Have you ever searched for photos of biophilic designed homes on the internet?
What I noticed is that although there are many principles to biophilic design, what comes up the most are these strikingly beautiful nature views that can be admired from biophilically designed houses as the architects/designers implement probably the most important of the indirect experiences of nature; That is nature views.
What you see outside your kitchen window in the morning whilst you are preparing your breakfast is important.
Here I take a look at:
The best morning routines following a biophilic lifestyle
Suggestions from neuroscientists (Huberman lab) for a morning routine
What neuroaesthenics suggest the effect beauty has on us and why
My favourite nature views from kitchen windows I would like to wake up to in the morning.,
Morning routine between biophilia and neuroscience
As I mentioned in one of my previous posts, there are a few “rules” to start your day with good biophilic habits; to these, I also added some of the suggestions by Prof Huberman on morning routines to optimize our energy throughout the day and to really create a sense of wellbeing inside our body.
We must remember to GO TO THE WINDOW AND LOOK OUTSIDE
- Open the curtains to let the sunlight in …possibly get at least 10 mins of natural light ( even if covered by clouds) without sunglasses
- You need to trigger the cortisol pulse to get as much energy generated in your body.
- Open the window to let fresh air in – Clean air enhances your energy, focus, performance and productivity instantaneously
- Hydrate first thing and always!
- Delay intake of caffeine by 60-90 mins after wake up
- Exercise in the morning (not necessarily the first thing)
- Possibly (and this definitely takes some courage!) ..Cold shower in the morning after exercising
Wow that is a lot! ….
But once done, we can now finally sit down and have a nice cuppa coffee.
And here we go to the kitchen… and what a kitchen!
My favourite nature views from kitchen windows
Yes, because to increase even more our good mood for the day, a good intake of beauty does just the trick, and nothing beats nature views. this is definately something you ought to consider as you implement indirect experience with nature in planning your biophilic designed home
( a collection from pinterest)
Credit interiors RDAI, Building Renzo Piano . source Architectural Digest
landscapes and dreams Tumblr
credit: Jonathan Tuckey designs
Credit Holman House by Durban Block Jaggers . source : Deezen
source: pinterest
source: pinterest1
The effect beauty has on us for the rest of the day
According to the science of neuroaesthetics, visualizing beauty for us is also a physical necessity.
Don Ruggles, in his book “Beauty, neuroscience and architecture” explained this exquisitely. We also had the honour of having him as a guest on “the happy healthy home show” last year. (you can view the complete interview in our community)
As explained by Don Ruggles, a pleasure response happens when your brain processes a scene, that includes aspects of being familiar, non threatening and has a potential for pleasure.
When these three aspects are met then the brain goes into rest and relaxation, an efficient processing mode that the brain likes because it doesn’t have to stress out. The brain then releases the feel good hormones (dopamine) which in turn generates a feeling of pleasure…. And so the expression we use for this is “it’s beautiful”.
This brings to us the concept (and feeling ) of Awe , which is one of the principles of biophilic design that intrigues me the most.
Awe can be generated by the outstanding natural views. It is in these moments that we can really feel connected not only to nature, but the universe, at times making us feel small (almost insignificant) before the immensity and beauty creation itself. It is also this sensation of belonging to something bigger than us that generates a sense of awe.
In these moments, if we stop and linger in our heart, we can draw on the vital energy that comes from beauty. How do you feel in front of the Northern Lights? – And just imagine some gets to see this from their kitchen window!
credit: victoriya89 – getty images
However not all of us are lucky enough to have these incredible views outside our kitchen windows so what to do.
Well, we can still find a way to connect to the natural world if we have plants in our homes ( which if you have started your biophilic journey .. I hope so). Take a few moments in the morning to look after your plants and pets. Talk to them and listen to them, deepen your daily connection.
Art is another expression of beauty and awe, so if you do not have a direct view of the natural world maybe you have an indirect view, through a painting or a sculpture, or another form of art. Enjoy it in the morning whilst you sip your coffee, listen to natural sounds … set yourself up for a positive day.
In the meantime I hope you enjoyed these photos of beautiful kitchens I selected and which I hope are also built sustainably!
If you would like to know a bit more about the benefits of recreating an experience of awe check out my post HERE
OR join our on line community where you can access a lot more information and connect with like- minded peers.
Thanks for reading and sharing