Kimball International Hosts “Ignite Your Senses” Event in Their Atlanta Collaboration Hub

JASPER- Kimball International hosted a multisensory event, focused on igniting senses and sparking creativity to ultimately create places to belong. This exclusive event featured unforgettable experiences that ranged from an empowering keynote and panel discussion to personalized color, sound, and scent encounters and outrageous culinary treats.

Guests were greeted with a “rose kiss” (a vodka and lychee filled sphere taken as a shot from a rose bud) and then were taken on “sensory stroll” through a wide variety of interactive, multisensory activities. Throughout the space, guests enjoyed personalized meditation and color therapy experiences, as well as other unforgettable treats like scrambled eggs and bacon in the form of ice cream, martinis with exploding olives, and handpainted chocolate cookies. Guests were included in an empowering keynote and panel discussion on the importance of how designing for the senses can help create places to belong.

Keynote speaker Ari Peralta (Neuroscientist, Sensory Designer, CEO of Arigami UK, and MyCoocoon partner), shared how sensory experiences can be leveraged to support positive emotional outcomes, like belonging. He explained that the senses are extremely personal and unique, so the task is finding each individual’s specific sensory “recipe” that will ultimately support their personal well-being. Kimball International previously partnered with Ari during their Chicago Show to bring a Color Bath immersive therapy lounge to their Chicago showroom.

The panel discussion “Creating Places to Belong Through the Senses” featured other notable guests that shared how all aspects of a space, including personal choices, can create a more welcoming and efficient workplace. From colors, scents, and comfort to gastronomic pairings and wearable technology, the panel explored the art and science behind creating multisensory environments that support well-being through “micro-interventions”. Notable speakers included Culinary Director of local restaurant Atlas and the Garden Room, Chef Freddy Money, Senior Research Scientist and Instructor for the Georgia Tech Institute for People and Technology, Clint Zeagler, and Current IIDA Georgia President and Senior Designer at local architectural firm IA, Tara Headley. The discussion explored how belonging can be bolstered by the senses, the environment, and furniture. This was the second event in our panel series, the first taking place in New York in May during NYCxDesign discussing how accessibility influences “belonging”.

“Integrating sensory experiences into our working, healing, and learning spaces has the potential to optimize our human experience,” said Kimberly Montague, AIA and Executive Director of Research and Insights for Kimball International. “Kimball International is embarking upon research to explore this further and partnering with Arigami UK will allow us to understand how furniture plays an integral role in health and well-being in the workplace. This event truly highlighted the importance the senses can have on human connection, health, and well-being.”

The Kimball International Collaboration Hub is located in West Midtown, Atlanta, Georgia. This 14,535 square foot regional space is home to Atlanta-based executives and employees and is focused on developing and strengthening customer relationships within the Southeast market.

**PHOTO CREDIT: Kimball International Facebook**