Experience has become the new cultural currency, shaping not just consumer choices but also how businesses measure relevance and value. The Tier Pendant collection is a linear form crafted entirely from extruded aluminum, featuring a concealed LED that emits even light through a refined scalloped surface, enhances this shift toward sensory impact, offering soft radiance that elevate emotional resonance in a space.
In today’s design landscape, products alone no longer define success—experiences do. From hospitality to retail, the most impactful spaces are those that spark emotion, foster connection, and leave one with a sense of awe. In our latest story, we explore how experience has become the new cultural currency, and share a curated selection of designs that bring this idea to life—pieces that anchor a room, command attention, and transform environments into destinations.
DESIGN THAT RESONATES
Included in the seating arrangement is the Season Chair by Viccarbe, designed by Piero Lissoni. With a soft silhouettes and floating volumes, it captures attention while remaining understated, balancing aesthetics and comfort.
An upscale wine bar and restaurant, BARDAVID, designed by ParkFowler Plus.
For architects, designers, and specifiers, this evolution reframes the design mandate. A boutique is no longer simply a point of sale, but a gallery for storytelling. A hotel lobby isn’t only a threshold, but a stage for connection.
Pieces like the Lokum Coffee Table by Acerbis, designed by Sabine Marcelis, help support this shift by introducing visual interest through refined forms and contrasting materials.
MADE FOR CONNECTION
Materials, lighting, acoustics, and spatial flow must all work together to deliver an environment that feels both distinctive and purposeful. The Remnant Sofa by Sancal, designed by Note Design Studio, exemplifies this approach with its sculptural silhouette and refined upholstery, offering both visual impact and inviting comfort.
This experiential turn also reflects broader cultural dynamics. As digital life accelerates, physical environments are increasingly prized for their ability to engage the senses, foster community, and spark imagination.
The Jagger Dining Sofa System by NORR11, by Kristian Sofus Hansen and Tommy Hyldahl, adds flexibility with a modular, lounge-inspired design that encourages connection.
The most successful projects achieve a careful balance—avoiding spectacle for its own sake while offering spaces that invite interaction and leave lasting impressions.
Illuminating the environment, the Big Glow Pendant, designed by Studio Truly Truly, contributes to this balance with its groundbreaking design marrying luxurious Australian wool with plant-based compostable fibre, creating a luminaire that’s as eco-friendly as it is beautiful.
The Big George Sofa and Armchair, envisioned by the renowned designer Cristián Mohaded, exudes a warm inviting charm that transcends mere functionality. With its generous dimensions and graceful curves, the Big George offers a welcoming embrace, transforming any space into a cozy sanctuary of relaxation.
ELEVATING THE IMPACT
For businesses, the impact is tangible. Environments designed with experience at the forefront can elevate brand identity, inspire loyalty, and position a space as a destination in its own right. The Cosy Island Sofa System, designed by by Francesco Rota, is a highly versatile system designed for consumers to choose their favorite composition that will meet their needs and blend into any setting, environment, style and taste.
For designers, it represents an opportunity to shape cultural meaning while addressing pragmatic goals of performance and return on investment.
The Nuvola Floor Lamp, designed by Draga & Aurel, combines elegance with functionality, creating a statement lighting piece that effortlessly complements any interior.
Array is a modular sofa system designed by Norwegian studio Snøhetta to meet the needs of the contract sector with flexible and highly customizable solutions. With just a few modules, Array offers endless configurations, adapting seamlessly to spaces of various sizes and layouts. Its modularity allows for the creation of linear, corner, curved, or island compositions, providing maximum design freedom.
Designed by Simon Legald, the Sum Collection is the name of Normann Copenhagen’s take on a light modular sofa and accompanying armchairs, which has the same complete appearance—whether it is set up in a pair of single seaters, or as a several-meter-long sofa, or a combination of all available sizes.
The U-Turn Lounge Chair is a modern evolution of the familiar club chair archetype. Its sophisticated form allows it to be used in a wide variety of aesthetic environments, from traditional to the most modern.
In a marketplace where attention is scarce and expectations are high, the value of experience is only growing. Thoughtful design transforms the ordinary into the memorable, turning furniture, lighting, and spatial elements into catalysts for emotion and engagement. When every detail contributes to a larger narrative, spaces no longer just serve a function—they resonate.
To find out how our pieces can enhance your design project, please contact us at 312.329.9000 for Chicago or 212.262.9000 for New York or email [email protected]. Haute Living's design professionals are ready to assist your needs in every aspect of the design process - from conception and technical specification to final delivery and installation.
