Designing for the Senses: A Conversation about Restaurant Design

In April VISI hosted a conversation with leading minds in the design and restaurant industry about the importance of design in eateries.

PHOTOS Claire Gunn

Holding court at the Marble Cape Town X VISI Decor Morning were interior designer Irene Kyriacou, brand specialist Nathan Reddy, architect Gys van Graan and chef and restauranteur David Higgs — key collaborators behind Marble Hospitality.

 In the heart of a heritage site with sweeping views of Cape Town’s skyline, the new Marble Cape Town location is a masterclass in sensory design and collaboration.

Great design doesn’t start with furniture or finishes—it begins with emotion. The most successful spaces speak to the senses, stirring memory and mood before the food even arrives.

“Design is about the five senses,” says Kyriacou. “Sight, smell, touch—all of this shape how a space feels. It’s never just technical. It’s about emotion. What do I want someone to feel when they walk in?”

She believes designers must think beyond aesthetic appeal and embrace sensorial storytelling. In her recent work, that meant a reflective ceiling that captures the sunset and shifts the mood of a space as the light changes—design that moves with the day.

Van Graan echoes the idea. “Design shouldn’t be static. A space must evolve—hour by hour, season by season. When light, air, and reflection play off the design, guests experience something new every time they walk in.”

All the speakers agreed that the best design often goes unnoticed. When a restaurant feels “just right,” it’s often because thousands of quiet, meticulous decisions have been made—about spacing, acoustics, materials, and flow.

According to Higgs, co-founder and culinary lead of Marble Hospitality, great restaurant design lives in the details. “The first thing guests notice—though they might not realise it—is sound. If acoustics aren’t right, the space doesn’t feel good, no matter how beautiful it is.”

It is a challenge, balancing beauty with pragmatism. “Acoustics can make or break a restaurant. You don’t want to shout over your starter. We choose materials – like eco-friendly boards or carpets – not just for how they look, but for how they sound.”

Lighting, too, is a silent star. “We use hidden downlighters that direct light onto the plate, not your eyes,” said Van Graan. “You shouldn’t notice the light source—but you should notice how beautiful your meal looks.”

Another hallmark of great design is creativity despite limitations.  Resource constraints, safety regulations, and wear-and-tear realities push designers toward smart, durable creativity.

In hospitality, those limits are many: fire codes, accessibility, hygiene laws.  Van Graan explained, “We think about these from day one. You can’t build a beautiful bar and forget about health inspections. There are strict rules: handwash stations, space between tables, fire exits. If your toilets don’t meet code, you have to tear them down and start again.”

But rather than stifling creativity, these parameters often sharpen it. “Design is a puzzle,” said Van Graan. “You solve it by layering beauty on top of function.”

Reddy sees design as a collaborative dance of egos, ideas, and disciplines. “You have to trust the process — the friction makes the work better. Over 10 years, we’ve grown so much together.”

Van Graan agrees: “Design today isn’t an island. You need input from everyone — the chef, the brand strategist, the architect. You have to listen and vote. That’s how you get to the best solution.”

For Higgs, this collaboration is deeply personal: “Even how we plate the food — that’s part of the design story. We’re all building one narrative. Restaurants are complex. Everyone has a view on what feels right, because we all eat out. But good design is layered: it’s identity, it’s narrative, it’s technical execution. No single vision can carry that alone.”

Even when conflict enters the conversation it can still lead to creativity and behind every seamless space is a team that’s willing to disagree, debate, and push each other beyond ego. Friction, the panel agreed, is part of the magic. “When we didn’t agree, we voted,” laughed Van Graan. “Sometimes the architect loses, sometimes the chef. But the project wins.”

Great design is timeless and in order to last it must be thoughtful—technically robust, emotionally resonant, and responsive to its users. Longevity doesn’t come from trendiness. It comes from depth.

“Great design has layers,” says Kyriacou. “It doesn’t shout. It whispers and unfolds over time.”

For Higgs, it’s about purpose: “We’re not trying to reinvent the wheel. We’re offering comforting food in a space that feels familiar but elevated. If we’ve done that — and it still feels good five years from now — then we’ve succeeded.”

What Marble Cape Town’s creative team has crafted in Cape Town is more than a restaurant. It’s a living space — one that shifts with the light, with the seasons, with the people inside. Every element is designed to serve both form and function, underpinned by an invisible scaffolding of technical excellence, fierce collaboration, and emotional intelligence.

It has captured the essence of designing for the senses which is not just about how something looks but how it makes you feel. | marble.restaurant

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