Living in Harmony: HAVEN's Nature-Inspired Designs
/At HAVEN, we value home design that blurs the line between indoor and outdoor, letting the outside in.
One of our primary goals is to create the space necessary for people to live big beautiful lives, both inside and outside the home.
Part of the reason we take the environmental ethical stance that we do (caring for the planet and preserving the natural world) is that we believe nature is good for people - mentally and physically.
And inversely - that our separation from nature (so prevalent in modern times) is a source of stress in the mind and body.
Encouraging a healthy, fun, and harmonious lifestyle is a root purpose of what we do, and you can feel this when you walk into a HAVEN.
OUR NATURE-INSPIRED DESIGN ELEMENTS
LET THE LIGHT IN
What we refer to as modern "Scandinavian" design, with lots of white space and natural light, came to be because of the dark northern winters. With such short days and so much darkness, light was (and still is) highly valued. Figuring out ways to bring this light inside and magnify it was necessary.
Natural light is the most pleasing form of light - proven to reduce depression, help hospital patients recover, and school kids to perform better. So no matter where you are geographically, inviting natural light in is beautiful and beneficial.
We incorporate Scandinavian design elements into HAVENS with large windows and doors and white open spaces, nestling each home into the landscape with consideration of the local climate and surroundings.
OPEN SPACES
Modern design and ancient feng shui both agree on this: clutter feels chaotic.
Open interior designs not only feel better, the long lines of sight promote interaction between occupants.
Our large glass windows and doors paired with strategically placed walls allows light to spill into a HAVEN uninterrupted.
NATURAL BUILDING MATERIALS
Use of interior natural materials is vital in nature-inspired design.
These are the surfaces that surround us on a daily basis and have the power to influence how we feel and interact with the world.
The materials so abundantly used in most conventional home construction - porcelain, vinyl, asphalt - have no place in a HAVEN.
We've put a lot of energy into researching and incorporating superior materials that reflect the natural world, such as:
- Suspended recycled steel staircase, with steel stringers, and wood treads
- Quartz countertops
- Recycled bamboo on outdoor decks
- Self-healing weathered steel
- Wooden cabinets
- Artistic wooden accents throughout the home
Most wood floors utilize hardwoods which take 35-60 years to mature for harvest, or pine which takes 15-30 years to mature for harvest.
But a HAVEN has floors made of coconuts!
Once a coconut matures, the coconuts can be harvested every single year, discouraging stripping of the land.
Not only are HAVEN floors beautiful and ethical, they're also tough! With one of the hardest janka scale ratings, our coconut and bamboo floors are immune to common mishaps like nail scratches from pets and high heel marks.
OUTDOOR LIVING SPACE
HAVENS feature anywhere from 500-920 square feet of exterior living space (not including the lot itself).
Placement of large windows and doors encourage a seamless transition to these outdoor rooms.
Proper outdoor lighting goes even further to make these exterior spaces cozy and inviting.
Imagine it's a crisp October night... walking from the kitchen with a mug of hot cocoa, through the spacious interior, out the large sliding doors, onto the patio - a room in itself, with a fireplace and a blanket of stars overhead.
This blurring of the line between man-made and nature is what inspires our design process, coaxing the two to fade into one another. These elements are felt when visiting or living inside a HAVEN.
Life just starts to feel... better.
