What an Insider Wants with the Outside

Inside it can be void of the big lights and shapes are formed with only the dancing multi-colored lights cast from my lamps.

Inside I can balance the temperature and humidity precisely to my comfort.

I can decorate time with the perfect playlist from my specialized speakers, without unwelcome auditory interruptions.

Inside I can access all of my favorite items and deliberately collected resources. I can create the perfect space, my perfect space.

On the other hand, outside lures you with all the intrigue of the open sea and meets you with all the unpredictability of turning tides.

Outside, the sun's kiss soon turns into an unbearable boil.

Or a refreshing cold breeze soon bites with piercing bitterness down to your bones.

An inviting brush of greenery can obscure countless threats. And when you’re done with it, the outside clings to you, forcing you to take the dissonant scents of it back to wherever you return.

Don’t get me wrong, I am in awe of nature and enjoy the gifts she offers. Many of which I can enjoy from the inside. I can find the sun spot in my living room and share it with my cat. I can people-watch and animal-watch and ogle at the scenery from my window - all from the comfort of my curated little space.

But better yet, I can bring the beauty of nature carefully, artfully, considerately into my space. I can practice biophilic design. I use practice here because I do believe it quite a universal experience that we as humans find divinity in nature; can be overwhelmed with emotion, can have quasi-religious revelations in the midst of breathtaking landscapes. Thus, to practice biophilic design is to open ourselves up to the numinous, inviting it in rather than seeking it out.

Billions of humans fall prey to the disconnectedness from so much of that which makes us human - the bigger picture. We are but stardust on a floating rock in an infinite universe. When I think of nature I am reminded of that bigger picture, of our place on this earth, our connections to each other and the beyond. This reminder goes a long way to soothe the soul.

Imagine - the soft trickle of moving water, the lush greens of a forest palette, the ever-changing light show of the day's weather. Now, imagine them thoughtfully incorporated, tailored to what moves you in just the right way into your space, fitting you like a glove. The pleasure and lessons of nature just for you, a world in itself to fall into. Through biophilic design you can not just stand witness to the majesty of nature, but accept the invitation to become co-creator.

That’s why I practice biophilic design.

And that’s what an insider wants with the outside.

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