You don’t have to own a modern house to enjoy the pleasures and advantages of modernist landscape architecture. The technique turns its back on the labor-intensive needs of the traditional, Victorian landscape and instead highlights open space, low maintenance, and a strong connection between house and garden.
Biophilic design takes the connection between house and garden one step further. It aims to bring more of the natural world into our built environment. Combined, the two approaches are tailor-made for contemporary homeowners who want to spend less time working outdoors and more time living there. It’s also the perfect way to bring the outdoors inside.

Materials, Color, and Form

One hallmark of both biophilic and modernist design is the use of natural materials such as wood, stone, and even falling water. It’s a case of the old being new again and a great way to add Feng Shui into your home. That ancient Chinese practice was actually a precursor to biophilic design, creating harmony through a modern preference for an unhampered flow of space by using what the Chinese call the core elements: wood, earth, and water. 

The emphasis on the natural extends to décor. Natural fibers for bedding, towels, and upholstery create contact with nature through the sense of touch. Wooden planters with the colors of the earth or the sea ups the impact of natural building material. Pictures of nature or wallpaper with natural designs can provide an indirect experience of the great outdoors and transform your space.

With furniture, opt for curving, naturalist forms. Accessories such as fine shells of beautiful stones will enhance your theme. But even the right antiques can work if they show the patina of time.

Windows on the World

Glass, the most contemporary of construction materials, plays a critical role in connecting us to nature. Where there’s glass, there’s light, and a world beyond the windowpane. The greenery, landscape, and sky you can see outside can enhance your indoor space as much as the shifting sun.

Big windows are best. But you can also maximize natural lighting by using fewer drapes and blinds and keeping glass sparkling clean. While you’re at it, open the windows as much as possible. Let in the breeze and the scents of the outdoors. Keep an eye out for cross-ventilation for the most impact.

Plant it​​

Plants work in any room of the house, especially the kitchen. Even darker spots can benefit from a bit of green that is suited to thrive in minimal light. 

House plants green the air too, with the oxygen they transpire and by absorbing indoor air pollutants.

You can also use plants to maximize the views by making sure you’ve planted great things outside critical windows. Since the emphasis is on the natural, your best choice would be native plants. You can also up the natural feel inside by placing a native plant in front of a window with a less than optimal vista.

Grow Up and Out

Few plantings are as effective as the big green wall. This is not a reference to the famous left-field wall at Boston’s Fenway Park, but rather to vertical gardening, one of the most innovative and contemporary takes on container planting. As the name implies, planting rows in a vertical garden go up rather than extending horizontally. 

Choosing the right plants for your vertical garden will turn a blank wall into a space of beauty and life. A vertical garden on your balcony or deck provides an easy transition to the natural world. 

Plants can also create a screen between neighbors or from an unsightly view. They can provide a windbreak or a leafy filter for the sun. They can be as simple as a few containers trained upward on a railing with planted basked hanging above or as complex as a planting wall built expressly for that purpose. 

Green walls can be planted with vegetables and fruits — fresh strawberries, anyone? — or simply to delight the eye with flowers and greenery.

Ease of Effort, Pleasure, and Beauty

The choice is yours. Modernist/biophilic landscaping values ease over effort without sacrificing pleasure and beauty. Thomas Church, one of the pre-eminent mid-20th century practitioners of the form, said it best in the title of his famous 1955 book: “Gardens Are for People.”

Author Bio: Frances Black is a former real estate agent who now stages homes for resale. She’s an avid do-it-yourselfer who likes to refurbish old lawn furniture and grow her own fruits and vegetables.