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To Blog
White iceberg rose in Blackburn landscape design

Clivias

October 20, 2020
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Biophilia, Home office, Landscape Design
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Posted by Parveen

Biophilia

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The core areas of biophilia in garden design

The belief that people will spend more on spaces or views that connect with nature.  This has been the case for landscape design where people are realising the benefits of that connection and are therefore more interested in doing up their homes to achieve that goal.

An example landscape design wise is an existent tree with a historical connection with the site.  We would find a way to retain the tree and design the house and garden around it, ensuring that every element looks like it should be there.

Biophilic benefits

As discussed above, biophilic experiences can reduce stress, improve cognitive function, and enhance mood and creativity. These and other outcomes can increase health and wellbeing, as well as productivity.

How can Biophilia help you, your office, and your employees

Try jazzing up your workspace a little with a little plant love and paid attention to how it makes you feel?

I’m sure you’ve noticed that:

  • It brightens what would have been a sterile work environment
  • It puts you in a mood with nature and broke your day up a little but not staring continuously at the PC
  • Your day felt more productive and relaxed
  • You may not have noticed those long working hours?

Why do plants have such an impact though?  I think it’s a combination of both the visual impact and their intrinsic benefits (discussed further below).

There’s valid science behind all of this.  It’s scientifically proven that plants in your workspace improves your mood and productivity.  Why you’d think?  Well maybe they…

  • Create a relaxing and breathing space;
  • Create a social hub to gather (especially for bigger workspaces); or
  • Show a sense of pride and joy of your workspace. Something beautiful to look at to get you to work.
  • Some employees like the idea of having plant “pets” at work
  • Create a calming effect (blues and greens have been proven to have that effect)
  • Create a pop of colour – for example, the use of striking plants like the zebra plant (Aphelandra Squarrosa) will certainly brighten up an otherwise sterile space!

Are there any downsides?

The main downside I can think of is the short-term additional cost to the business for installation and the ongoing cost to maintain it.  The benefits ie from higher productivity, lower absenteeism etc are seen in the long term.  Hopefully, this will outweigh the initial costs.

The other downside is the potential risk of allergies.  This can be mitigated though by contacting the reputable indoor plantscape specialists who have a botanist on board.  Therefore they will make the right plant choices.

What does it mean for your office and the future of office design?

Allow employees to bring their own plant.  Some employees like the idea of having plant “pets” at work. This allow customisation and expression of employee individuality – the office should not be a sterile space especially if you’re a creative organisation, for example.

(Of course I suppose the main guidelines is to keep it in line with the company’s branding strategies!)

Looking into the colours used in the workplace when designing – Blues and greens have a calming effect and have been proven to improve moods.  The use of striking plants eg the zebra plant (Aphelandra Squarrosa) certainly adds a pop of colour to an otherwise sterile space.

If employers are redecorating, seeking employee opinion as they are the ones who are meant to benefit from this exercise and result in higher productivity for the employee.

Looking at other innovative ways of breaking up spaces and at the same time greening it up.  For example, employers can use room divider using systems like the Schiavello wall which houses lots of pots and therefore plants.  Alternately, why not a living vertical garden to divide the office space up rather than a plain boring wall?

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Hungry for more information on biophilic design?

Then check out the following articles:

xxx

In the meantime, visit my past projects below which may give some inspiration!

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Camberwell

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Blackburn

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Caulfield

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If you need further suggestions or design or plantscaping both indoors and outdoors, please contact us for an onsite 90 minute consultation. 

Refer to our packages for further detail on how we can help you in the consults and subsequently throughout your garden implementation process.

