26 June 2024
Adding a single indoor plant or one green sofa in hundreds of square feet doesn’t make your workplace biophilic. Let’s address the common misconceptions about what a biophilic design is.
Authentic biophilic design goes beyond the superficial nods of an artificial plant. Instead, a thoughtful approach integrates natural elements like sunlight, views, and greenery to evoke the senses and help establish a genuine connection between the indoors and nature.
One green-painted corner or one window exerts superficial effects on employees. A biophilic workplace is more about curating an immersive experience. Thoughtfully designed spaces have the entire square footage in natural tones and elements.
In biophilic designs, context is the key! A disconnected space, for example, an out-of-palette color or extremely contrasting natural materials, never does any good. What works in one environment might feel out of place in another.
For example, only some landscape colors are green. Thus, it’s vital to consider the design’s characteristics and essence while weaving in biophilia.
Bring the outdoors in with various indoor plants strategically placed throughout the workplace. A nature-filled workplace is 15% more productive and boosts cognition by 26%. Indoor plants are known to improve air quality and enhance aesthetics, which also have a calming effect on employees’ minds.
Add intelligent storage features like Uno smart lockers that introduce greenery even in the locker rooms with the provision of planters on top.
Pro tip: Opt for low-maintenance plants like succulents, snake plants, and pothos, which demand minimal upkeep and simultaneously induce the much-needed greenery.
Introduce the warmth of natural materials like bamboo, stone, and wood to the workplace. Natural textures evoke a sense of connection with nature and add visual interest. Consider adding the Admiral cabin range to the cabin for a rustic appeal. The all-wood look of the furniture ensures warmth and comfort in the room.
Pro tip: Make sure to mismatch complementing materials with the existing mood board of the space. Play with tones to enhance interest in the space.
Welcome natural light to make the workplace bright and uplifting. Position the work desks next to the windows to maximize exposure to daylight and benefit from the natural views. Another advantage of letting in natural light is that it cuts down on power consumption, thus keeping the workplace sustainable.
Pro tip: Choose sleek furnishing options to let natural light pass through unobstructed. Bulky elements often block light and cast shadows, disrupting work.
Embrace shapes associated with nature, like leaves, shells, spirals, ovals, etc., that positively impact humans. Shapes resisting angles offer a flowing form and curate a more engaging environment.
Craft a free-flowing look with Socio collaborative soft seating with its organic shape. The curved seating enhances collaboration and serves as an element of interest in the workplace. You can even introduce planters on the side. It will make the collaborative areas more aesthetically pleasing and comfortable.
Pro-tip: Curate a balanced mix of organic shapes and rectilinear elements for a dynamic composition.
Borrow the tones from nature and add them to your mood board. Pick colors close to nature’s scale, like beige, green, blue, and earthy tones. These enhance well-being and make a warm impression.
Introduce ANND workstations in natural tones like green, beige, etc. These workstations impart a modern flair to the design. The provision for planters on the spacious desk keeps the employees connected to nature.
Pro-tip: Pick muted tones like soft green or beige for a calm ambiance. For vibrancy, go for tones like deep olive, brown, burnt sienna, etc.
Let employees work alongside nature to blur the lines between the indoors and outdoors. Biophilic designs promote well-being at the workplace, be it physical or mental fitness. Take inspiration from nature’s tones, textures, and forms. Biophilic spaces promote happiness, productivity, and efficiency in modern workplaces.
With most workplace designs defined by furniture, make sure to thoughtfully select each element to curate spaces that uplift and inspire.
Kirit JoshiCo-Founder & Director – Spacewood
Kirit Joshi, a natural entrepreneur with a mechanical engineering degree from VNIT Nagpur and a couple of years of experience in the modular furniture industry, co-founded Spacewood Furnishers Pvt. Ltd. in 1994 as a Director along with his college mate Vivek Deshpande. Later in 2011, he co-founded Spacewood Office Solutions Pvt. Ltd, where he plays a role as Director, apart from other group companies. Starting as a small establishment with a 2000 sq.ft. space; 10 workers and a modest investment, Kirit Joshi’s hard work and determined entrepreneurship helped to take the company past the 100 Crore mark in just about ten years and eventually become a market leader.
Vivek DeshpandeCo-Founder & Director – Spacewood
Vivek Deshpande, a mechanical engineer from VNIT Nagpur started his career in the modular furniture industry, but quickly found that his true calling in establishing a manufacturing unit of his own. Eventually, he teamed up with his college mate Kirit Joshi and he jointly set up Spacewood Furnishers Pvt. Ltd. in 1994 as a Director. Later in 2011, he co-founded Spacewood Office Solutions Pvt. Ltd, where he plays a role as Director, apart from other group companies. His keen skills and intuition and the decisive push into a nascent industry in India (at that time), gave him and the company a first-mover advantage and these factors contributed greatly to the rapid growth and emergence of Spacewood Furnishers Pvt. Ltd. as a giant player in the modular home furniture business over the last two decades.
Nitin SudameFounder & Managing Director SOS
Nitin, an entrepreneur, founded Spacewood Office Solutions (SOS) in 2011, leading it to prominence in the office furniture segment. With over 34 years of industry experience, including roles at leading companies like Thermax Ltd. and Blow Plast Ergonomics Ltd. (BPEL), Nitin’s expertise in material management and logistics has been instrumental. As Director of Spacewood Furnishers and co-founder of SOS, he prioritizes employee development and fosters a strong company culture. Under his leadership, SOS has become one of India’s fastest-growing modular office furniture companies, driven by his ability to build high-performance teams and nurture enduring client relationships.
