AESTHETICS & DESIGN
DESIGNING ATMOSPHERE
AUTHENTIC DESIGN INFLUENCES MOOD, MOVEMENT AND MEMORY – SHAPING GUEST BEHAVIOUR FAR BEYOND THE“ INSTAGRAMMABLE” MOMENT, AND PROVING THAT HONEST MATERIALS CREATE EXPERIENCES PEOPLE TRULY WANT TO STAY IN.
In hospitality, décor is often reduced to a visual hook – something that makes people stop, snap and share(“ Instagrammable”). Yet for architect Andrew Makin, who recently completed BlackBrick Gardens in Cape Town with Jonathan Liebmann, co-founder of BlackBrick, design plays a deeper role. It shapes how people feel, behave and remember an experience. In his world, authenticity trumps theatrics, and honest materials influence guest behaviour more than any themed installation could.
First impressions are instinctive, not intellectual
According to Makin, a guest’ s first impression is formed before they even have time to think.“ Whatever produces it, whether elaborate décor or zero décor and just essentially necessary, real, authentic, natural, simple materials, seems to create the first impression and have a big influence on the last,” he says. That instinctive response creates an emotional baseline that the rest of the experience either reinforces or erodes.
Rather than layering on props or themed elements, Makin favours design that feels grounded in the real. Concrete, brick, stone and timber are not simply aesthetic choices; they create an atmosphere that feels trustworthy. It is décor as gut-feeling rather than spectacle.
The longer they stay, the more they feel
The elements that most influence dwell time are cohesion, comfort and care. Makin notes that even if the first intuitive response is positive, guests will only stay longer when the
2026 / TRADE & TASTE 89