Our passion your garden! xx

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ilandscapesolns

Life's a Garden - Dig It! ~ Unknown⁠ ⁠ There a Life's a Garden - Dig It! ~ Unknown⁠
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There are several meanings that I take from this quote.⁠
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The first is that a beautiful garden requires work.  It is a product of the effort that you put into it.⁠
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Secondly, I see it saying to enjoy the garden for what it is.  Enjoy the sanctuary that has been created, that garden bench where you can sit, relax with a cuppa and take in the sunshine.⁠
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And lastly ... when I create a garden for someone, its theirs to explore and to make it something meaningful to them. ⁠
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What do you take away from this quote? 💚⁠
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Not sure if everyone will react the same way BUT I Not sure if everyone will react the same way BUT I LOVE LOVE LOVE this wall. ⁠
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Random picture taking as usual on one of my family trips but I'm glad that I did!⁠
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The textural effect of this wall is amazing and I love how the eye follows it. The different shapes and colours in all the rocks all seem to fit together perfectly as if they were meant to be and draw you in. ⁠
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You feel mesmerised and that you want to follow along the wall and see where it will take you. ⁠
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Perhaps to another garden room or view?  A spot you can hideout in? ⁠
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If this was your garden, what would you like it to lead to?💚
Cool graffiti street art is a huge part of KL cult Cool graffiti street art is a huge part of KL culture and is a testament to the creativity of both Malaysian artists and artists who call Malaysia their home. ⁠
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When it comes to graffiti, a spray can that falls in the wrong hands might result in an amateur-looking piece!⁠
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But being masters at intricate life-sized paintings on walls, the artists behind some of KL’s most iconic street art pieces can be proud of their accomplishments, that’s for sure.⁠
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Here is one example of what these artists can come up with - a typical city scene of the "old part of KL" which is full of character and less involved with skycrapers.  Hopefully their heritage status remains for longer ... ⁠
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I really miss this view of the city as reminds me of my childhood catching a bus with my mother and riding into the city to buy stuff we needed and of everything we saw along the way like street hawkers, FOOD they don't sell anymore.  Colour, people, noise, a variety of everything everywhere.  Something sadly my children will get to miss out on but a characteristic of the cityscape I really enjoyed.  Forever grateful to have had those experiences and history.⁠
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Anyhoo, nostalgia aside, I'm excited to be working with a couple of muralists soon both in KL and in Melbourne and hoping to share the results later with you all! Time to put some art up onto some boring brick or render walls!!! 😍🎨💚
Mount Waverley design completed in 2020.⁠ ⁠ Th Mount Waverley design completed in 2020.⁠
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This is my favourite aerial shot of the garden - a view I won't normally see unless I was a bird making somersaults in the sky! ⁠
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I bet the neighbour's enjoy this view too from their second storey as they have a room which peers out onto this garden and theirs.⁠
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It's really nice, I think, to have others enjoy your beautiful spaces.  Sharing is caring!!! 💚 It wasn't intentional here at all but a lovely by-product of the design and neighbourly atmosphere on this homey suburban street.⁠
⁠
Do you love sharing your garden spaces with others? 🤩⁠
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📷: @PK__photography⁠
Metal garden sculptures are perfect for modern ext Metal garden sculptures are perfect for modern exterior landscapes.⁠
⁠
Their sizing varies from small sculptures to really large ones as they need to suit the space that they are housed in. ⁠
⁠
So you won't expect the same sculpture (or dimensions) to be suit a small courtyard v a larger space like an acreage or even commercial spaces. ⁠
⁠
Here is a teardrop corten one used in our design in Mt Waverley in 2020.  I really love the way it adds a vertical dimension to the garden and is "thin" enough to not detract from the garden space.  Also love the contrast between the rusty metal and bright greens of the grasses that surround it.  Turned out really lovely after all that thinking!!!⁠
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Excited to be working on another incoming project, also based in Mt Waverley, but using a different finish - in brass and a little bit of humour involved based on my lovely clients interests and personality.  So watch this space! 😍💚 ⁠
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📷: @PK__photography⁠
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Billbergia nutans is also known as ‘Queen’s Te Billbergia nutans is also known as ‘Queen’s Tears’ and the friendship plant. ⁠
⁠
It's vibrant flowers are a combination of pink, yellow and green with touches of purple to blue and they appear on tall pink stems beneath pink bracts.  Absolutely STUNNING in my view!!⁠
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This loving plant is one of the easiest to grow in the bromeliad family and can be grown by anybody with little or no experience.⁠
