Health Benefits of Wood Worktops

Last Updated on May 21, 2026

“Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you.“

-Frank Lloyd Wright

Imagine yourself… you are in a room seated at your oak home office desk, with your feet touching onto your oak flooring and a fireplace just across the desk with an oak beam over it. Do you not think you are more likely to feel tranquil and stress-free, compared to a room with a cold marble and concrete floor and walls?

In the 21st century, we spend 90% of our lives indoors and that is even more true for 2020-2021 with the changes of the pandemic. We are now living, working, and spending more time than ever in our homes, kitchens, offices, and living rooms.

I am sure you have heard this one before – surround yourself with the right people and they will change your life. This statement is as true for the people as it is for our environment.

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Check out our Oak worktops

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So the question is, how does our current environment affect our lives and well-being (our kitchen/ office/home/school/library) and what role can wood worktops play in it?

Our affinity and connection with nature are genetic and deeply rooted within us. We find nature awfully pleasing and that is a universal truth regardless of culture and age.

Wood has been used as a building material for thousands of years by all cultures around the Globe. We find wood visually pleasing, it elicits feelings of warmth, comfort and relaxation, the way we feel a connection to Wood is outside of Reason.

Whilst the practical benefits of wood are self-evident, the health benefits of wood-inspired interiors are only recently being studied and researchers are discovering that your Wooden Kitchen Worktops can contribute to your well-being.

REDUCE STRESS

“Stress” is very much THE word of the last 20 years. The changes our lifestyle has undergone in the last 50 years are comparable to the changes we experienced in the last 500 years. The importance of stress and the way it can build up without any notice within our fantastically complex organ – the brain, is undeniably one of the most talked about health problems in modern society. It is at the root of multiple health problems, including anxiety, difficulty focusing and hampered social interactions. And in the long term, it can lead to raised blood pressure.

Small ways to improve your stress level on a daily basis, can make a huge impact on our lives and it seems like having Natural Timber in our environment can help.

According to many authoritative studies, exposure to wood products indoors creates similar health benefits to those created by spending time in nature. Research from U.S., Canada and Austria found that humans automatically relax when they are surrounded by natural world elements.

Moreover, during continual exposure to wood, subjects show lower activity in their sympathetic nervous system, which brings down stress levels and enables feelings of being energised and optimistic. The researchers compare those effects against cases with people working in predominantly steel or concrete environments without natural elements. The results of those cases show no feeling of uplift or positivity.

How wood in our homes improves health.

Bringing a piece of the forest into your home through a wooden worktop or a wooden desk and architectural fixtures can actually contribute to your overall well-being.

A recent in-depth report titled ‘Wood — Housing, Health, Humanity’, by the Planet Ark Environmental Foundation demonstrates that constant exposure to wood interiors has significant positive effects that replicate those created by spending time in natural surroundings.

A Canadian study, titled ‘Appearance of Wood Products and Psychological Well-Being’, demonstrated that the colours and texture of wood generate warmth, comfort and relaxation in people.

These three feelings were absent in a room with no wood features. Wooden products and home decorations have also been shown to benefit health even while you are asleep.

Sleeping in wooden beds not only lowers blood pressure, heart rate and anxiety but also improves a person’s emotional state and relaxation level.

Planet Ark’s report also showcased a Japanese study that determined that the presence of wood in an indoor space contributes to the growth of an individual’s interactions with others and positive self-expression.

Such results make it less surprising to see that an increasing number of architects and interior designers make wood a central locus of the built environment.

Wood is warm, comfortable and inviting.

The feelings of natural warmth and comfort that wood evokes in people are particularly essential in lowering blood pressure and heart rate, reducing stress and anxiety, and increasing positive social interactions.

Conclusion

We intuitively respond positively to spaces that enhance feelings of happiness and promote productivity, intimacy and efficiency. As you walk into a room, it’s essential to pay attention to how feel as you move about the space. We can always look outside for inspiration and bringing those natural elements into our built environment can have a significant impact on our health and well-being. Wood proves time and time again to be one of the healthiest building materials in existence; and has incredible effects on our day-to-day life and long-term happiness. With countless studies supporting this, architects and designers can work together to ensure that our homes are psychophysiologically optimised. This approach is already ushering in a new era of design that brings biophilia to the forefront and focuses on making the healthiest possible interior spaces.

If you have any questions about anything worktop related, please do not hesitate to
get in touch with us!

You can find us at 01727260688 or [email protected] 
https://houseofworktops.co.uk/

Enjoy your wood worktops!

For additional topics please check the links below:
1) When should I re-oil my worktop?
2) How to repair a scratch on a Wooden Worktop?
3) How to Oil Your Worktops with Osmo?
4) How to apply Danish Oil on your worktop?
5) Worktop Installation Guide
6) Care & Maintenance Guide for Wood Worktops