The Importance of Nature in a Home
People are happier, healthier, and more creative when they are consistently exposed to nature, it's scientifically proven! So many studies have been conducted that validate every aspect of that statement, and we at Younger Homes® base our design on the importance of nature in our clients' health and happiness. We believe design should make the world a better place and by designing "green buildings" we hope to embody that at Younger Homes® with Energy Star, EPA Indoor AirPlus, and Zero Energy Ready certified new homes. We keep God's gift of nature as our top priority, by saving it, glorifying it, and embodying it. To do this, we push ourselves to spend time in integrated design to find the most energy-efficient and environmentally friendly options we can, while considering the health benefits nature provides to those who wish to make it home. The end goal helps our clients achieve a healthy, energy efficient, high-performance home, at a competitive price.
Integrating nature into your design can be accomplished whether you live in the Texas Hill Country or in a bustling city. Whether it be placing a window strategically to capture a greenscape, design the landscape and home placement to preserve mature trees, or use drones to capture the best views, it is easier than you think to integrate nature into your design. Nearly all of our clients want to 'bring the outside in', and this is not only beautiful, it is also peaceful + healthy. After just 15 minutes of being present outside, one can experience a decreased heart rate and blood pressure and an increase in heart rate variability (this is a good thing!). This actually proves the age-old Japanese practice of "forest bathing" or what westerners have come to call nature therapy or ecotherapy, the concept that an individuals connection to nature improves overall health.
Furthermore, according to a study conducted at The University of East Anglia, continual exposure to greenspace reduces the risk of type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease, premature death, preterm birth, stress, and high blood pressure. This study found that people living closer to nature also experienced reduced diastolic blood pressure, heart rate, and stress. In fact, one of the really interesting things they discovered is that frequent exposure to greenspace significantly reduces people's levels of salivary cortisol - a physiological marker of stress. This means that being surrounded by nature on a day to day basis is scientifically proven to improve your physical health and happiness.
It is incredible to think that where you choose to make your house a home can affect so many physical and mental health aspects of your life. All of these statistics prove to both us and our clients that choosing to build an eco-friendly + healthy Younger Home® has more benefits than we can begin to describe. By doing our part to save our environment, and ensuring we are building responsibly and designing innovatively, we hope to create a positive impact on both the environment, our client's budgets, and our clients' health, because we want the best for everyone.
Our operations are not possible without the dedication of our clients, the expertise of our Younger Homes® Team, and our Architect, Donovan Davis with Danze and Davis Architects.
Talented Photographers: Craig Washburn + Madeline Harper + Cate Black
If you have any inquiries feel free to email us at hello@younger-homes.com and follow our journey on Instagram, Facebook, and Houzz to see all of our projects.
