Whether or not you are familiar with the term biophilic design, it is time to find out what it can do for you. Especially today, when we are spending so much of our time in our homes due to Covid-19, it is crucial to consider incorporating biophilic design elements into our environment.

What is biophilic design, and why do you need it?

The best way to understand it is by first explaining the biophilia definition:

Biophilia is a desire or tendency to interact, associate, or commune with nature.

In modern interior design, biophilia is more than placing a plant or two in your home. It is about incorporating many design principles into your space to improve health and well-being.

Biophilic design is a connectedness that goes beyond having a fish tank or birdcage and a plant or two in a room. It is about stepping back and looking at ways to integrate the environment through sustained engagement with nature.

Why Is Biophilic Design Important Today?

Before the onset of Covid-19, life was already hectic and stressful. Now, with the home also functioning as a workplace, school, gym, and entertainment zone, it can sometimes seem as though there is no place to escape. Biophilic design is a way to improve well-being, enhance creativity, reduce stress, and expedite healing.

Think for a minute how you feel after taking a leisurely walk through a park or forest. Imagine the sound of a brook running over rocks. Breathe in and smell the earth, flowers, and trees that line the path. Nature connects us to the world around us in ways nothing else can. When you incorporate the natural world into your environment, you help promote health and well-being while reducing heart rate, blood pressure, and stress.

Biophilic design helps foster emotional attachments to our environment by satisfying the human need to affiliate with nature. It is through these attachments that we can increase our productivity, creativity, health, and performance.

What Does Biophilic Design Mean in the Home?

Biophilic design incorporates many aspects into your home, more than just bringing the outdoors in. Modern design elements may include any of the following direct and indirect experiences of nature:

• Water
• Plants
• Air
• Light
• Animals
• Natural Landscapes
• Weather
• Fire
• Images of Nature
• Earth tones or natural colors
• Natural materials
• Sounds

These are only some of the many aspects of biophilic design. With artificial light, air conditioning, synthetic textiles, and mass-produced products filling our homes, it is crucial to incorporate living things or their by-products into our interior design ideas. By-products of living things can be as simple as using bamboo flooring, rattan and wicker furnishings, stone countertops, and natural woods.

Biophilic Design Patterns and What They Mean

There are 14 patterns of biophilic design, and while we will not go into them all here, you can read about them through the link here. However, we do want to touch on some of the most important aspects here and how they benefit overall well-being:

• Presence of Water – reducing stress, lowering blood pressure and heart rate, increasing the feeling of tranquility, improving concentration and memory
• Dynamic & Diffuse Light – enhancement of circadian system functions and increasing visual comfort
• Visual Connection with Nature – lower heart rate and blood pressure, improved attentiveness, attitude, and happiness

A crucial aspect of biophilic design is that it must nurture a love of place. When incorporating naturalistic interior design into a home or office, the role of the designer is to identify the intent of the user, the needs of the space, and the long-term effects of the various components.

By utilizing the natural beauty of the world around us, the home or work environment becomes a place that fosters well-being in every sense of the world. As we look back in time, we find that humans built their structures out of the natural environments, utilizing local timber, stone, and sand. Conjure up the image of a log cabin by a babbling brook and see how that makes you feel. Now, compare that to the modern dwellings and buildings erected from steel, concrete, and other man-made substances.

How to Incorporate Biophilic Design Into Your Home By Bringing Nature Indoors

Interior designers today have more options than ever before to help bring nature indoors. Biophilic design goes much deeper even than we have explored here. Incorporating auditory, olfactory, non-rhythmic sensory, and other stimuli into the home or office can make a significant difference in your life and productivity. Now that you have an idea of how biophilia can impact your environment, it is time to learn “How to Bring Nature Indoors to Improve Your Well-Being.”

Are you ready to take your environment to the next level? HK Interiors can help. Call 954-401-8542 today for more information.

