Scandinavia inspires us with new trends every day – be it in terms of life philosophy or interior design. Fashion for Scandinavian minimalism in interior design has found many enthusiasts in our country. Now, from Norway comes another interior design inspiration – skogluft. What is it? What is it and how can it change your interior? You will find out in this article.
As usual, there is some philosophy behind this Scandinavian method of interior design. What ideas does skogluft represent? This Norwegian expression is a combination of the words “forest” and “air”, denoting the idea of arranging rooms in such a way as to introduce as much greenery as possible. Skogluft could therefore be translated as “forest air”, which is supposed to help us regain peace and improve our well-being.
Skogluft applies not only to residential interiors but also to public buildings such as schools, cultural institutions or other types of institutions. This way of arrangement is supposed to provide us with conditions for work, study or rest which will be more similar to the natural environment than it is in today’s standard buildings. The presence of greenery and cleaner air generated by it is supposed to positively affect our health and well-being.
The idea was described by Jørn Viumdal in his book “Skogflut. Jørn Viumdal in his book “Skogflut. Live healthy”. Viumdal conducted thirty years of research on the impact of nature on human health and well-being. He focused, among other things, on the increasingly common ailments such as constant fatigue, stress, and problems with the respiratory tract.
These kinds of ailments are already defined as civilization diseases that characterize the Western world. Viumdal was interested in what we can do to prevent such problems. He cites studies that have shown that vegetation and adequate indoor lighting can have significant health benefits in both homes and workplaces.
Thus, as a result of his investigations, the idea of skogflut was born, a way to bring nature back to our immediate surroundings by introducing plants and light into our interiors.
In his book “Skogluft. Live healthy” Jørn Viumdal describes ways to create healthy and human-friendly interiors. He also presents methods of contact with nature that can contribute to our well-being. He emphasizes, however, that the techniques he describes are no secret knowledge or mystical philosophy, but focus on a few simple steps that will bring us back into contact with nature in our daily lives.
If we would like to try this forest philosophy in our interiors, it is best to start by choosing plant species that intensely purify the air – it is this feature of plants that Viumdal points out as the most health-promoting.
Our goal is to place as many plants as possible indoors by creating walls of flowers. We can construct them using special shelves, racks or grids on which we hang pots.
Remember to place flowers in places where they will have a sufficient supply of light. It is the combination of vegetation with light and the effect of this action is the essence of the idea of skogluft.
main photo: unsplash.com/Jason Leung
