Living with Nature

Future 100- Rooted Reassurance Living with Nature Design Essay Written by Amalia Phillips (N0839028)

Living with Nature The ‘Living with Nature’ brief was developed to create an experience that brings the benefits and feelings brought by outdoor nature immersion to an indoor space. In the first part of this essay, research was conducted around the psychological aspect of nature immersion with the benefits on mental health and well-being. Looking into how the use of natural materials, earthy tones and scent play a part within products, referring to the senses of touch, sight, and smell.

A key piece of information found by psychologist Mathew White at the University of Exeter was that people who spent two hours a week outdoors going for a walk or visiting other outdoor areas were more likely to conclude good psychological well-being than of those who didn’t of the 20,000 volunteers that took part in the study. “It’s well-known that getting outdoors in nature can be good for people’s health and well-being… two hours a week is hopefully a realistic target for many people, especially given that it can be spread over an entire week to get the benefit.” (White et al, 2019.)

Due to the lack of greenery within cities, the intention of the project is to create a product that brings the benefits of outdoor immersion into an indoor space. The product will be able to act as a substitute for the times not spent outdoors, creating a peaceful and safe environment within the home to also help reduce stress and anxiety amongst many. “Nature is not only nice to have, but it’s a have-to-have for physical health and cognitive functioning” (Louv, 2016). Many studies have shown that time in nature provides a feeling of safety and an antidote for stress, reducing nervous system arousal, enhancing the immune system functions, and increasing self-esteem.

The second part of this essay delves into the initial ideas, broadening into the developments made into concepts that accurately compliment the brief, with the final section of the essay explaining the product outcome and details. Having a biophilic approach when designing and decorating homes protects the mind and body, maintaining the connection with nature to produce a feeling of nature within homes to improve emotional health and well-being. The design specifications outlined that the product must incorporate the use of natural materials such as wood, shapely ceramics, glass, or indoor plants, with biophilic connections such as light or water to create emotions brought by outdoor nature immersion to the indoor environment.

Exposure to the Natural World Exposing the natural world to people has many benefits on brain function and promotes psychological health when incorporating plants and natural materials into the home. This has shown to create a calm space with restorative qualities that helps reduce stress and anxiety, which is a worldwide problem that affects one in four people (World Health Organization: WHO, 2001). There is a lack of green spaces within many cities, and a predicted 68 percent of people are to be living within cities by the year 2050, (Mair, 2020).

Green spaces are vital for human well-being and the practice of nature immersion is a reason so many people choose to bring nature into their homes.

Nature immersion is a treatment prescribed by doctors to patients suffering from anxiety, depression, and other cognitive disorders, the natural environment provides a feeling of comfort and safety, with many psychiatrists referring to nature immersion as an antidote to help improve mood and even enhance the immune system functions. This feeling of surrounding yourself in nature carries through into interior spaces, using earthy colours to portray a connection to nature, inducing a calm and protected environment for many.

“The word biophilia originates from the Greek, ‘philia’ meaning ‘love of’, a love of life or living things. Humans have a deeply ingrained love of nature which is an intuitive and natural drive imprinted into our DNA. Researchers believe this to be a reason that we have thrived as species, helping us to locate the most fertile land, cultivate food, and nurture new life. We have a psychological need to be in contact with nature and the natural world” (Planteria, 2020).

The benefits of using organic materials within homes is that they can calm and centre people mentally and emotionally, simply because they remind us of the peace and tranquillity within the natural world. Having the touch of natural materials within your home may not be as cheap as some man-made materials but are often better for overall health and contentment. Many people choose man-made materials over naturally sourced materials as they are more accessible and cheaper but natural materials are more sustainable as they are renewable and better understood by designers and usually last longer. Kelly Hart of Green Home Building explains that “natural materials can be sourced locally, have very little, if any, embodied energy, do not off-gas toxic fumes, and in the case of wood and bamboo, are renewable...by definition, they are very green materials” (Respira Team, 2020).

Visually surrounding ourselves with the colours of nature and having plants has shown to improve overall health and positively affect mental health by rooting people further to nature. Earthy colours bring the outside into our homes, and these tones work well styled with natural wood, reclaimed furniture, shapely ceramics, and indoor plants. A natural palette within our homes also comforts us and brings homely contentment, as well as natural textures such as wood grains which add a touch of nature to the indoors and can be utilised into any interior scheme.

