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Earlier this year, global modular flooring manufacturer Interface unveiled its Beautiful Thinking campaign – a celebration of ambitious individuals and companies that have driven real innovation in their industries and beyond. We term these as beautiful thinkers.
A trend that shone through with several of these thinkers was a focus on innovation inspired by nature and biophilic design.
Biophilia is an increasingly acknowledged concept which proposes that human beings share an innate attraction to nature and natural processes. When used as design inspiration, biophilic principles can help create spaces that reinforce our connection with nature, enabling us to benefit from its restorative properties.
Interface has long recognised the significant benefits that such nature-inspired design can deliver – incorporating biophilic principles into the creation of several of its collections, such as Human Nature and World Woven.
Nature-inspired workspaces
With over 80% of the UK’s office workforce based in urban environments, the workplace is an area in which biophilic design has gained particular traction.
Indeed, a growing body of reach has demonstrated the impact biophilic design principles can have in working environments. The Human Spaces report, for example, has found that natural elements can improve workplace well-being and creativity by 15% and productivity by 6%.
The latest beautiful thinkers featured in the campaign, workplace interior specialists, Peldon Rose, specialise in taking inspiration from natural surroundings to create more positive, engaging and enjoyable spaces to work.
Interface’s biophilic-inspired products have been a source of inspiration to Peldon Rose and feature in many of its innovative projects. Steve Taylor, Project Director at the company, explains: “The incorporation of nature-inspired materials and elements can help create more positive working environments that stimulate the senses – increasing focus and productivity, sparking creativity and reducing stress.”
The interior design of the London HQ of digital agency, Essence, provides a powerful example of how Peldon Rose employed biophilic principles to create a more inspiring and productive workspace. In the project, which features several ranges from Interface’s Urban Retreat collection, Peldon Rose took inspiration from outdoor elements and features to help create spaces that were both calming and stimulating. The most notable of these, the Meditation Room, features living moss walls, plenty of indoor planting and streams of natural light.
You can learn more about Peldon Rose and its work through its Beautiful Thinking page.
Biophilia in the City
The shift to new to ways of working and the momentum nature-inspired design is gaining in the workplace is also reflected in Interface’s new Biophilic Guide of London.
This unique guide, featuring 22 of the capital’s most outstanding and beautiful nature-inspired spaces, celebrates inspirational examples of biophilia across the city. It forms part of Interface’s ambition to inspire architects and designers to further harness the power of nature themselves one city at a time – starting with London.
From pocket-parks to offices, shops to hotels, the spaces have been carefully shortlisted and curated by: architectural interior and biophilic design expert, Oliver Heath; Chief Executive at Open City, Rory Olcayto; and Interface.
Heath explains: “London has a vast variety of spaces which provide some truly awe-inspiring biophilic moments. All the locations featured in the guide are great spaces that allow visitors to recuperate, reenergise and relax.”
Get your copy – either digitally or as a hard copy – and start exploring here.
