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How to bring biophilic design into hotels

in Biophilic How To

Hotels serve the function of home away from home. Welcoming, comfortable, and intimate are all qualities that apply.

This episode of Biophilic How To looks into the design of hotels from a biophilic perspective, combining atmospheres, design choices, and the experience of space in a nourishing outcome…

Home away from home

Hotels substitute home when travelling. Providing a sense of warmth and comfort through design crafts a pleasurable experience for guests, allowing them to truly wind down and recharge.

Like domestic environments, hotels are a combination of individual and communal areas that call for different atmospheres. Intimate and serene in rooms, comfortable and inviting in communal spaces. Privacy is an essential requirement that extends beyond individual bedrooms and into communal areas, resonating with the notion of refuge spaces. A careful balance of opposites that brings together private and social is what defines an enjoyable and comfortable experience, leaving guests the option to choose how to use the space, in a combination of social time and time for the self.

Bedroom with tactile material palette and view to the outdoors.
Credit: Yana Prydalna
Sunken seating area with fireplace and outdoor view.
Credit: Lulu Lee

Designing a biophilic hotel

Physical richness, natural textures, organic shapes, and sensory elements all contribute to an inviting and interesting ambiance. Natural ventilation and sunlight liven up the space while making it healthier and more restorative. Throughout the space, mystery and apparent risk features can contribute to shaping a distinctive atmosphere, enriching the experience for guests.

Blurring the boundaries of interior environments, generous outdoor views and indoor-outdoor layouts connect the space and its guests to nature’s cycles and richness.

Outdoor seating area integrating a water feature.
Credit: J+S Studio (via Mooool) – Ph: Holi Landscape Photography
Seating area designed around a tall indoor tree.
Credit: Merijn Degraeve – Ph: Pieter D’hoop
Bedroom with rich natural textures and a refuge-like feel.
Credit: ArtPartner

Connecting with local identities

Hotels are also part of the experience of travelling, discovering new places and cultures. From this perspective, hotel design is an occasion to embody the identity of place.

Materials, design details, cultural aspects, exposure to local nature, food…all these elements infuse the space with a unique sense of identity that shapes an authentic experience.

Natural stone side table with elements of local identity in the styling.
Credit: NJF Design
Contemporary bedroom built in a traditional building with raw stone walls.
Credit: Manca Studio – Ph: Pierangelo Laterza

Hospitality lies in between comfort and adventure. A restorative and locally rooted design merges the two aspects in warm and authentic spaces that are at once quiet and exciting, soothing and explorative. A mix that makes guests feel at home and inspired by what’s away from home.


Further resources:

Available in the shop, anooi’s publications explore the nuances of a biophilic ethos, highlight anooi’s perspective on the topic, and cover the studio’s ongoing research in biophilic thinking and design.