Beyond the Surface: What Sensory Design Reveals About How Spaces Make Us Feel

Saturday InDesign 2026

What if the most powerful part of a space is the part you can’t see?

That question sat at the heart of Sensory Surface, a panel discussion presented by Euroluce, Bolon and Bang & Olufsen as part of Saturday Indesign.

Exploring the invisible dimensions of design, the conversation looked beyond what we see to consider the subtle interplay of light, sound, texture, materiality and atmosphere, and how these elements influence the way we focus, move, connect and feel within a space.

Moderated by Alice Blackwood, the panel brought together three experts working at the intersection of people, place and sensory experience: Dr Hayley North, neuroscientist, researcher and founder of Understand Your Brain; Brooke Lloyd, Director at COX Architecture; and Donn Salisbury, Director of Electrolight.

Together, they offered a fascinating cross-disciplinary perspective on how interiors are experienced not only visually, but physically, emotionally and cognitively.

What emerged was a powerful reminder that sensory design is about far more than aesthetics. It can play an important role in comfort, creativity, inclusion, wellbeing and the way people experience a space.

The Brain Knows Before We Do

One of the most fascinating insights came from neuroscientist Dr Hayley North, who explained that our response to a space is often formed before we are consciously aware of it.

When we enter an environment, the brain receives an enormous amount of sensory information, from light levels and sound to texture, temperature, spatial volume, contrast and movement. Only a fraction of this information reaches our conscious awareness, while the rest continues to be processed in the background.

This can influence whether we feel safe, alert, calm, distracted, comfortable or uneasy.

It helps explain why we can walk into a room and immediately think, “This feels good,” without necessarily being able to identify exactly why.

A space can function perfectly well. It can meet compliance standards, have appropriate lighting levels, acoustic treatment and ergonomic furniture. But if it doesn't feel right, something deeper may still be missing.

As Brooke Lloyd described during the discussion, the real skill of design lies in translating the pragmatic into the poetic, creating spaces that do more than perform, but also evoke emotion.

Designing for Feeling, Not Just Function

A recurring theme throughout the discussion was the difference between spaces that simply “tick the boxes” and those that genuinely support human experience.

In workplace design, function is only the starting point. A floorplan can be efficient, a lighting scheme can be compliant and acoustic targets can be met, but none of these things alone guarantee that a space is somewhere people want to spend time.

Brooke spoke about the importance of an aspirational briefing process, encouraging clients to articulate not only what a space needs to do, but how it should feel.

This is particularly relevant in workplaces, which are far from neutral environments. They communicate the personality, culture and ambitions of an organisation.

One memorable example discussed was Canva’s appointment of a “Head of Vibe”, a role dedicated to understanding and protecting the emotional quality of the workplace.

While unconventional, the idea captures something important: atmosphere isn't accidental. It can be designed, curated and cared for.

For Sensory Surface, this philosophy was central to the experience. Euroluce’s lighting, Bolon’s woven flooring and Bang & Olufsen’s sound environment each contributed a different sensory layer, demonstrating how materials and technologies can work together to shape the atmosphere of a space.

Light Is Not Just Illumination

For lighting designers, the idea that light influences how we experience a space is familiar territory, but Donn Salisbury highlighted how much more there is to lighting than simply providing enough illumination to see. Some of the most effective lighting strategies are about restraint.

Contrast, shadow and selectivity can reveal texture, volume, shape and material. Light can guide attention, create mood and even make a surface feel tactile before it has been touched.

In a sensory environment, this becomes particularly important. When everything is evenly illuminated, nothing has hierarchy. Over-illumination can make a space feel flat, fatiguing or even stressful.

Thoughtful lighting gives materials room to breathe. It creates depth, establishes rhythm and allows our attention to move naturally between moments of focus and rest. The panel also explored light’s profound biological impact.

Dr North discussed the circadian rhythm, the body's internal 24-hour clock, and how strongly it is influenced by light. Certain wavelengths can help regulate alertness, hormone cycles, metabolism, stress responses and sleep patterns.

In other words, light doesn't simply help us see the world. It helps tell the body what time it is, how alert to be and when to begin winding down.

This has significant implications across workplaces, hospitality, residential environments and early learning spaces. Bright, blue-rich light can support alertness in certain contexts, but when used without consideration — particularly later in the day — it can interfere with the body's ability to rest.

