Nature Photography for Healthcare: An Artistic Approach to Biophilic Design

Nature photography has earned its place in healthcare design. But what if it didn’t always have to look like a photograph?

We’ve spent more than 20 years talking about the benefits of bringing nature into healthcare environments. And honestly, we never get tired of talking about it (because how cool is it that simply looking at nature imagery can have such a positive impact?).

But lately, we’ve been hearing a different question from designers, facilities planners, and healthcare administrators:

What if we want those same biophilic benefits but in a more unique and unexpected way?

We get it. Sometimes we all want something a little different. We’ve even written about some of the issues with putting abstract art in healthcare, and how jarring or unsettling it can be, which is the opposite of what healthcare environments need. So how can you do something different without losing the amazing benefits of nature imagery?

So, we set out to create a new line of nature images that would still check all the biophilic design boxes, but with a more artistic, modern visual language.

That’s the idea behind our Impressionism Collection.

Each piece starts with one of Kurt’s original nature images. Then hand-painted brushstrokes transform it into a new piece of art, somewhere between a photograph and a painting. Soft and calming, even dreamlike, and hard to look away from.

It’s a nod to the artists who did it back in 1874. A group of rejected painters hung their work in an old photography studio and accidentally started a movement.

A little thing called Impressionism that still captures our attention today.

Like those paintings, we want viewers to get lost in the details of nature’s soft light and soothing colors. We want you to feel something.

Because imagining things beyond your current situation is where hope and healing begin.

And isn’t that the goal of every healthcare environment? 

We saw that idea come to life at Omaha’s Community Alliance, where Impressionism images were used in a Reflection Room designed specifically for mindfulness, contemplation, and recovery.

The soft, soothing Impressionism images created a space where people reflect and step away from the challenges of the day.

It’s a beautiful example of how the right artwork can turn a room into a tranquil space for healing and recovery. (You can go behind the scenes of this one-of-a-kind installation here.)

We introduced our Impressionism Collection in 2024, and UNMC’s Nebraska Medicine Village Pointe Clinic in Omaha remains one of our favorite examples of it doing multiple jobs throughout the space.

The team incorporated Impressionism images on large-scale wallcoverings, film on glass, and framed art.

They used the photographs to connect spaces, guide people through the clinic, and create calming visual distractions for patients and staff.

From waiting areas and stairways to patient rooms and subwaits, the artwork became part of the architecture and helped create what Leo A Daly project manager Alison Topp described as “lots of wayfinding moments.”

And the artwork wasn’t exactly easy to miss.

“Kurt’s Impressionism images were the beacon in the space,”

-Senior Interior Designer Jenn Ankerson, Leo A Daly.

That’s exactly what we hoped for when we created the collection: artwork that catches your eye, gives you somewhere beautiful to focus your attention, and helps make a healthcare environment feel a little less clinical.

Nature will always be at the heart of what we do. But we also believe there’s room to experiment with how we bring it into healthcare spaces.

Sometimes that means looking at nature through a different lens. One that feels more artistic and a bit unexpected.

That’s what Impressionism gives designers: the proven inspiration of nature, with a whole new visual language.

Explore the Impressionism Collection here.

And reach out if you want to send us your floor plans and talk through how Impressionism can create a more healing environment for your care team.