Have you heard about biophilic decluttering? You take a love of natural materials and houseplants, and combine it with the desire to achieve a clean, neat home. The result? A nature-inspired, harmonious home that looks just perfect for property viewings.
The method
Rather than traditional decluttering, where you try and reduce your pile of worldly goods to the bare minimum, biophilic decluttering is not as ruthless. The trend focuses on making swaps that will improve your interior aesthetic and encourage you to keep your home clutter free.
The aim is to pinpoint accessories and small décor items made of synthetic materials, and replace these with alternatives. The new materials of choice should stem from the natural world and ideally be plant based. Choosing rattan, wicker, jute, sisal, bamboo and water hyacinth is what makes this approach to decluttering biophilic.
Bigger items of furniture and fabrics can also be included in biophilic decluttering. If you can swap out anything made of plastic, glass or metal for wood or bamboo, you’ll be more on-brief.
Stay on the light side when choosing wood – white oak, maple, ash, birch and beech are good options, as is anything described as bleached or limed. When it comes to fabrics – perhaps used for cushion covers, throws, blinds and curtains – opt for cotton or linen in shades of white, cream and stone.
We’ve made it easy for you to declutter your home, introduce storage and achieve a biophilic décor with these easy swaps and interior shopping tips:
If you have house plants in plastic pots: try a pot made from a natural material instead of plastic or ceramic. We love this seagrass indoor planter from John Lewis and this set of two water hyacinth basket planters from Dibor. Alternatively, try this macramé hanging planter from LightInTheBox.
If your laundry basket is plastic: switching to a basket made of a natural material will provide an instant upgrade. If space is tight, take a look at the braided water hyacinth laundry basket from La Redoute, which is designed to fit snugly into a corner. Habitat also sells a variety of laundry baskets made from natural materials, including this oval wicker laundry basket.
If you use plastic boxes and trays: while it’s good to keep knick knacks, stationery and small accessories in one place, plastic can look cheap and chunky. Keep things natural with this lidded bamboo storage box and woven water hyacinth tray, both from Flying Tiger.
If your shoes and books are on wire shelves: natural materials are just as strong as metal and invariably look better in the home. Try this three-shelf bamboo bookcase from Sklum or this wicker shoe cupboard from B&Q.
If you have synthetic rugs: appearances can be deceptive and many rugs are actually woven from nylon, polyester, polypropylene or acrylic, so check the label. The Andro jute and cotton rug from Nkuko is a brilliant alternative, while this chunky woven jute runner from Dunelm is ideal for hallways.
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