Scent plays a great part in our mental health and well-being, as all scents must pass through the limbic system before they are even recognised; this part of the brain is responsible for emotions and memories. Research has shown that due to this strong neural pathway these unfiltered messages and responses have a definite impact on our physical and emotional well-being. Certain fragrances and oils have significant measurable effects on mood, in particular stress, happiness, and relaxation. (Studio SSEY, 2021).

Immersing ourselves in nature and bringing natural materials, colours, and scents into the home helps to improve mental health and well-being, but it is not the sole solution. This is a limitation of the product as cases of stress and anxiety can be helped to an extent with the feelings brought by the product, but it may not be as useful for long-term mental illness, and this should be treated with therapy and prescribed medication.

Biophilic Design for Home The concepts were created around circular forms as the circle is omnipresent in nature. A preference for circular shapes is ingrained into everyone’s brain from birth, and an eye-tracking study conducted in 2011 found that at five months of age, infants already show a clear visual preference for convex and contoured lines over straight, harsh lines. The part of the brain called the amygdala is involved in processing stimuli that induce fear and anxiety, and sharp-cornered objects have shown to cause much greater activation than rounded objects. (Lima, 2017). Most of the research conducted in this area show that as humans we prefer shapes and objects that evoke feelings of safety and are not fond of sharp angles and pointed features on objects. The curvilinear shape and circle symbolise all the attributes that attract us, the form is safe, graceful, simple, and a shape that induces feelings of calmness, peacefulness, and relaxation.

The design ideas created aim to capture the essence of outdoor nature immersion and bring the feelings created to an indoor space, incorporating the use of natural materials and colours, playing with scent and circular forms. Initial designs such as sculptural planters and indoor seaters were established to create a bespoke centre piece for the home, creating a sole area for the product to be used in. Looking at natural forms such as sand dunes, wood grains, the way rivers meander and leaf vein patterns allowed the interpretation of many designs, especially the imprinted homeware sets that were created to mirror the vein structure of leaves and lavender flower pattern.

Concept One The wooden and frosted glass diffuser was the first concept developed after exploring multiple convex and circular shapes that relate directly back to the research undertaken. The light feature alongside the diffuser gives a biophilic connection to the product, as well as the natural wooden base and brown frosted glass. The glass top sits over the diffuser base and can be easily lifted off and removed, so that essential oils can be added. Some useful essential oils can be used such as bergamot which has skin healing and anxiety reducing properties, frankincense can also be used to enhance mood and reduce stress, and lavender is used to induce feelings of calm as well as help with sleep.

Concept Two The wooden and glass indoor planter was the second concept created alongside the research that not many people immerse themselves in the outdoors for the recommended weekly amount, so the planter brings the natural environment indoors to bring on feelings of nature immersion. The planter can be used as a start-up desk top greenhouse to help germinate plants or to keep existing plants in a contained and warm space to grow. The simple design and curvature of the planter is designed to create feelings of calm and peacefulness, as the shape brings an innate feeling of safety to the home. The circle is ever-present within nature, so the use of the shape, natural materials and plants gives a direct connection to nature.

Concept Three The wooden and ceramic diffuser with the additional planter was the final concept developed alongside the research of materials, earthy colours, and the senses. The use of natural materials promotes psychological well-being and centres people emotionally as it creates a restorative space that helps reduce stress and anxiety, also reminding us of the peaceful harmony of the natural world.

The earthy tones bring the feeling of the outdoors into the home and work well with the additional plant feature. This optional feature allows people to have more greenery within their homes and acts as a pinpoint for their attention when working. Having plants within your home has been proven to increase concentration, achieve better at attention-based tasks and improve productivity by up to 15 per cent. When your attention shifts to the plants in your environment it provides a break from the computer screen and heightens concentration (Struttandparker, 2018). Bringing nature into your home may not be the same as outdoor immersion but it has proven to reduce stress levels and rejuvenate your mind and body, nevertheless. The essential oils are added into the base of the product and the mist diffuses through the top ceramic surface surrounding the plant. Due to the strong neural pathways created when certain scents are processed, they have significant effects on mood, relating to stress, happiness, and many emotions. The product can bring the feelings of outdoor nature immersion by connecting the consumer to nature using plants, natural materials, scent, and the visual stimulant of the design.

