking it’s just too big a concept to incorporate into your home. Start small. Even the smallest changes, made with some thought, can make big changes to the feel of your home. Just take that first step and the next one will be easier!

Home Buyers Want to Reconnect with the Outdoors

The pandemic is moving into its third year. Whether we want to admit it, or not, it has changed our lives – how we live and probably how we will continue to live. “Normal” will never be what it was pre-2019.But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Millions of folks have discovered they can work from home and aren’t tied to a geographical area defined where their job is located. Rarely used guest rooms and formal dining rooms are being transformed into home offices and “Zoom rooms”.

“Fresh Air is Intoxicating”

Another effect of spending more time at home almost 24/7, folks crave being outside even more than we ever have before. Last year The Washington Post noted that “any outdoor space is more highly prized than ever”. The outdoor fever is just as rampant here at home in Tennessee. The Tennessean, in their August 2021 issue reported that waterfront properties are spending less than 24 hours on the market.

Bringing the Outdoors into our Homes

Core Homes attended the Southeast Builders Conference in Orlando this past summer. One seminar entirely focused on the demand for home plans that effortlessly and beautifully reconnect home buyers to the outdoors – inside and outside of their home. This ranges from a bank of windows that bathe the main living area with natural sunlight to a wall of retractable glass doors that open to expand the living area into the outdoor kitchen and fireplace on the covered deck. Wow!

Covered and screened decks, outdoor fireplaces, fire pits, multiple outdoor living spaces spanning the entire rear of the home – all of these are moving up on the list of home buyers’ “must-have” items.

Core Homes Signature Communities

While all of Core Homes‘s communities feature larger-than-usual homesites and popular amenities, Core’s Signature Communities are designed and planned to take maximum advantage of the natural surroundings. 5-acre wooded tracts, some on the waterfront, will be offered at the Wind River community in Harrison starting this summer. Planned amenities include boat slips, pool and cabana, fire pit pavilion, green space park, and walking trails.

Our River Breeze community in Soddy Daisy has river bluff home sites available. The coastal-style vibe includes a community dock with boat slips, a sundeck, and gas lanterns for every home. Imagine walking this neighborhood at sunset!

Spending more time at home at work and at play is the new normal. Core Homes is designing their communities and homes to bring the outdoors into homes, naturally.