The Lab / Biophilic Design 101
The 14 Patterns of Biophilic Design
Biophilic design is the art of bringing nature into the places we live and work. Designers often describe it through fourteen patterns. Here they are in plain English, each with a simple way to try it at home.
The idea behind biophilic design is simple: people have a deep, built-in connection with nature, and spaces that reflect that connection tend to feel calmer and more welcoming. In 2014, the sustainability consultancy Terrapin Bright Green set out fourteen patterns that designers now use as a shared language. They fall into three groups.
Good to know: you don't need all fourteen. Most homes start with two or three, and plants alone cover several at once.
Nature in the space
Visual connection with nature
Being able to see living things, such as plants, trees, sky or water, from where you sit.
Try it: Place a plant where your eye naturally lands from your sofa, bed or desk, not tucked in a corner.
Non-visual connection with nature
Engaging the other senses: the sound of rain, the scent of herbs, the feel of soft leaves or rough bark.
Try it: Grow a pot of rosemary or mint on a sunny kitchen windowsill and brush the leaves as you pass.
Non-rhythmic sensory stimuli
Small, unpredictable movements in nature that catch our attention briefly, like leaves stirring or light flickering through branches.
Try it: Hang a trailing plant near an open window so it moves gently in the breeze.
Thermal and airflow variability
Gentle changes in temperature and air movement, like stepping from shade into a patch of sun.
Try it: Create a sunny reading spot with a chair near a window, alongside cooler, shadier corners.
Presence of water
Seeing, hearing or touching water, which many people find soothing.
Try it: Add a small tabletop fountain, or simply a glass vase of cuttings rooting in water.
Dynamic and diffuse light
Light that changes through the day and falls softly, rather than flat, uniform brightness.
Try it: Swap heavy curtains for sheer linen, and let plants cast leafy shadows across the walls.
Connection with natural systems
Noticing natural processes and the passing of seasons: growth, flowering and change.
Try it: Keep a plant that marks the year, like a Christmas cactus that flowers in winter, or a pot of spring bulbs.
Natural analogues
Biomorphic forms and patterns
Shapes, curves and patterns that echo nature, even when they aren't alive.
Try it: Choose a rounded mirror, leaf-print fabric or an arched shelf to echo the plants around it.
Material connection with nature
Natural materials that show their origins, such as wood grain, stone, linen, wool and clay.
Try it: Pot plants in unglazed terracotta or stoneware, and sit them on wooden or stone surfaces.
Complexity and order
Rich detail that still feels organised, like the way a fern's fronds repeat at smaller and smaller scales.
Try it: Group plants in odd numbers at different heights, with one leaf shape repeated to tie them together.
Nature of the space
Prospect
An open, unobstructed view into the distance, which helps us feel relaxed and aware.
Try it: Keep the view from your favourite seat clear, and frame it with plants at the edges rather than in front.
Refuge
A sheltered spot where you feel protected, with your back covered.
Try it: Create a reading nook with a high-backed chair, a soft throw and a tall plant on one side.
Mystery
The promise of more to discover, like a winding path or a partly hidden view.
Try it: Use a tall plant or open shelving to half-screen part of a room, so it reveals itself as you move.
Risk/Peril
A safe hint of thrill, like looking down from a balcony or over a cliff edge.
Try it: This one's harder at home; a high shelf of cascading plants or a dramatic view from a window can give a gentle sense of it.
Where to start
If you'd like to begin today, pick one plant you'll see every day (pattern 1), pot it in something natural (pattern 9) and put it where the light shifts through the day (pattern 6). Three patterns, one plant.
Not sure which plant? Our Plant Finder will suggest one for your light and lifestyle.