Close your eyes for a moment and think of a place that makes you feel truly at ease. What do you notice? The warmth of sunlight, the scent of fresh-cut flowers, the hum of distant conversations? Now, imagine that space stripped of everything but its visual elements — no texture, no scent, no sound. It would feel incomplete. Yet, when it comes to design, we overwhelmingly prioritize just one sense: sight.
Despite having five (or even seven) senses that shape our experiences, architecture and design often focus 90% of attention on the visual — on what a space looks like rather than how it feels, smells, sounds or even moves with us. And in today’s screen-dominated world, where digital interactions reduce our engagement with the physical environment, our sensory experiences are becoming increasingly flat and disconnected.
So how do we design spaces that fully engage the body, mind and emotions? How do we craft experiences that are immersive, memorable and deeply human? The answer lies in sensory design.
Beyond Sight: Designing for All the Senses
Each of our senses contributes uniquely to how we navigate and interpret the world. They work together, shaping our emotional and cognitive responses to a space. Thoughtful design should embrace this interplay:
Sound: The so rustle of leaves, the hush of a library, or the warm acoustics of a wooden concert hall — all shape our experience. Good sound design can create calm, energy, or even a sense of intimacy.
Touch: The cool smoothness of a marble, the warmth of wood, or the softness of a velvet chair, these sensations ground us in the physical world. Texture plays a powerful role in comfort and memory.
Smell: The aroma of fresh coffee in a hotel lobby or the subtle scent of lavender in a wellness room can create an instant emotional response. Retail stores, hotels and even healthcare spaces use scent to influence mood and perception.
Taste: While less directly tied to spatial design, taste is influenced by surroundings. A well-designed restaurant enhances the experience of food.
Proprioception & Vestibular Sense: Beyond the traditional five senses, proprioception (our body’s awareness in space) and the vestibular sense (balance and movement) influence how we navigate a room. The height of a ceiling, the angle of a ramp, or the gentle sway of a bridge can affect our sense of openness, stability or movement.
Sensory design isn’t just about adding stimuli. It’s about balance, modulation and engagement. In fact, we don’t experience the world one sense at a time. Sensory richness comes from the interplay of multiple inputs.
Think about the last time you walked into a cozy café on a winter day. It’s not just the sight of warm lighting that makes it inviting. It’s the aroma of freshly brewed coffee, the gentle hum of conversation, the soft texture of a worn wooden table, and the warmth of the cup in your hands. These elements don’t work separately — they merge to create an immersive, emotional experience. Multi-sensory design — engaging multiple senses — is key to creating memorable, engaging, and inclusive environments that foster connection.
“Feeling” Spaces
Designers and researchers are recognizing the power of sensory-rich environments. In 2018 Cooper-Hewitt Museum exhibit “The Senses: Design Beyond Vision,” curator and designer Ellen Lupton showcased multi-sensory design approaches beyond aesthetics — engaging sound, scent and touch to create immersive experiences. In the accompanying book, she explores how spaces can be designed to evoke deeper emotional responses, and calls us to action to a multi-sensory design practice.
Suchi Reddy advocates for “form follows feeling,” creating spaces that respond to human emotions rather than just visual trends. Her collaboration with Google and International Arts + Mind Lab on “A Space for Being” exhibit explored how sensory-rich environments affect our physiological and emotional states.
In his “Designing LIVE: A New Medium for the Senses,” famed designer Bruce Mau critiques that modern design is overly visual: “Most design is caged by the image. We ‘look’ at design, but we don’t ‘feel, experience, or sense’ it. In fact, most design is non-sense design — cold, technical, formal, and inhuman — engineered for functions rather than to surprise, inspire and delight.”
Sensory-rich design isn’t just about aesthetics — it’s about creating spaces that evoke feelings, build connections and create deeply human experiences.
The Neuroscience of Sensory Design
Science backs up what designers instinctively know: sensory experiences change how we feel, think, and heal. According to the book “Your Brains on Art,” sensory-enriched environments stimulate cognitive and emotional centers in the brain, enhancing mood, creativity and productivity.
AIA Philadelphia’s recent article “Design for Healing” reports that neuroscientist Anjan Chaterjee and his team is researching how biophilic elements and sensory design inspired by nature impacts well-being in healthcare settings. This research is exploring how integrating natural materials, color, varied textures and multi-sensory elements into healthcare facilities reduces stress, improves recovery times and enhances healing environments for both patients and staff.
Our brains and bodies are constantly responding to sensory stimuli, even when we’re unaware of it. That means every design choice — whether intentional or not — has an impact on the people who experience a space.
Sensory Design is Inclusive
Sensory design isn’t just about adding more stimuli. It’s about creating balance and choice. Not everyone experiences sensory input in the same way. Some thrive in stimulating environments, while others find them overwhelming. For neurodivergent individuals, excessive sensory stimuli can be distressing. Loud, echoing offices, harsh fluorescent lighting, or overpowering scents. These design choices, often unintentional, can create environments that feel chaotic and unwelcoming. Instead, thoughtful sensory design balances stimulation and calm. Consider natural textures that feel grounding and familiar, and so, diffused lighting instead of harsh overhead glare. Incorporate acoustic control and zoning strategies that offer both sensory-rich and sensory-minimal spaces. This approach isn’t just about accessibility — it enhances well-being for everyone.
HOK’s Kay Sargent highlights how sensory design is especially critical for neurodivergent individuals, whose sensory processing can differ significantly. Thoughtful design solutions like acoustic zoning, adjustable lighting, varied textures and sensory-friendly materials can create environments where everyone, regardless of sensory sensitivity, can thrive.
Research from Haworth also explores how multi-sensory environments support cognitive wellbeing and productivity. The ability to control and modulate sensory stimuli is key to designing spaces that are not just functional, but inclusive and truly human-centered.
Sensory Design and Experience
Nature is the ultimate sensory experience. If we need inspiration for designing rich sensory spaces, we only need to look at nature. The warmth of sunlight, sound of waves crashing, scent of pine trees, the texture of sand underfoot: All engage multiple senses simultaneously. Biophilic design brings this richness into the built environment, even in small ways: indoor greenery and waterfalls, natural materials, fractal pattern inspired by natural elements, operable windows, or even imagery of natural landscapes — all of which have been proven to reduce stress and improve well-being.
Spaces that engage multiple senses at once create environments where people feel more connected, grounded and alive. At NeoCon 2024, the Pratt Institute’s Sensory Experience Lounge was a standout example of this. It wasn’t just a visual installation — it engaged sound, scent, movement and touch to create an experience you had to feel with your whole body. The movement, the textures, the subtle scent in the air, the carefully curated soundscape, it was an experience only possible in the real, physical world. And that’s what makes sensory design so powerful. You don’t just see it. You experience it. You remember it.
As designers, architects, and creators of space, we have a responsibility — and an opportunity— to crate environments that enrich human life, support well-being and evoke emotion. Beautiful surfaces and functional furniture aren’t enough. Spaces should move us. They should make us feel. Let’s move beyond designing for sight alone. Let’s create immersive, multi-sensory experiences that don’t just look good — but feel truly alive.