Tactile Luxury – Experiential Interior Design for Luxury Venues

Until recently, the worlds of ‘luxury design‘ and ‘experiential design‘ were seen as quite separate entities.

Luxury has commonly been associated with refinement, craftsmanship and discretion. Whereas, experiential design and sensory design were typically viewed as the realm of competitive socialising venues, pop-up brand activations and gastronomic experiences.

However, as fashion has proven, and in particular brands like Gucci & Balenciaga, luxury doesn’t need to be quietly spoken to be taken seriously and design can be at it’s most fun and impactful when it creates a sense of immersivity.

Similarly, within the world of interiors, the concept of ‘luxury design’ has started to be redefined.

Whilst still maintaining conceptual & visual impact, premium craftsmanship and an aspirational aesthetic, luxury, in an interior design context, has started to become bolder, brighter and significantly more tactile & experiential.

Our work, which includes designing private member’s clubs, competitive socialising venues and luxury hospitality spaces, has become increasingly focused on the idea of creating experiential and sensory influenced design venues, which provide guests with a unique, immersive experience.

We’ve found that integration of a carefully selected palette of refined and tactile materials, meticulously calibrated lighting design, immersive soundscapes and a seamless integration of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality technology (VR) has had a hugely a transformative effect on design impact and guest experience.

Sight, sound, touch, taste and smell have become extremely important and we find that our remit will frequently involve the integration of all 5 senses to create a fully immersive sensory design experience. For example, one of our recent projects has included working with multi-media content creation agencies, food & beverage consultants and even candlemakers & perfumers – to develop distinct bespoke fragrances, with scent notes designed to heighten the guest’s sensory experience.

These immersive tools are becoming pivotal for creating a deeper emotional resonance with guests. Emotions such as hope and joy and early memories, such as a childhood trip to the seaside, can be activated through sensory design and can significantly heighten the guest’s sense of engagement with a venue and/or brand.

These positive emotional triggers can transcend the ‘Instagram moment’ and create a significantly more human connection between guest and venue. This resonance can produce a genuinely memorable moment and a shared collective experience, leaving guests immersed, beguiled and wanting more.

Ellis Design Studio is currently working on the experiential interior design for a spectacular luxury private dining venue/tasting room, where these experiential & sensory tools will be essential in order to weave in a sense of magic, discovery and intrigue.

Stay tuned here for more…

Luxury Tasting Room & Private Dining