Nurturing spaces

Sarah Parry from Testament Interiors talks about the importance of biophilic design in your home.

photo GISELLE BROSNAHAN

Biophilia is a new term that has recently gained popularity in the world of interior design. But what does it mean?

Biophilia forms a connection with nature and living organisms to positively affect your health and wellbeing. We spend an average of 90 percent of our lifetime indoors, approximately 22 hours a day.

It's no wonder we face so many mental health and wellbeing issues in society today. With changes in urbanisation over the last few decades and the rising cost of land, more people are living on smaller sites or in high-rise apartments, and outdoor green spaces have either shrunk or disappeared completely.

Interior design that incorporates biophilic principles can lead to improvements in personal health, cognitive function, mood, and relationships.

With whenua-inspired design, you create an environment that nurtures both body and mind, fostering a sense of wellbeing and harmony in your daily life.

It’s important to determine the biophilic brief from the outset – these could include open-plan living, easy access to a garden or outdoor living space or a play area for children and grandchildren.

There are three main principles of biophilic design – nature of the space, natural analogues and nature within a space.

Sarah’s biophilic top tips

1. Nature of the space – One of the greatest ways to benefit your health and wellbeing is choosing a site or home that has all day sun and harness the sun’s natural heating properties. Other ways include water features and access to whenua through sliding doors onto patios or gardens to enable air movement, wind chimes and bird feeders.

2. Natural analogues – These are man-made items that are designed to mimic nature. Examples include furniture with organic curves and using natural fabrics in earthy tones. Artwork that recreates nature scenes and using lighting solutions can help our circadian clocks to unwind and reset with the use of dimmer switches, timers and daylight bulbs.

3. Nature in the space – This involves the use of natural elements within the interior spaces. Including living walls, house plants, aquariums and the use of natural or recycled materials like wood, stone and organic fibres like wool, cotton and jute in rugs, floor coverings and décor. This also includes having pets, so don’t forget to plan spaces for your fur babies.

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Inner talent

Sarah Parry, the creative force behind Testament Interiors, shares her design principles, lets us in on the latest trends and explains how an interior designer’s expertise can lead to cost-effective solutions.

interview Hayley Barnett | photo Giselle Brosnahan | hair + make-up Michelle Olwagen

Interior design is one of those things we all think we can do, but realise quickly, in the throes of a project, just how difficult it really is. This is where pro designers come in. UNO is lucky enough to introduce our very own designer, Sarah Parry from Testament Interiors, who is here to answer all your pressing questions around interior design.

A passionate designer and right-sizing expert based in Tauranga, Sarah recently launched her business as a way to share her incredible creative skills, alongside her floor covering business with husband Jason. They have a blended family of four young adults, one grandchild, two fur babies and a pond of goldfish.

Here, she offers some helpful advice to those looking to overhaul their living spaces.

UNO: Where do we start when designing a new space?

Sarah: Working out your budget is really important to establish. Then, ask yourself who will live in the space. If it's your own home, that's different, for example, to an Airbnb or a rental. Once you know how much you have to spend and who the space is for, it’s time to decide what your design style is. It could be a combination of styles. Pinterest is ideal for this. The algorithms work out exactly what you like and you can file these away to look at for inspiration or to show your interior designer. From there, it’s best to start with your floors first and work your

way up to the walls, then lighting, then styling. Always sort your fundamentals before you dive into styling. It’s from this stage that I will sort a mood board for clients, to check we’re all on the same page, so that we can start organising a sample board.

You can incorporate aspects of trends into your project, but it’s important to keep in mind that trends can easily go out of fashion in as early as a year. You don’t want to spend money on big ticket items, only to regret the purchase a short time later. Go with something you're going to love for a long time. Incorporate trends in items that are easy to replace, such as throws or decor items. The last thing you want is to have a show home style that looks amazing but is completely impersonal.

Work out what’s important to you as a person, a couple or as a family. Choose the ideas that will work for you collectively in the living spaces.

UNO: What are some new trends in interior design for 2024 and how can I include elements of these in my home?

Sarah: Standout colours for 2024 include earthy greens, golds and natural shades. Minimalist is definitely out, and maximalist is in. Bright colours and patterns mixed together are making an entrance this year, which is not for everyone, but when done correctly it can really liven up your living space. The trick is to not make it too overpowering.

Another trend is the mixing of metals in fittings and fixtures, such as taps and handles. No longer is it all one colourway. You can mix brass with platinums and blacks, but it does take a bit of know-how to prevent it from looking tasteless.

Organic design is huge right now, and Japandi falls under this style. It's a lot of natural shapes and textures that are light, earthy and very calming, but not minimalist. It uses a combination of biophilic principles.

UNO: What is biophilic and sustainable design?

Sarah: Biophilic design principles are not new. They've been around for a long time. However, they are becoming increasingly important in helping us connect with nature and whenua, the land. Waiora, a core concept in Māori culture, connects people and the environment. When done well, it provides nourishment and energy to sustain our wellbeing. Biophilic design uses natural elements, whether that's plants or movement, into your interior space so that you have a connection between the earth and the land. It's one of my key concepts. I love plants and adding as many natural items into a house as possible, because it creates life.

Sustainable design uses products that are either sourced locally from natural materials within your environment, or manufactured from sustainable resources like recycled products or materials that are farmed in a sustainable way. So if it was a wood, for example, it would be from a sustainably grown tree that is renewable.

UNO: Why would I use an interior designer?

Sarah: By using an interior designer, the client has access to suppliers at commercial designer rates. So the cost of using a designer will offset the designer fees and you'll get far better value for money across the project. The bigger the project, the bigger the savings.

But the most common reason I get called in is to maintain a design cohesiveness across the project so that it flows.

And, of course, it's important for preventing costly mistakes such as choosing the wrong paint colour or fittings. It saves money all round!

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