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Five ways to bring biophilic design into your home

By Bunnings magazine /

An outdoor timber dining setting with a decorated table laden with herb pots, place settings and lemons showcasing biophilic design.
Bring a sense of wellbeing into the home this spring with these easy home decor ideas.

Spring brings with it a special kind of energy as blossoms put on a dazzling display and leaf buds burst into life. The sense of wellbeing we get from being surrounded by living things is known as biophilia, and one of the easiest ways to incorporate biophilic design in the home is by cultivating plants, inside and out.

Here are five tips on how to bring the best of what spring has to offer into your home and to outdoor dinner parties.

Safety tip: Always wear the appropriate safety equipment (safety glasses, gloves, ear muffs and a mask, for example) and always follow the instructions for the product or equipment. 

Overview of five biophilic design home decor ideas for spring

Spring has sprung, so time to bring colour to your home this spring with these five ideas.

1. Create flower displays around the home: Bring spring indoors with handpicked floral arrangements to decorate and brighten your home.

2. Host a dinner party outdoors: Enjoy the warmer weather and the scents from the garden that spring brings.

3. Herb keepsakes: Get your D.I.Y. on and make some memorable take home herb pots for your dinner party guests.

4. Make small floral arrangements to decorate your outdoor dining setting for when you have visitors over.

5. Vintage-style teacup centrepieces: Plant colourful flowers in vintage-style cups as a table setting showstopper.

1. Use colourful flower layers for an inside spring display

Load up a windowsill or an occasional table or take over a brekkie nook with a display of spring loveliness to mark the new season. Layer in tall specimens, then use plant stands and stools to build the middle layers. Surfaces can be filled with smaller plants and cut flowers in jars and vases. Fill gaps with faux blooms and indoor plants for longevity.

2. Dress up an outdoor table fit for a dinner party

Entertaining in the fresh air is a favourite spring pastime, and dressing the table with fragrant herbs and fruits makes any meal a seasonal celebration. If you don’t have a deck or patio large enough for dining, you can recreate this look inside, too. Surround your table with potted plants to bring the outdoors in. Select dining chairs in warm timber tones to complement your ‘back to nature’ styling.

Two terracotta pots, one with the name Henry, filled with herbs.

3. Make herb keepsakes for dinner party guests

In lieu of placecards, create beautiful and useful growing gifts for guests to take home at the end of the day. Using good-quality potting mix, plant culinary herb seedings in classic terracotta pots and insert pop sticks with your diners’ names written on them with permanent marker. Display on saucers to stop soil escaping through the drainage holes and dirtying the table.

A close-up of a floral centrepiece on a table, with yellow flowers and a candle in a holder.

4. Decorate with floral centrepieces

Grand bouquets may look impressive, but can obscure sightlines over the table. Take a simpler approach for your springtime spread, and fill off-the-shelf plywood craft crates with small flowering plants in 55mm seedling pots. For evening ambience without the risk (or heat) of open flames, nestle a battery-powered LED candle in the middle of each crate.

Colourful, flowering plants displayed in vintage-look crockery.

5. Teacup cache pots

Put a charming twist on high tea and display tiny pots of flowering plants in vintage-look crockery. Op shops and flea markets are a good source of pretty china cups and saucers. Or maybe your grandparents have some that are surplus to requirements – mismatched sets only add to the eclectic look! For extra bragging rights, raise your own seedlings in 55mm pots to sit in the cups.

Keep in mind...

  • Wear gloves and a mask when handling mulch, compost and potting mix. Take care when selecting your plants as some can be poisonous to children and pets, and check their suitability for your region, as some may be classified as weeds in certain states and territories.
  • Store all garden chemicals and products out of reach of children and pets.
  • Wash teacups and saucers thoroughly before re-using.

Want to grow vegetables in pots?

Check out our guide to creating a thriving vegetable garden in pots or containers.

All plants sold separately. Some advertised products and services are not available at some Bunnings stores, but products can be ordered. Bring rugs and soft furnishings inside out of the weather when not in use.

*Available in selected stores only.

 

Photo credit: Guy Bailey.

Health & Safety

Asbestos, lead-based paints and copper chromium arsenic (CCA) treated timber are health hazards you need to look out for when renovating older homes. These substances can easily be disturbed when renovating and exposure to them can cause a range of life-threatening diseases and conditions including cancer. For information on the dangers of asbestos, lead-based paint and CCA treated timber and tips for dealing with these materials contact your local council's Environmental Health Officer or visit our Health & Safety page.

When following our advice in our D.I.Y. videos, make sure you use all equipment, including PPE, safely by following the manufacturer’s instructions. Check that the equipment is suitable for the task and that PPE fits properly. If you are unsure, hire an expert to do the job or talk to a Bunnings Team Member.