Long before urbanization, people lived by the land. They embraced each season and kept in stride with its unique rhythm. Knowing how to grow crops and survive in every condition was a way of life. Though today we live in various environments ranging from rural to metropolitan, there is always a yearning to retreat to nature. In fact, being in green spaces offers many health benefits.

That is why people who live in the city need biophilic design — an architectural concept that incorporates natural landscaping, lighting, and ventilation — to restore their total health continually. Biophilic design in architecture has been proven to offer health benefits as well as boost creativity and productivity.

Even intermittent exposure to green spaces is enough to offer significant benefits, and you don’t need a lot of green either — 12% is optimal, while 5% isn’t enough, and 20% may be too much. In collaboration with Mokekule, whose mission is to deliver clean air to everyone around the globe, we will dive deeper into how to create a restorative space with biophilic design in your home or office.

Create Restorative Space With Plants and Flowers

1. Flowers & Color
2. How To Keep Flowers Fresh
3. Plants as Interior Design Choices

While pixels and paint can also create stunning colors and art, there’s nothing quite like the real thing. Using natural flowers in interior design is a great way to add natural colors and texture to an urban space. Different colors also have different effects, so placing them strategically can offer a variety of effects.

• Cool colors are naturally calming, so blue and purple flowers are excellent for waiting rooms, hospitals, break areas at work, or anywhere else you want to promote a sense of peace.
• Warmer colors like red or orange may be alarming because they invoke excitement. If you ever wondered why casinos have red carpeting, now you know. This color choice isn’t always bad, though — if you have a place where you want to keep the energy up, such as a dance studio, a touch of warm-colored flowers may be welcome.
• No matter what, green is always good. It’s a color that promotes happiness and calm. Thankfully, you can find it on almost every flower and incorporate more of it when you use supplemental greenery, like eucalyptus leaves. Standalone potted plants like Money Trees and Golden Pothos are

Whether you use flowers as an accent color to enhance a room’s palette or make them the main event as a centerpiece, you can be in command of the mood you want to set. Not only do you get to incorporate beautiful colors, but you can also add texture to a designed space. For example, sleek fluted tulips have an elegant, calming effect, while ruffled garden roses can add a touch of organic charm to a room with many right angles and edges.

To get maximum benefits from your flowers, keep them fresh as long as possible. Cut flowers lose their vibrant color if they aren’t nourished correctly in the vase, but by following these tips, you’ll get the longest enjoyment out of fresh bouquets:

• Remove any leaves that fall below the water line.
• Cut stems diagonally, then place them in the fertilized water.
• As leaves fall, remove them from the water, as well as other dead vegetation to avoid rot.
• Change water every three days to prevent mold.
• Compost flowers and dead vegetation as they wilt.

Fresh flowers are gorgeous and offer a burst of color unlike anything else. Be mindful of caring for them so that dead leaves don’t generate mold, which can negatively affect your indoor air quality. If you have concerns about monitoring air quality, use an air purifier that can handle a wide range of indoor pollutants.

• Tip: If you want to display bold colors and natural textures without extra care, check out our dried flowers, which can last for years without any watering.

When you use plants in interior design, you get more than just something pretty to look at. You bring wellness into your home. In a recent study among high school students, even minimally visible plants improved the subject’s sense of comfort and mood while reducing sick days and disciplinary incidences. Also, during convalescence from health issues, plants placed near the sick improved recovery from anxiety. For individuals who are lonely or prone to depression, caring for plants daily can increase their sense of accomplishment and boost their mood. Now that you know how much good plants can do, how can you incorporate them to get the maximum benefits?

• Start small. Even just one potted plant can shift the mood of a room. Choose a low-maintenance plant like a Chinese Evergreen, snake plant, or cactus.
• Be sure not to overdo it — more than 20% greenery can be overwhelming or distracting.
• When in doubt of plant choices, stick to something small, green, and lightly scented, like an air plant.

When caring for your plants, remember to follow their specific watering directions. Indoor air quality can be negatively affected by mold that grows in dirt. You’ll reap the most benefits by keeping your plants in well-draining soil and in a pot that promotes proper drainage. An air purifier serves as another layer of defense against mold colonies that can release spores into the air.

Molekule originated from a father’s relentless love for his child. Dr. Yogi Goswami was pained to watch his son, Dilip Goswami, battle severe allergies and asthma. Frustrated by the lack of solutions, Dr. Yogi Goswami sought an answer through science. Through years of research, he created Molekule’s breakthrough purification technology, PECO (Photo Electrochemical Oxidation). The PECO filter inside every Molekule purifier doesn't just remove chemicals, smoke, dust, smoke, pollen, and mold, it can destroy the broadest range of indoor air pollutants at the molecular level.

Dilip Goswami and his sister Jaya Rao co-founded Molekule, Inc. in 2014 to share their proprietary PECO technology with the world. A primary goal of their organization is to improve air quality for everyone — one amazing air purifier at a time.