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Love it outdoors but I have a few pots indoors for the greenery as they are pretty hardy but don't flower unfortunately! 😢⁠
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Do you have these in your garden? If so, would love a happy snap that you could share!💚
Weed it and reap. ~ Unknown⁠ ⁠ To reap is “t Weed it and reap. ~ Unknown⁠
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To reap is “to gather a crop” and to sow, “to plant seeds.”⁠
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Life is full of choices. We need to think about our choices and what the consequences of our choices are. ⁠
⁠
I liked the simplicity of this quote plus I'm going mad with weeds in my garden at the moment .... Grrr ... anyone else feel this way right now? 💚
Clients established garden path. ⁠ ⁠ So wonder Clients established garden path. ⁠
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So wonderful that the banksia worked in hers and it looks so amazing!  It has a really cottagey feel about it⁠ and even more wonderful in person!⁠
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I asked a friend what she especially liked about this view and she came back to me that she liked the yellow in the banksia and in the the gate. ⁠
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For her, yellow represents a happy colour.  What does yellow mean to you and what about this picture appeals to you? 💚
The cheery white and yellow flower of the "Fried e The cheery white and yellow flower of the "Fried egg tree". ⁠
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One of my favs although wish it had darker green leaves then it would be perfecto!! ⁠
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As you can see from the picture, its flowers has a similar appearance to those of the Camellia. ⁠
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They flower at the same time of year, i.e. over autumn and into winter which makes it easy to confuse them.  The trick in distinguishing between them is seeing how the flowers fall onto the ground.  The flowers of the fried egg tree fall facing upwards like in the picture, resembling a carpet of fried eggs! ⁠
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Its a small domed shaped tree with interesting bark and could grow to a height and width of up to 4m.⁠
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Can you see this in your garden? 😀⁠
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Glen Iris 22 design.⁠ ⁠ Really can't wait for Glen Iris 22 design.⁠
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Really can't wait for the build to be completed so the landscaping can finally be underway!⁠
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Will be sooooo excited to share across some happy snaps of the actual garden once it's all done as it has a few interesting elements in it that are not only artsy but contemporary too!⁠
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😀 custom corten artwork/lightbox⁠
😀 textural tiles for the alfresco⁠
😀 wild cottage planting (along with the evergreen influence I seem to bring across lol)⁠
😀 feature espaliers⁠
😀 artsy garden door and hidden services area⁠
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It's been in the works for ages due to COVID interruptions and me being stranded overseas for half of 2021 but I'm really glad that I've been part of this project and as a result have got to know a beautiful and kind hearted soul (my client) plus her doggy is so irresistibly gorgeous!!! 💚
What I love about this contemporary sculpture is h What I love about this contemporary sculpture is how real and surreal it is and how it fits into the seaview in the background.  Amazing!⁠ 💚⁠
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Would you like one in your garden?🤩⁠
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#Repost @liquidartsystem⁠. Sculpture by the South Korean artist, Seo Young Deok at Piazzetta di Capri, Capri, along the Amalfi Coast in Italy. (https://www.seoyoungdeok.com/)
Probably strange seeing this on someone's Insta fe Probably strange seeing this on someone's Insta feed but it's of interest to me as I love texture and finding unusual stuff.  I probably have a knack of it LOL!⁠
⁠
This is a snap of a bark of a tree that was part of a grove of trees with similar lichen like formations on it.  I couldn't help noticing it as the outdoor setting where my family and I had gone to for lunch was located within this grove.  Loved the snuggly feeling of the setting being within the grove of trees and then looking out to these lovely coloured textured bark to boot!⁠
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Do share what you find interesting about it?  Is it the manner of the natural cracks, the contrasting colour or how the picture conveys the level of textured bark/lichen involved almost as if you are physically present where the tree is and feeling the bark with your fingertips. 💚⁠
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Swiss lavender farm, vic
Flowers are restful to look at. They have neither Flowers are restful to look at. They have neither emotions nor conflicts. ~ Sigmund Freud⁠
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Did you know that Freud didn't know about meditation and was afraid to look into people's eyes, actually being quite phobic about it. ⁠
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Maybe that's why he preferred flowers? 🤔🌻⁠
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His garden which was already established in the 1930s is still being maintained today and looks absolutely beautiful! Here's a short write up of what he had loved about this garden: https://www.freud.org.uk/2021/07/13/sigmund-freuds-garden/💚
Create some outdoor magic by wrapping lights aroun Create some outdoor magic by wrapping lights around trees in your garden or in your front yard. ⁠
