What I Learned About Bringing Nature Indoors After 38 Years in the Same House
You know, when you’ve lived in the same house as long as I have, you start to notice things about how spaces affect people. My wife and I have been…
Biophilic design furniture: Natural Materials in Modern Spaces
Walking through my friend Sarah's house last Tuesday, I couldn't help but run my fingers along the edge of her new dining table. The grain pattern in that piece of…
Biophilic design workshop: Hands-On Learning with Nature
You know what's funny? I used to think teaching was something I'd never do. Too messy, too unpredictable. Give me a nice, quiet design studio any day over a room…
Biophilic designs: Inspiring Examples from Around the World
Standing in the lobby of Singapore's PARKROYAL on Pickering, I couldn't help but laugh at myself. Here I was, a supposedly seasoned design professional, completely mesmerized by what looked like…
What is Biophilic Design (Definitions)
The first time someone told me I was a biophile, I thought they were making a joke. I’d been talking about my obsession with bringing nature into spaces, my collection…
Biophilic podcast: Learning About Nature-Based Design
The phone rang at 7:43 AM last Tuesday – I know because I was staring at my coffee maker, willing it to brew faster. It was Marcus from the architecture…
Is Concrete a Green Building Material? Environmental Analysis
You know what's funny? Three weeks ago I was standing in front of a concrete mixer at a job site in Tacoma, watching the driver dump load after load of…
Finding Office Furniture That Won’t Slowly Kill You (A Specs Writer’s Hard-Won Guide)
My neighbour’s text hit my phone at 6:47 AM last Tuesday. “Hey, you’re the building materials guy… where do I get a desk that won’t poison my family?” She’d been…
What I Learned About Restore Design Build Firms When Our Church Needed Help
You know, after thirty-eight years in the same house and seven years volunteering with our church’s building committee, I thought I’d encountered every type of contractor out there. Regular contractors,…
Eco-Friendly Furniture Themes for Interior Design
Last Tuesday, I found myself staring at a client's living room filled with what she proudly called "sustainable furniture," and I had to bite my tongue. The coffee table? Bamboo…