Ten modern homes with interiors informed by biophilic design (2024)

Biophilic design, which aims to create spaces in which humans are more connected to nature, is becoming increasingly popular. In this lookbook, we've gathered 10 interiors with soothing biophilic designs.

The design principle can be used in architecture and interior design through the use of natural materials, as well as the integration of more natural light and green plants.

The 10 projects in this lookbook, which range from a Japanese home with decorative scaffolding to an Italian house with an indoor Ficus tree, show how biophilic design has been used in projects all over the globe.

This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen's archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring colorful 1970s interiors, innovative stone furniture and interiors designed using the Color of the Year.

Welcome to the Jungle, Australia, by CplusC Architectural Workshop

The Welcome to the Jungle house in Sydney was designed by architecture studio CplusC Architectural Workshop for its director, Clinton Cole.

Made partly from recycled materials, the building was designed as an experiment in sustainable urban living and has a rooftop vegetable garden as well as an aquaponics system containing edible fish, allowing its inhabitants to live in close connection to nature even in the city.

Find out more about Welcome to the Jungle ›

Daita2019, Japan, by Suzuko Yamada

This Japanese home may look industrial with its unusual permanent scaffolding. But designer Suzuko Yamada effectively brought its inhabitants closer to the environment by creating the steel structure, which allows them to step straight out to the garden on the first floor.

On the second floor, two steel platforms form balconies filled with green plants, while the house's 34 windows in different sizes let in plenty of natural light.

Find out more about Daita2019 ›

Wall House, Vietnam, by CTA

Vietnam's Wall House was made from hole-punctured bricks and has a central atrium that gives the home a courtyard-like feel. Ho Chi Minh City-basedCTA added leafy green plants and trees around the periphery of the room to make it feel almost like a garden.

By using the hole-punctured bricks and adding plenty of light and green plants, the studio hoped to create a house that would be able to "'breathe' 24/7 by itself", it said, thereby improving the home's air quality.

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Ribeirão Preto residence, Brazil, by Perkins+Will

Perkins+Will's drew on biophilic design principles when creating this house in Ribeirão Preto, a city in southeastern Brazil.

It features retractable glass walls that open the interior up to the outside, as well as tactile wooden screens and a verdant green roof.

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Bat Trang House, Vietnam, by Vo Trong Nghia Architects

A series of elevated gardens function as a natural cooling system in Bat Trang House, which has an exterior made from ceramic bricks that was designed to function as a perforated skin.

Gaps in the ceramic shell function as air vents. These circulate air thorough the home, which also has trees, bushes and other plants peeking out through the gaps and creating a second layer "buffer zone" that cools the interior.

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Sumu Yakushima, Japan, by Tsukasa Ono

This co-operative housing project was designed by architect Tsukasa Ono to have a positive impact on its natural setting. Ono used a principle that he calls "regenerative architecture" to reframe the relationship between human habitation and nature.

Sumu Yakushima was built using wooden piles with charred surfaces that promote the growth of mycelium (fungal threads), encouraging tree root growth and helping to strengthen the soil.

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The Greenary, Italy, by Carlo Ratti Associati and Italo Rota

The Greenary's living space centres around a 10-metre-tall Ficus tree, which designers Carlo Ratti and Italo Rota added to help "blur the boundaries between the natural and artificial".

The home, located in the countryside outside Parma, was designed as a "forever home" in a farmhouse and granary. A fully-glazed southern wall lets plenty of light into the interior and showcases the tree from the outside.

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Pepper Tree Passive House, Australia, by Alexander Symes

This home in Unanderra, Australia, was given an angular addition by architect Alexander Symes. Featuring wood-lined living spaces, it opens onto a terrace that is perched in the canopy of a large tree.

Green plants and a brown and tan colour palette enhance the feeling of being close to nature in the living area.

"Sustainability is at the core of the project – embodied between the natural material palette, high performance design and strong biophilic connection," said Symes.

Find out more about Pepper Tree Passive House ›

The Drawers House, Vietnam, by MIA Design Studio

The Drawers House was designed to maximise the connection to the outdoors while maintaining privacy for its inhabitants and features multiple plant-lined courtyards.

Its white rendered walls have also been covered in plants to enhance the feel of being immersed in nature, while a hallway was decorated with a wall of creeper plants that extend the length of the site.

Find out more about The Drawers House ›

The Cork Studio, UK, by Studio Bark

Studio Bark constructed The Cork Studio almost entirely from cork, a natural material that can be completely recycled, reused or composted.

Made using discarded granules from a wine cork manufacturer, the building was erected around an existing sycamore tree that was growing on the site, giving its interior a cosy treehouse-feel.

Find out more about The Cork Studio ›

This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen's archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring colorful 1970s interiors, innovative stone furniture and interiors designed using the Color of the Year.