You may see the words remodel vs. renovation used interchangeably, but there are some differences that you should know upfront. Talking to a contractor can be confusing for both of you if you use the wrong terminology. You may mean one thing, but the professional hears it as something else. That is also why utilizing the services of an experienced interior designer is crucial when planning any type of renovation vs. remodel.

Any home upgrades will improve the functionality, aesthetic appeal, and possibly the value of your property. Remodeling can often add more value than a home renovation, as you will see in the sections below.

What Does Home Remodeling Mean?

Our first look into the differences between a home remodel vs. renovation focuses on remodeling. Here, you may be altering the design or structure of your home. Remodeling can also mean changing the purpose of a room, such as making a bedroom into an office or a den into a movie room.

Home remodeling projects often cost more than renovations. They are typically more complex in design and may require changes in plumbing, electrical, or construction elements. Permits are often necessary for remodeling.

Often called a home renovation loan, borrowing money can help you complete a remodeling project that can improve your current home. That is often a factor for people contemplating the decision of a remodel vs. move. They find it economically beneficial to improve their existing home rather than to upgrade to a new home.

Some types of home remodeling include:

• Tearing out or building a wall to change the dimensions of a room
• Adding on new space, whether a second floor or new room
• Expanding the size of an existing room or reconfiguring its shape or layout
• Changing the position of appliances, cabinets, and sinks
• Altering the purpose of a room

What Does Home Renovation Mean?

Next up in our look at remodel vs. renovation, we focus on the often-simpler aspect of renovating a room or home. Some renovations may require the pulling of a permit, which your contractor will handle. If you are a do-it-yourselfer, please familiarize yourself with how to renovate a house to avoid any problems in your city.

Renovation changes or updates the feel and look of a room or home, without altering its purpose. For example, when you renovate a bathroom, it is still a bathroom. You have just changed how it looks through upgrades.

Here are some common types of home renovations:

• Installing new flooring or lighting
• Painting
• Changing cabinets or knobs (without altering the current kitchen design)
• Putting in new faucets or a new sink
• Replacing rotting wood

As you can see, when looking at a remodel vs. renovation, it can be more costly and time-consuming for a renovation, but it can change the functionality of your home.

Remodel vs. Renovation vs. Relocation

If you are trying to decide between upgrading your home or moving, please check out our other blog, remodeling vs. relocating.

Whether contemplating a renovate vs. remodel of your current property, HK Interiors can help you transform your home or office into the vision you desire. Call 954-401-8542 today for more information.

Decisions, decisions – it seems like they are never-ending. For many people, one of the most challenging decisions they face is this: remodeling vs. relocating. Do you stay, or do you go?

Deciding whether to stay and remodel or move to a new home that suits your needs is often stressful. Moving requires selling your current home, finding a new home, sorting through years of accumulated belongings, packing, unpacking, and reorganizing and decorating in a new place. Home renovation may also require organizing and packing while the work is done.

That leads us to another big question: what is the difference between a remodel vs. renovation?

In theory, they may seem the same, as the words are often used interchangeably. However, there are differences, which we will cover in another blog – accessible here. For now, here is what you should keep in mind:

• Remodeling: Altering the design or functionality of the room
• Renovating: Updating the look or feel of the room, keeping its purpose the same

In this blog, we look at remodeling vs. relocating as a way to make your current home more suitable for your family’s needs. Anybody can renovate at any time, improving the aesthetic looks of the space. Remodeling requires a bit more planning, and with the recommended help of an experienced interior designer to assist in the process.

Remodeling vs. Relocating: Decisions, Decisions

One question some people ask is, should I stay in a small house or upgrade to a larger home for my growing family?

The need for more space is often why people consider relocation. However, with the question of remodel vs. move, it may be more cost-effective to put in an addition to your home. An interior designer can take an objective look at your current living situation and help guide you as to whether it is realistic to consider adding on to your house. If so, you will gain the experience of a professional who knows how to renovate a house and has access to industry experts to reduce any worries you might have.

