Natural materials, organic shapes and invisible technologies transform homes, hotels and offices into more beautiful, human, sensorial and more durable spaces.

In recent years, the way we experience spaces has changed profoundly. We no longer seek simply beautiful, functional, or style-consistent environments: we demand from our homes, hotels, offices, and the places we frequent to make us feel good.

It is precisely from this need that, in my opinion, one of the most interesting changes is arising.contemporary interior design: the transition from a primarily aesthetic design to a design increasingly linked to personal well-being.

And this is where the biophilia.

The term biophilia describes the natural human tendency to seek a connection with nature and living things. Applied to interior design, this philosophy doesn't simply mean adding a few plants to a room. It means designing spaces to recreate the conditions that instinctively make us feel more serene, protected, and balanced.

From a house to show to a house to live in

For a long time, interior design followed primarily aesthetic logic. Each period had its own codes: minimalism, industrial, all-white, decorative luxury.

Today I believe that something is changing.

After years spent in front of screens, living an increasingly fast pace and spending most of the day inside buildings, we feel the greater need to find a relationship with what is natural.

The new luxury, therefore, is not necessarily represented by abundance or ostentation.

It is the comfortIt's the natural light that streams in from a large window. It's a material surface that comes naturally to touch. It's wood, stone, linen, greenery. It's a space where the body can almost immediately relax.

For this reason I consider the biophilic design much more than an aesthetic trend: it is a new way of thinking about design.

Biophilia does not mean filling environments with plants

When talking about biophilic interior design, the most immediate association is with plants.

They are certainly important, but they represent only one part of the project.

A biophilic environment can arise from the combination of many elements: natural lighting, views to the outside, vegetation, authentic materials, earth-inspired colors, the presence of water, organic shapes and sensorial variations.

The perception of space is also fundamental.

In nature, there are no completely uniform environments. There are open areas and more intimate spaces, light and shadow, different textures, depths and perspectives.

Reproducing this variety within buildings means creating environments that are perceptually richer and, often, much more welcoming.

The shapes are becoming softer and more delicate

Another obvious change concerns the shapes.

In contemporary interiors we see more and more often arches, curved elements, enveloping upholstery, tables with organic geometries and furnishings with less rigid corners.

I don't think it's a coincidence.

Soft shapes have always been part of the natural world and are visually perceived differently than extremely rigid geometries.

Personally, I find it very interesting to work on this contrast: maintaining the elegance and cleanliness of contemporary design, but introducing more organic forms capable of making the space less severe.

This research is also becoming increasingly important in product design.

An object is no longer simply something that occupies a space: it can become an element capable of generating emotion, creating relationships, and contributing to the identity of the environment.

Authentic materials, biomaterials and sensorial surfaces

Biophilia is also profoundly influencing the choice of materials.

Natural woods, stones, travertine, clay, textured fabrics and irregular surfaces they are returning to being protagonists in interiors.

After years dominated by extremely uniform and perfect materials, we are rediscovering the value of imperfection.

A different grain, a slightly irregular surface or a texture that can be felt to the touch make a room more alive.

But returning to nature does not mean giving up innovation at all.

Research on materials is in fact opening up extremely interesting scenarios. Mycelium, hemp fibers, cork, engineered bamboo, biocomposites obtained from agricultural waste and new plant-based materials are gradually entering the world of architecture and design.

I find it fascinating to observe how some of the most contemporary innovations are, paradoxically, bringing us back to nature: not simply imitating its aesthetics, but studying its materials, processes, and capabilities.

I believe that the future of interior design will be increasingly multisensory.

We will design not only what we see, but also what we touch, the way light changes throughout the day, the acoustics of a room, and the relationship between scents, materials, and vegetation.

Design to last, not just replace

There is another aspect that I consider fundamental when we talk about the future of design: duration.

For a long time we have been accustomed to a model based on buy, use and replace.

Today I believe it is necessary to change perspective.

A sustainable project should not only be evaluated in relation to the material it is made of, but also to its ability to evolve over time.

Modularity, the ability to replace individual components, removable furnishings, and systems that can transform with people's needs represent, in my opinion, one of the most interesting directions in contemporary design.

The house changes because we change.

Families, habits, spaces, work, and the way we use environments are changing. Thinking about adaptable furnishings therefore means designing objects with a potentially much longer lifespan.

And perhaps the most sustainable piece of furniture isn't necessarily the one made with the most innovative material, but the one we'll continue to love, use, and transform even twenty years from now.

Hotels, offices and commercial spaces are changing

This transformation does not only concern housing.

In the hospitality sector, the connection with nature is becoming an increasingly important element of the experience.

Hotel lobbies become small interior landscapes, spas seek an increasingly strong connection with natural materials and vegetation, while restaurants and lounges use greenery to create more intimate and immersive environments.

In these places the project is no longer just about what the guest sees, but what he perceives.

An environment can convey calm, welcome, energy, or protection even before we are able to rationally explain why.

Offices are changing too.

After years of extremely rational spaces, many companies are realizing how much the quality of the environment can impact the perception of the workplace.

Biophilic design introduces light, vegetation, natural materials and decompression zones, transforming the office into an environment closer to human needs.

And perhaps this is precisely the key word: human.

The best technology is the one we almost never see.

Talking about biophilia does not mean imagining a nostalgic return to the past.

On the contrary, I believe that one of the most interesting challenges of contemporary design is to be able to make things coexist nature, technology and innovation.

And the most sophisticated technology, paradoxically, may be the one we perceive least.

Systems capable of automatically regulating lighting, temperature, ventilation and solar shading They can help create more comfortable environments without turning the home into a space dominated by devices and screens.

Air quality and humidity monitoring can also become part of a wellness-oriented project.

The goal should not be to fill spaces with technology, but to use innovation to make them more efficient, comfortable, and natural to live in.

When it really works, the technology remains almost invisible.

And it leaves the person with only the most important feeling: that of feel good.

Nature and innovation are not in opposition to each other

This is perhaps one of the aspects of contemporary design that I find most interesting.

Nature and innovation should not be considered two opposite directions.

New materials, digital manufacturing, modular systems, and intelligent technologies can become tools for more informed design.

The real challenge is not choosing between progress and nature.

It's finding a balance between the two.

A balance in which technology is at the service of humanity, materials are chosen with greater care, and objects are designed to accompany us for a longer time.

The future of interior design is emotional and promising

I believe that in the next few years we will gradually stop asking ourselves only:

“Is this space nice?”

The question will increasingly be:

“How does this space make me feel?”

And that's a huge difference.

It means putting the person back at the centre of the project.

For me, designing means precisely this: creating environments capable of generating a sensation, not just an image.

Biophilia reminds us of something very simple that perhaps design, at times, had forgotten: we are human beings before being users of a space.

We need light, matter, nature, protection and beauty.

The future of interior design, in my opinion, will arise precisely from the encounter between these ancestral needs and the possibilities offered by innovation.

And when a project manages to unite aesthetics, nature, technology and well-being, space ceases to be just the place where we live.

It becomes part of the quality of our life.

Here are three insights that might interest you:

Beyond Aesthetics: Biophilic Design and Sustainable Architecture
Matski House, innovative architecture between nature and technology
Sustainable construction: the… mushrooms protagonists among the green materials