By Briana Hilton, Contributor
Biophilic design—which involves strengthening the human-nature connection—is a hot design trend in residential and commercial design, with studies showing that nature has powerful benefits for human mental health.
Studies have shown, for instance, that spending just a few minutes in nature can reduce stress, boost the mood, and hone people’s focus. So why shouldn’t restaurants also benefit from this?
If you are about to launch a brand-new dining space or just looking to improve your connection to your restaurant’s guests, hopping on the biophilic design trend can help attract audiences who are in the mood for a relaxing experience where their senses of sight, touch, and taste are pampered.
Dining Amidst the Vibrant Colors & Smells of a Garden
An al fresco meal becomes far more enjoyable when as many senses as possible are pampered. If your restaurant is located in an area with a mild climate, consider investing in professional landscaping to boost your business’ visual impact. Ask your landscapers to include seasonal plants, as well as perennial and annual ones, so the colors and fragrances in your garden can vary with the seasons.
The ultimate selection of plants, shrubs, and trees will depend on the planting zone your restaurant is located in. Some zones (such as that covering the southern US and part of the west coast) are warm and can therefore house bright flower planters and lawns. Others (such as the southern parts of Alaska) have very low minimum temperatures, but are still useful for growing perennial native flowers, as well as irises, coneflowers, day lilies and phlox.
Growing Your Own Vegetables & Herbs
If you have a large outdoor space, you may decide to compartmentalize it and set aside a space for a vegetable and herb garden. Few things are quite as appealing as dining while smelling herbs like rosemary, basil, or thyme. The upside of growing edible herbs is that you can use them in your cooking. You can also think of appealing ways to grow plants like cabbages, tomatoes, and lettuce. Even if you have a small space, you can use equipment like a tower garden, which requires very little water and is therefore a very sustainable way to grow produce.
Growing your own vegetables and herbs, even if not 100% of your supply, can also be a great point of differential from your competitors. It’s like farm-to-table but on a meta level. So be sure to market your garden to your guests in-person, in your emails, and social media.
Bringing the Natural World Indoors
One of the most important tenets of biophilic design involves filling indoor spaces with plants and ensuring that natural light floods through interior space.
To embrace the uplifting power of light, consider replacing opaque walls with sliding glass doors or floor-to-ceiling walls. Bring in large potted plants and hang smaller ones from the ceiling. You can separate different dining areas or create a private VIP or events dining space with a vertical garden. It is actually very easy to grow an indoor green wall with plants like the pothos, lipstick plant, sword fern, rabbit’s foot fern, peace lily, wedding vine, and dragon plant.
Adding an ‘Instaglam’ Touch to Your Premises
Diners who visit your restaurant will undoubtedly want to share their experience with their friends on Instagram and other channels. When you hear the words #InstaFood, your mind probably conjures up short stories of food on a table, with little else to entice viewers.
Prioritizing green design enables your clients to take a wider variety of photos that shows off your interior and exterior spaces, as well as your chef’s creations. Encourage your clients to pose for a few snaps by including features such as wall backdrops covered in vines or flowers. Make your table decor more inviting by embellishing runners with anything from small potted plants to boho-chic wild grasses. These design features enable diners to feel truly embraced by nature, but it also ensures that a touch of green is visible in practically every photograph they take.
Going Beyond Living Plants
Biophilic design involves more than simply filling a space with plants. It extends to evoking nature imagery in any way you can. Popular design choices include the use of the color green for furnishings and walls, materials like wood on tables and ceiling beams, stone on walls and in bathrooms, and nature-inspired prints and murals on walls and floors.
Flowing water is another design feature that make people feel more like they are dining in the midst of an outdoor paradise. Some restaurants grace their terrace dining spaces with designer fountains. Others opt for modern designs such as glass wall fountains, which can also be used to divide your restaurant into distinct spaces. The sound of water has been found in numerous studies to generate a sense of calm, which is exactly the mood your guests should be in if they are to enjoy a mindful meal in your establishment.
Biophilia is trending in modern interior and garden design. It involves blurring the distinction between architecture and nature. It extends to embracing nature-inspired imagery, natural materials, and indoor plants. The idea is to allow human beings to avail of the calming effect that plants, trees, and edibles can have on their body and mind.
