The Touch: Spaces Designed for the Senses

by Kinfolk Magazine, Norm Architects, Gestalten (Editor)

The Touch is a new collaboration between Nathan Williams of Kinfolk and Jonas Bjerre-Poulsen of Norm Architects that welcome readers into over 25 inspiring spaces where interior design is not only visually appealing but engages all of the human senses. Through beautiful homes, hotels, museums, and retail stores―from contemporary designs by Ilse Crawford and Bijoy Jain to classic cases by Arne Jacobsen―readers are invited to explore how experiencing elements such as light, nature, materiality, color, and community can deliberately bring us back to our senses and imbue every day with a richer quality. In addition to stunning photography and interviews with design industry leaders as John Pawson and David Thulstrup, the book also details philosophical and art history references that reflect the tradition of design and color theory. For a deeper understanding of the concepts explored, The Touch includes an appendix which profiles architects such as Lina Bo Bardi and Richard Neutra. Heritage design pieces that helped influence this movement are also listed in the book. The Touch―Spaces Designed for the Senses by Kinfolk & Norm Architects. Published by gestalten.

Genres: Architecture, Design

244 pages, Hardcover

Published October 8, 2019

Reviews

[Zane Kalnina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspiring! From the presence of light, importance of nature, richness of materiality and color tones, significance of community - it all evokes something more meaningful in architecture that cannot be seen by eyes and transferred by images, but only felt.

"From the minute you wake up and reach for your device to the last few minutes before going to sleep that you spend scrolling through Instagram, everything is about IMAGES. The result is that many architects design not for the human body as an organism but only the eyes. Unfortunately it doesn't matter how something works in real life, how it feels and sounds, or how you engage with it as a body."

"Everyhing carries time within it and will decay eventually. Materials that seem more natural will decay in a way that only adds to their beauty, where the traces of time make them special. Man-made inventions like painted plaster boards and plastics don't patinize in a beautiful way."
/ Jonas Bjerre Poulsen (Norm architects)

"Atmosphere, meaning the overall impression of a place, is processed through all of these senses in the same way that we sense the weather. It is a complex phenomenon, but also simply an experience."
/Juhani Pallasmaa (Author "The eyes of the skin")/

[Vanessa Slavich · Rating 4 out of 5]

i enjoyed the other kinfolk book more but still inspiring. the sections of the book were easy to follow

[Servabo · Rating 3 out of 5]

1) De Cotiis Residence, Milan
2) Hoshinoya Hotel, Kyoto

[Derek · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the text was enlightening, the visuals did not give a full sense of space, with many of the referenced intricacies of projects omitted from the selection of photographs.