Ditch The Plastic And Let Biophilic Decluttering Bring Softness Into Your Storage

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As humans, we're already filled with an innate connection to the natural world — a connection that has gotten weaker the more we embrace modern, urban environments. Or at least that is the understanding behind the popular biophilic design technique — a home aesthetic that encourages you to incorporate more elements of nature into your space. At the same time comprehensive guides to biophilic interior design have gained momentum over the last few years, so have many popular strategies for decluttering your home. It makes sense to incorporate the two together once you consider that the benefits of nature and the benefits of decluttering have several things in common, including reducing stress and anxiety, increasing attention and productivity, and boosting your overall mood.

Incorporating biophilic decluttering into your home embraces a unique philosophy — one that is different from the well-known joy-sparking, minimalist purges of other popular decluttering trends. It's completely okay for you to love your stuff, and not be ready to part with it, and you shouldn't let anyone tell you differently. So instead of prompting you to immediately rid yourself of all your belongings, the biophilic approach aims to create a space that focuses on discouraging home clutter in the first place. The idea behind it is that by curating light and airy spaces that bring in elements of nature, you'll remove unnecessary clutter automatically. Which is why it might be time to try biophilic decluttering for yourself!

Bringing the outside world in helps simplify your space while having a positive impact on your mental health — and there are so many ways to decorate with nature in your home. One of the biggest ones is inviting in items that are made from natural materials. This means ditching the overused, unattractive plastic storage containers that have become all too popular and unsustainable in recent years and have a tendency to encourage holding on to useless stuff. Plastic containers are usually hidden behind doors and in cabinets, which creates an out-of-sight, out-of-mind situation, often leaving the perfect circumstances for disorganization and clutter to find you again. Which is where biophilic decluttering can help.

If you're struggling with how to begin, the best place to start is finding natural replacements for any plastic accessories, furniture, and bins you already have in your home. This is easily done with the use of storage solutions made from materials like wicker, linen, wood, straw, and bamboo. There are ton of options, but don't get overwhelmed by all of them — it's okay to take it slow and tackle one area at a time. Start by swapping plastic bins for simple wicker storage containers, investing in seagrass storage baskets for your bathroom, storing your snacks in a bamboo pantry organizer, or upgrading your dirty clothes basket in favor of a bamboo laundry hamper you won't mind displaying. Wherever you decide to begin, incorporating biophilic decluttering can easily be done in every room of your home, and you'll be feeling one with nature in no time — without even having to go outside!