Finding a sense. Strategies of sensory densemaking in designing spatial experiences

This chapter advances a multisensory and post-anthropocentric approach to interior design, arguing that spatial quality and psychological well-being arise from cross-modal congruence rather than visual primacy. Bridging ecological psychology, cybernetic notions of feedback, and more-than-human design, we frame interiors as dynamic sensory ecologies in which perception emerges from couplings among bodies, artefacts, and environments. The chapter (i) consolidates theoretical foundations for an expanded sensorium-extending beyond the canonical five senses to include proprioception, vestibular balance, interoception and chronoception; (ii) sets out a methodological corpus for multisensory planning; (iii) examines its sectoral applications. We further articulate a land-ethic orientation that “lets the terrain be felt” through local materials, microclimate cues, and olfactory/acoustic signatures, in a batesonian stance that treats environments as learning systems capable of responsive feedback. The chapter concludes with design strategies for achieving cross-modal coherence-linking sensory cues to user needs, ethical considerations, and inclusivity-thereby outlining a replicable pathway for crafting richer and ecologically attuned spatial experiences.