The final concept had the most diversity and was taken further to develop. The additional element of the glass top of the first concept was ideated further to create a variation of concept three with a new brown glass top. This would add an extra biophilic approach to the design as the glass would allow hydro-planting inside the middle section instead of the use of soil.

The Tranquil Diffuser The Tranquil Diffuser was finalised after critically reflecting upon the design alongside the research carried out throughout the project. The product displays details of shape, material considerations, connections to nature, and highlights the overall effects on brain processing to create a feeling of tranquillity that provides a peaceful and restorative space within the home.

The final product was established after developing a combination of the first and third concept, creating a diffuser with a black walnut wooden base, brown glass top and a central planter feature. The planter’s sole purpose is to act as a hydro-planter, and no soil is to be used with the product as this prevents any potential damage to the product. The top central hole is to be filled with water so that the plants’ can grow their roots down into the water, which can then be observed through the brown glass. The base of the product contains a light, so the roots of the plant can be easily seen as the light illuminates the water through the glass top.

The form was created after looking at shapes within nature and making the decision that circles and convex shapes are omnipresent and hold an innate feeling of safety within humans (Lima, 2017). The materials were questioned throughout the project as the top section was originally set to be ceramic, but during the development stage the decision to make the top section from brown glass was decided as the tone and earthy colour of the glass adds more biophilia to the product. Due to the clear, polished finish of the glass, with the use of both water and light, it allows the consumer to see the progressive growth of the plant and the roots forming within the water. The black walnut wooden base compliments the brown glass as both have similar colour tones but contrast in material texture.

The diffuser is used by lifting the glass top off and filling the base with water, adding the relevant essential oils needed. The wooden base has a built-in glass layer and lining so that no water damage encounters the walnut wood. The ultra-sonic diffuser is powered by the ceramic disk plate which vibrates, creating ultrasonic waves that break the oil into microscopic particles, the diffuser then releases the fine mist of essential oil and water into the air. The product uses a micro-usb cable to recharge the diffuser, this allows the product to be placed anywhere within the home, reducing any restrictions. There are only two buttons on the body of the product, one turning on the light with a second click turning it off, and the second button controls the diffuser, turning it on and off with two clicks. The buttons sit flush and concealed within the base adding simplicity to the product. As the top is made from thick brown glass, it will allow the user to lift the top part off without any hesitation that the central water planter might spill after being filled.

The diffuser produces a calm and tranquil feeling within the home, enhancing mood and emotions with the use of scent and visually stimulating the mind with the use of the circular body. The use of natural materials allows for a non-toxic product and environment, with the additional planter connecting the consumer further to nature. All these features produce an equal feeling of outdoor nature immersion, amplifying feelings of peace and safety with reduced feelings of stress and anxiety.

Restoring feelings of Nature Throughout this project, research was conducted into the psychological benefits of outdoor nature immersion, incorporating natural materials and plants into the home. This has shown to create a calming space with restorative qualities as said by the Respira team, so further context was added by enhancing the senses with scent and visual stimulus of circular shapes. This research led the three main concepts created and drove the third to become the final design. The final design creates a feeling of peace and safety within the home, reducing feelings of stress and anxiety simultaneously. The essential oils within the diffuser pass through the brain responsible for emotions and memories, creating subconscious emotions dependant on the oils used, relating back to the research conducted by STUDIO SSEY. The natural materials and colour palette provide a neutral tone that complement each other, as the materials contrast in texture but the brown earthy tone remains in both, as in nature. The product can be styled up anywhere within any home due to the simplicity of the design and the product is rechargeable so can be placed anywhere. The Tranquil diffuser contrasts from other diffusers on the market as many have a plastic interior and exterior and are not as easily recyclable, many must be plugged in to work and this restricts where the diffuser can be placed. The Tranquil diffuser connects the consumer further to nature by incorporating a built-in hydro planter allowing plants to flourish within their home.

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