The challenge isn't to reject technology, but to use it more intelligently.

Sound Shapes Behaviour Too

If light establishes the visual and biological tone of a space, sound can play an equally important role in shaping mood, focus and comfort.

The discussion challenged a common assumption: that the problem with acoustics is always that a space is too noisy.

Sometimes, it can be too quiet.

Brooke discussed how a completely silent reception area or workplace can feel uncomfortable, even eerie. In contemporary buildings, improved mechanical systems have removed much of the background hum that people once relied upon.

As a result, designers may sometimes need to intentionally introduce ambient sound or white noise to create a more comfortable acoustic environment. Dr North also explained how music and sound can influence the autonomic nervous system, the system that helps regulate states of alertness and calm.

Faster tempos can increase energy and activate the body, while slower, more ambient sound can help downregulate the nervous system and support relaxation or creative thinking.

For workplaces, this distinction matters. Different tasks require different states of mind. Focused production may benefit from alertness and a narrower field of attention, while problem-solving and creativity can require a calmer, more open mental state.

The most considered sensory environments don't force people into one mode of being. They provide choice.

The Productive Role of Calm

Another important part of the conversation was the relationship between sensory environments and stress.

As Dr North explained, stress isn't inherently negative. The body's sympathetic nervous system, often associated with “fight or flight” can also support alertness, energy and productivity. A certain level of activation can help us perform. The challenge comes when we remain in that state for too long.

When stress becomes constant, the brain can narrow its focus and rely more heavily on habitual thinking. While this may support short-term output, it isn't necessarily conducive to creativity, lateral thinking or complex problem-solving.

For these activities, the body also needs access to the parasympathetic state, often described as “rest and digest”. Design can help people move between these states.

A well considered environment can offer stimulation without overwhelm, interest without confusion and energy without fatigue. It can provide places to focus, collaborate, retreat and recover.

This is where sensory design becomes more than a design concept. It becomes a consideration for wellbeing.

Texture, Colour and Material as Sensory Cues

The panel repeatedly returned to the importance of richness, variation and balance.

As human beings, we respond to detail, contrast and materiality. But too much stimulation can become exhausting, particularly when colour, light, sound and texture are all competing for our attention.

Brooke shared the example of designing for Intuit, where the brief called for joy, playfulness and colour. The resulting workplace embraced a lively mix of tones and textures, while also incorporating quieter zones where people could focus, reset and find relief from the intensity. That balance is critical.

A sensory rich environment doesn't mean every surface needs to demand attention. Sometimes the most effective design move is contrast: a vibrant communal area paired with a calm workspace; a textured floor softened by ambient light; or a playful colour palette balanced by acoustic comfort.

Designing for Neurodiversity Means Designing for Choice

The panel also explored the importance of creating more inclusive environments and considering neurodiversity within design.

Dr North noted that neurodivergent people, including those with autism or ADHD, may experience sensory input differently. Bright lighting, flicker, auditory distraction or overstimulating environments can become significant barriers to comfort and focus.

Importantly, there is no single solution.

Neurodiversity is diverse by definition, and what supports one person may not support another.

This means the future of inclusive sensory design isn't necessarily about creating one perfect environment for everyone. Instead, it is about creating options.

These might include quiet rooms, adjustable lighting, acoustic variation, noise-cancelling headphones, personal lamps, low-stimulation zones and spaces offering different levels of social and sensory intensity.

Donn also highlighted the issue of poor-quality LED lighting and flicker, which can be particularly problematic for some neurodivergent users.

The takeaway was clear: LED itself isn't the problem.

Poor specification is.Good sensory design requires consideration of product quality, technical performance and human impact.

Beyond the Surface

The power of Sensory Surface was in reframing surface as experience.

A surface isn't simply something we look at. It reflects light, absorbs sound, guides movement, creates atmosphere and contributes to our sense of comfort or unease.

When combined with carefully considered lighting and sound, material becomes part of a larger sensory composition.

The discussion reminded us that interiors are never passive. They are constantly communicating with the nervous system.

Perhaps the future of design lies not in adding more, but in listening more carefully, to light, sound, material and the quiet signals of the human brain.

Bring Sensory Thinking Into Your Next Project

Inspired by what you saw at Saturday Indesign? Visit the Euroluce Sydney showroom and explore our latest lighting collections, applications and installations with our team.

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