This is a collaborative post, please read my disclaimer here.
If you ever feel like your kitchen could use some more touches of nature, freshness, and everything in between, you’re most certainly right. It’s not your interior designer that senses this hard-to-explain need, but your inner being craving that connection with the organic. Enter biophilic space design – the art of bringing the outdoors in to create a warm, inviting environment that feels like home, and reaps the benefits of nature, instantly boosting your mood and wellbeing. Kitchens are the home spaces that see the most traffic, so naturally, they should be the first area targeted for such an enhancement.
So, how can you transform your lifeless kitchen into a biophilic paradise?
Don’t underestimate the power of light – maximise it
Do you think you’re making the most of the total amount of sunlight that could enter your kitchen daily? Or do you feel like you could integrate more tricks to maximise the existing natural light? Because kitchen designers can’t stress enough the impact that light has on a room, especially when it comes to the place where you need laser focus and clarity.
Maybe you could install some extensions with skylights if you have a house and the building structure allows this modification. If you live in an apartment, you can move bulky furniture if it’s now located near the windows, as it’s likely to block a significant amount of light from entering. Other things you can do include placing a large mirror in front of the window to reflect the sun and view back into the space, and applying a glossy finish on cabinetry to bounce light off the countertops.
Planning on a kitchen renovation? Then this is the time you ditched those solid cabinet doors and got some glass-based panels. Even the smallest flow of light can do wonders for your well-being: natural light enhances serotonin levels and vitamin D intake, which can improve mood, serenity, contentment, and how you spend your time in the kitchen. These take us to the next, bigger-budget step: the kitchen makeover.
For when you’re upgrading your kitchen with new units – or cabinet doors
If you plan on revamping your kitchen with new kitchen units, you’re in for a terrific act you’ll want to rejoice over for years. Aim for pieces that are functional, visually light, designed to enhance natural light, and suitable for the layout. Take time to scour manufacturers because the market’s overflowing with providers, and you want to choose a reliable one, with a wide range of models and options to suit even the most intricate of spaces.
Go beyond the typical brown hues and choose colours that reflect the outdoors, like soft greens, warm neutrals, beiges, and muted wood tones. Invest in high-quality materials that feel connected to nature – think solid or veneered wood, bamboo, cork, stone, or even recycled glass, because nature always gives back. When chosen thoughtfully and with a long-term approach in mind, you don’t just welcome nice cabinetry, but pieces that will age beautifully over time.
And if you want a lower-energy, budget-friendly update that’ll still deliver a strong visual impact, kitchen door replacement is an excellent option. Not every kitchen needs a full overhaul. By swapping your time-worn cabinet doors, you can breathe new life into your kitchen, enjoying a fresh space at a fraction of the cost and disruption of new units.
Small details, big impact
When considering the smaller details, like handles, textures, and finishes, opt for those that feel natural and understated, supporting a serene, organic atmosphere, while giving you practical storage solutions. By combining thoughtful materials, colours, and forms, you’ll end up with a kitchen that’s both highly functional and harmoniously aligned with nature. Biophilic designs aren’t just about aesthetics – they’re impactful solutions to improve your entire experience within a given space.
Tend to your own kitchen garden – and enjoy that harvesting high
Have you ever gathered your own food? For example, growing your own veggies from seed. If so, chances are you’ve experienced that dopamine kick that comes with harvesting – the neurotransmitter associated with your brain’s pleasure and rewards centre. When dopamine hits the reward area, you get in a complete state of bliss. This is just a reason why modern kitchens increasingly integrate plants as functional, living elements rather than just décor.
You don’t need an acre – just an organised space to grow your favourite plants and herbs. Many are low-maintenance and can streamline your cooking with their flavour: cilantro, oregano, basil, thyme, parsley, and rosemary, to name a few. You can even step it up by integrating an indoor herb garden system with automatic watering and growing lamps, nurturing your leafy pals while you’re handling your business. And if you’re more interested in décor, we’ve got you. There’s also a wide range of houseplants that will doll up your kitchen and bring you closer to your sought-after sanctorum of nature.
Choose textures and finishes that invite touch
A truly biophilic kitchen doesn’t stop at what you see – it extends to what you feel. Texture plays a quiet yet powerful role in how a place makes you feel, especially in a room you interact with daily. Smooth stone countertops, grained wood surfaces, matte ceramics, or hand-finished tiles can introduce that variety that feels both grounding and human, eliminating that cold, polished sterility that depicts so many kitchens.
The idea when selecting finishes is to avoid those that feel super synthetic or high-gloss for the sake of trend alone. Look for finishes that soften light, reveal the oh-so-beautiful natural imperfections, and invite contact. Even small additions – a wooden chopping board on display, linen textiles, or clay jars – can reinforce that longed connection with the outdoors. This is what you want from your kitchen’s transformation. It’s what you’re here for.
Let nature guide your colour palette
Colour is one of the immediate ways to align your kitchen with nature, so you’re encouraged to look into palettes borrowed directly from the outdoors: forest greens, clay browns, sandy beiges, warm whites, stone greys, etc. Tranquil hues like these calm the nervous system – psychology demonstrates – and create a sense of balance that’ll make your kitchen a place you naturally want to spend time in. Even subtle accents can reinforce that organic feel.
Bold colours can be overpowering, opposing nature’s feel. But colours found outdoors can deliver that organic feel.
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