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They’ll look fabulous at night and they’ll light up the whole area around them. How marvellous and inviting would your outdoor spaces look then?⁠ 💡⁠
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Fairy lights look almost like a bunch of fireflies so what better way to enhance some imaginative play for your children whilst whilst also having it as practical lighting solution? ⁠
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Transform your outdoors with some whimsical fun to make it a little more interesting for yourselves and your loved ones too!💚
Like a butterfly burrowing from its chrysalis, so Like a butterfly burrowing from its chrysalis, so shall you find your wings, if you only take the time to find yourself. — L.J. Vanier⁠
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Found this on one of my camellia trees.  Nope it's not an alien!⁠
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It's Saunder's Case Moth and I've been told that it's harmless as I made inquiries on some FB groups to make sure that my kids don't get harmed as they play just next to it plus I didn't want them harming it either.⁠
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Love it that my garden attracts so many interesting creatures! 👽⁠
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For more info:⁠
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http://lepidoptera.butterflyhouse.com.au/psyc/elongatus.html?fbclid=IwAR0t2mNIK2bef0znuiRGLbHCIpaHHWnA9W9KDViNIYiDOJCLqbxayc7WRHE 💚
Frogs play a vital role in ecosystems worldwide, a Frogs play a vital role in ecosystems worldwide, as they form an integral part of the food chain, prevent disease transmission by feeding on potential carriers, and keep waterways clean. ⁠
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From a symbolic sense, frogs typically represent prosperity, good luck, purity, fertility, transformation, and potential in many beliefs and cultures. ⁠
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I loved this wee ornament I came across at the Bendigo Buddhist Stupa earlier this year.  Such a cute friendly face at the start of a path and love how it waves hello in such a warm way!⁠
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Live frogs or ornamental frogs are great to have in your garden!  Something some of my clients love about their gardens and something I certainly love about mine! 🐸🐸🐸⁠
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P.s if you haven't already visited the Bendigo Buddhist Stupa, I'd highly recommend it.  I'm very glad that my cousin suggested it and really enjoyed the experience and culture!!! ⁠
Focal points are used in garden design to draw and Focal points are used in garden design to draw and direct the eye. ⁠
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Think of a garden, large or small, that was just a swathe of plants. Your eye sweeps along, not knowing where to land. A sense of flow is nice, but without a focus, your garden is not really taken in and studied.⁠
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A focal point can take shape of a wonderful water feature, a weeping tree, or a dramatic ornament. ⁠
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Here I've used a cloud pruned tree - something I always wanted to do and thanks to my clients buying into that vision, I can now share with you all!⁠
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The first thing you notice about this tree is its beautiful shape.  Not usually used in a lot of front yards as its quite an expensive specimen but one to really admire from far and up close. ⁠
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Once your interest is concentrated here, you start to branch out and notice other plants and features in the garden. The garden is slowly discovered rather than swept through if that makes sense? ⁠
⁠
You don’t have to have a focal point though if that's your preference and that is ok, but in my view, your garden will appear more intentional if you do and its something that I like to use a lot in my designs! 💚🌳🗽🌊💎
Love this view of a cut stone step I've used in on Love this view of a cut stone step I've used in one of my recent designs.  Really textural and has a nice natural feel to it!  Absolutely adore the rust bits through it and the 'chalk' effect.  It's not something that you view immediately on viewing the large piece of stone but when a shot is taken of it, closeup, you can truly appreciate how complex a design Mother nature weaves through every single thing!⁠
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Can't wait to share you some nice shots of my Maribyrnong project this spring when it turns about a year and half old!  Itching to pay my clients a visit soon as its been 3 months now since I've last been to see how its all coming along!!! 💚💚💚⁠
Allow nature's peace to flow into you, as sunshine Allow nature's peace to flow into you, as sunshine flows into trees. ⁠
~ John Muir⁠
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Next time the sun is out casting shadows on the ground, have a look and see what you can see and share below. 

Just like the clouds above, we can see amazing things if we just took the time to use our imaginations.⁠

I spent my day just relaxing really and enjoying my garden views! Feel reenergised! 💚💚💚💪💪💪
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Purple can be used to help create a desirable mood Purple can be used to help create a desirable mood in the garden — from peaceful to romantic to inspiring. ⁠
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In colour theory purple traditionally indicates knowledge, self-respect, spirituality, dignity and wealth. ⁠
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In the landscape it promotes feelings of inner calm and self-worth, providing a sense of refuge. It also is considered useful for creative inspiration and insight. ⁠
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What do you think? 💚
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