Beyond Sight: Sensory Design as the Invisible Driver of Real Estate Value
Beyond Sight: sensory design as a competitive advantage in today’s Real Estate
Imagine entering a home or commercial space and feeling, even before fully seeing it, that you want to stay there. It's not just about color and furniture: it's the gentle calming scent, the sound that reduces stress, and the texture under your fingers that signals quality and comfort. Multisensory design is not a passing trend in architecture and interior design; it is already a tangible value strategy. This trend – which activates emotions, creates memories, and influences buying decisions – is revolutionizing retail spaces as well as commercial and residential properties. This article immerses you in the art and science of designing for all senses, decoding how the sensory approach transforms value perception, satisfaction, and real estate profitability.
The Science Behind Multisensory Design: How We Perceive and Decide
It’s no coincidence: 95% of human decisions are made subconsciously, and sensory stimuli are the fastest messengers in activating emotions and memories. Neuroscientific research shows that combining visual, touch, sound, smell, and even taste produces an experience far more powerful than the sum of its parts. Spaces that integrate positive stimuli across multiple senses increase recall, dwell time, and desire. Architect Wilmer Chaca emphasizes how “interaction with tactile textures combined with audio quality strengthens emotional connection and boosts purchase desire.” Relevant for designers, architects, real estate agents, and property owners: the positive impact of sensory design is proven and measurable.
“Every visual, tactile, and sensory element contributes to creating a memorable experience, key to driving a purchase or losing it.”
Source: Innovaretailstudio
What Exactly Is Multisensory Design in Real Estate?
Multisensory design is the intentional integration of stimuli for more than one sense in the creation of spaces, products, and journeys. It’s not just about decorating: it can start from architecture, continue with interior design, and extend to the post-sale experience. A real example: the entrance of a showroom where warm lighting, authentic wood flooring, citrus scent, and optimized volume music make the visitor feel familiarity, wellbeing, and distinction in under a minute.
- Visual: color, lighting, proportions, contrast, layouts.
- Auditory: music, ambient sounds, acoustic treatment.
- Tactile: surface textures, temperature, furniture ergonomics.
- Olfactory: natural ambient fragrance, absence of negative odors.
- Gustatory: small details in experiential sales, like tastings or coffee stations, that further anchor the experience.
As summarized by the Bellff team: “Multisensory product design intensifies emotional connections and fosters brand loyalty. By integrating sensory solutions, companies can create memorable and impactful experiences that connect with consumers and encourage long-term loyalty.”
Why Invest in Sensory Design? Impact on Value, Sales, and Loyalty
Real estate and commercial competition is fierce. This is where multisensory design emerges: according to recent CBRE studies, users who experience sensorially rich spaces rate their repurchase or recommendation intention 38% higher. In physical stores and offices, a multisensory environment shortens decision time, increases willingness to pay by up to 15%, and extends customer journey and dwell time.
- Enhances differentiation: memorable vs generic.
- Increases purchase desire and justifies higher prices.
- Fosters loyalty and post-sale recommendation.
Even in multifamily housing projects or shopping centers, where users are increasingly critical and prone to comparison, activating the five sensory dimensions results in higher sales closure, greater satisfaction, and referral rates more than 20% above average.
Sensory design turns the simple act of buying into a fun and memorable experience, strengthening the bond with the brand.
Inprofit – Strategic Interior Design
Strategies and Examples for Each Sense: How to Build Unforgettable Spaces
1. Visual: Beyond the Spectacular Render
Most projects still think visual is everything. But the secret lies in coherence and provocation: color palettes connected with the destination’s identity, natural light maximized, variation in heights, and architecture that invites exploration. And yes: photography is just the first filter. A very clear and practical example: use Deptho's Redesign to visualize style variants and detect which combination generates more attraction and leads in your campaigns.
2. Touch: Texture Is Memory
Rough, polished, warm, or cold surfaces generate micro-emotions. A potential client tends to remember a showroom with a natural surface shelf or a slightly textured wall over a hyper-standardized one. Personally, the choice of a countertop changed the entire value perception of a kitchen: the warm touch of natural wood created an immediate connection for me.
3. Smell: Olfactory Memory Does Sell
Smell activates memories linked to positive experiences more than any other sense. Applying subtle aromas (lemon, vanilla, fine wood, depending on the target) can help associate the brand or property with feelings of familiarity, luxury, or trust. Check detailed studies in this DG-LA article on how multisensory architecture enhances the living and selling experience.
4. Auditory: Silence and the Soundtrack
An uncomfortable sound can ruin the best visit. Acoustic treatment – panels, absorbent materials, ceilings, heavy curtains – is as important as musical choice. Spaces with designed ambient sound (not just music, but also necessary silence) help users imagine easily, relax, and project themselves. Here is where the difference between an improvised and a carefully planned space is noticeable.
5. Taste: Beyond Coffee – Micro Experiences in Immersive Sales
Offer a small local tasting? Flavored water to reduce stress during long visiting days? Experimenting with taste impacts memory and creates a sense of exclusivity. Luxury brands and showrooms have proven how small edible details increase the perception of hospitality and value.
Multisensory and Digital Design: Applications That Scale the Experience
The digital era allows simulating sensory experiences from anywhere. Virtual home staging gains even more strength when incorporating consistent visual details (realistic lighting, textures inviting touch) and multimedia formats (video tours with music ambiance, soundscapes, or olfactory recommendations—such as fragrance suggestions for each area). AI tools like Fill Room and Motion bring the digital scene much closer to the real emotion of a physical visit.
The key is to create a continuous thread between virtual and real, avoiding dissonance: if the digital tour shows warmth, the visitor should feel the same upon arrival at the physical location. Therefore, the transition from digital to experiential becomes a critical part—and an opportunity to impress.
Practical Keys to Apply Sensory Design in Real Estate and Commercial Projects
- Analyze your target audience: Who are they? How do they live and what excites them? Adapt the palette of stimuli to their profile and culture.
- Integrate from the concept: sensory details work better if they’re present from architectural design, not only in the decoration phase.
- Optimize routes and stay: think about the first impression and the actual user journey. Work with subtle and progressive stimuli.
- Support with technology: use sensors to regulate light, fragrance, and sound. Consider domotics and AI to achieve reactive and dynamic environments.
- Train your team: the sensory experience must also be consistent from customer service personnel to promotional materials.
- Measure and adjust: ask, observe, and adapt strategies based on feedback. Preferences and sensitivity vary even among neighboring markets.
New Challenges: Ethics, Sustainability, and Authenticity in Sensory Design
Designing for all senses requires responsibility and coherence. Avoiding oversaturation or manipulation is critical: today’s users detect when the experience is fake or forced. The essence is to connect authentically and aligned with the values of the user and the space. Additionally, sustainable integration of materials (non-toxic textiles, VOC-free fragrances, efficient devices) is essential to not compromise health or environmental impact.
Final Reflection: Connecting Sense, Emotion, and Business
In the first person: I have witnessed projects that went from being “just another one” to true benchmarks simply by changing the sensory script. What started by adding a texture or incorporating a characteristic scent turned into a branding, recall, and resale value strategy. Multisensory design, far from being a luxury, has become a necessity for those seeking to stand out and build loyalty, whether in a pilot apartment, a commercial space, or a tailored housing proposal.
If you want to delve deeper into the topic, I recommend reading our post about multisensory design and real estate value. Or explore Deptho's suite of visual tools to boost your next project and captivate your visitors from the first moment.