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How to introduce biophilic design into meditation rooms

in Biophilic How To

A meditation room, yoga room, or quiet-time room is a space dedicated to self-care, a space that closes the door – both mentally and physically – to the hurricane of thoughts that crowd the mind. Soothing design features can support the function of this space, crafting a calming and restorative atmosphere.

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

A biophilic meditation room

For the role it has, a meditation room carries the distinctive features of a refuge area. It needs to be a calm and calming space, that’s sheltered and feels comfortable.

From a design perspective, organic shapes and a colour palette based on grounding hues are ideal to calm the mind. Diffuse lighting with a crafted alternation of lit and dark areas follows the introspective atmosphere of the space. And a view of nature allows the mind to wander in the landscape, taking in its restorative richness and lively stimuli.

In the context of a meditation room, all sensory features aim at keeping the mind calm and in the present moment. Soothing natural sounds, tactile materials, calming scents, and a water feature with its delicate mesmerizing effect are all elements to keep in mind.

Meditation room tall organic branches zoning the space.
Credit: Laurie Owen Interiors (uncertain source)
Meditation room with a full-height window looking into a patio rich in greenery.
Credit: Conservatorium Hotel
Meditation room with wooden floor and beams and a soft natural light glowing in.
Credit: Minto
Meditation room with a green wall feature, stone walls and little pebbles on the ground.
Credit: Andriy Maheha
Meditation space on a room with a fully glazed wall and a view onto nature.
Credit: The Organic Company

As a whole, carving moments of calm is essential for mental and physical wellbeing, and dedicating a specific space to this activity is a way to elevate it, giving it the value it deserves.

The relationship between human experience, the natural world, and designed spaces shapes the studio’s work, lives in A Biophilic Year – a book-object and online archive on people, nature, and design – and becomes a sensory practice with In Season, a seasonal physical letter. Every month, anooi’s newsletter gathers the studio’s world and explores the idea of nourishing spaces.