Debra Duneier: Bringing Nature IndoorsAn environmentally conscious interior designer provides four simple ways to incorporate the great outdoors into your interiors.

Debra Duneier is an accredited LEED® Green Associate, certified eco-designer, feng shui master practitioner, creator of EcoChi® and author of EcoChi: Designing the Human Experience. www.ecochi.com

In our modern, fast-paced world, most of us spend 98 percent of our time indoors. This makes it very easy to forget our connection to the natural world. Yet some of the happiest moments of our lives are spent outdoors. We all have recollections of these experiences—a blazing sunset, the scent of the ocean air, animal life encountered on a stroll through the woods, the view of a pastel sunrise from a mountaintop, a golden harvest moon or the fleeting glimpse of a mammoth butterfly.

When designing beautiful rooms, homes and offices, you can bring nature’s elements inside using the EcoChi® philosophy of blending feng shui and environmental psychology with green and sustainable products. The focus of this design system is the relationship between nature, the beauty of interior spaces and the wellbeing and happiness of the inhabitants. Here are four simple ways to bring the beauty of the natural world inside: 

Plants are natural air

filters and bring life force

indoors. A fish tank calms

us because it reminds us

that we are a just a small

part of something grand.

Fresh flowers are beautiful to look at and the fragrance reminds us of a lazy summer day. Decorate with art that expresses the beauty of nature. Select a painting, photograph, poster or piece of artwork that inspires you. 

Bring the outdoors indoors as part of your wellness practice and it will bring about a sense of calm and optimism to your life!