Home upgrades often feature redesigned and remodeled kitchens, bathrooms, and living spaces. Walls may be knocked down or added, all to increase the efficiency and aesthetic appeal of the home.

Remodeling: Why Should I Choose to Stay?

Deciding between remodeling vs. relocating is often challenging, as there may be sentimental reasons why you want to stay in your current home. Perhaps you have raised your children here, and the thought of leaving makes you sad. You may love the neighborhood and the people you have come to know over the years.

Here are the top reasons to stay and chose remodeling vs. buying a new home:

• You love your current home and do not want to leave
• It may cost less to stay and remodel or renovate than to sell and buy a new home and add in moving expenses
• The neighborhood has everything you want, including good schools, convenient shops and restaurants, and friends
• You know what you have – a familiarity with your appliances, utility bills, and potential upkeep costs down the road (you may not have that with your new home)
• If you choose to remodel, you get to choose everything new that you want, personalizing your home to your tastes and style
• Increases the value of your home in the future if and when you do decide to move
• Allows you to be creative with your surroundings
• Creates additional space for your children or grandchildren
• Lets you stay where you are until such time in the future that you will be ready to downsize or make a significant lifestyle change
• Your mortgage may be paid in full
• You love your backyard water views

Home renovation can give you immense satisfaction of turning your beloved home into something even more special than it was. Rather than take out a new mortgage, you may want to consider a home renovation loan that can cover the cost of revitalizing your current house.

Relocating: Reasons to Consider Moving

When contemplating remodeling vs. relocating, there are times when the answer to the question, should I sell my house, is yes. Such as, when your family has outgrown your current home, and there is no way to make it larger or provide additional space. At that time, you should consider a move.

If you are trying to decide whether to renovate or move, here are the top reasons to consider selling and buying a new home:

• You have outgrown your current home, and it cannot be enlarged
• You want a fresh start in a different neighborhood
• There are no emotional ties to the current home or neighborhood
• The value of your current home has made it financially attractive to sell at this time
• You cannot fathom going through a renovation
• You have found the home of your dreams
• It is time to downsize
• Shorter commute time to work
• Want to live closer to  adult children and other family members

Is it better to remodel or buy a new home?

When asking yourself, should I renovate or move, you need to look at the big picture. It helps to make a list of the pros and cons of each option. That way, you will see if it is better to sell or stay and renovate or remodel.

Do you need a fresh perspective as to remodeling vs. relocating? If so, I am happy to come and take a look at your current home and advise you on your options.

HK Interiors can help you transform your current home or office into the vision you desire, or help you redesign your new space. Call 954-401-8542 today for more information.

Have you ever wished you could use your work-related talents to do something creative and fun of your own? That is precisely what I did when looking for a new challenge. Over the course of 7 months, I built a magnificent mini house!

My day job has me designing beautiful home interiors and offices for my clients. For this task, I was builder, designer, and client all rolled into one. Elaine Shaw of MIAIMminiatures has been bringing mini houses back into fashion. These are not doll houses for children, but spectacular design pieces for your home that you can fill with high-end furnishings.

Building the Mini House Task

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Covid-19 has changed many facets of our daily life, with the way we now view our habitats sitting high on the list. In the past, home was the place we would return to at the end of the day. We wanted convenience, comfort, and a relaxing place to unwind. Now, the home has transformed into a workplace, makeshift school, gym, movie theater, entertainment facility, and more. For that reason, hiring an interior designer has never been more beneficial than it is right now.

While many people view hiring an interior designer as an extravagance, others see it as a way of improving the quality of their lives. That is the primary goal of an interior designer – to improve a person’s quality of life through the functionality and aesthetic of their surroundings.

Interior design should inspire, soothe, comfort, enrich, and energize the soul. Today, interior designers must incorporate a person’s style and desires, along with the functionality that might arise out of the necessity of being confined or quarantined at home for days, weeks, or even months at a time.

*Hiring an interior designer can help transform your home into a functional and aesthetically pleasing space. …more