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For 3daysofdesign, Muuto collaborated with Kinda Studios to create "Grounded in Nature" – an immersive rooftop installation that reestablished our connection with the natural world. The landscape installation offered visitors a pause from the city's rush and an opportunity to reconnect with nature's rhythm.

At its heart was the Dream View Bench by Lise Vester, designed with smooth curves that embrace the body's natural shape and gently guide the gaze upward toward the sky, inviting moments of reflection and daydreaming.

 

Neuroaesthetics behind the experience

The installation was rooted in neuroaesthetics—the study of how design affects human health by understanding the brain's response to sensory stimuli. At Muuto, we work with these principles to create intentional spaces that make people reflect on how the space makes them feel, and this particular installation focused on zooming in on our connection to nature.

Specifically, it drew on the concept that natural aesthetic patterns trigger evolutionary responses that lower stress, reduce heart rate, and improve attention and mood. Research demonstrates the powerful effects of natural environments on our well-being. For example, exposure to natural elements such as daylight, plants, and organic materials in our homes and workplaces can increase concentration, cognitive performance, and emotional well-being.

These natural fractals, repeating patterns found throughout the natural world, trigger profound physiological responses that restore our sense of calm and focus, while enhancing our overall mental clarity and mood. With "Grounded in Nature," we wanted to recreate these experiences by creating a tranquil setting in the heart of the bustling city that leveraged these natural forms to re-create these restorative benefits.

Taking a walk in the forest and observing nature's beauty—particularly fractal patterns (self-repeating geometric shapes) found in trees, cloud formations, coastlines, and flowing water—can reduce stress by 60%.
  • An image of the Dream View Bench placed on a rooftop surrounded by lush green plants and grass, creating a serene and calming atmosphere.
  • A wooden sign with information about Muuto's rooftop experience during 3dyasofdesign
  • Looped Wall Ceiling lamps hanging in a light green staircase

The Dream View Bench: heart of the experience

Positioned at the installation's center, the Dream View Bench served as more than furniture—it was an invitation to be present. Its organic design encouraged visitors to lean back, pause, reflect, and engage with the ever-changing sky above, creating space for the nervous system to shift into restoration mode. As Lise Vester explains: 

Lise Vester "I’ve designed the Dream View bench to create restorative moments throughout our daily lives—spaces where we can reconnect our bodies and minds and find these essential restorative breaks."
  • The Dream View Chair is placed on green grass, surrounded by lush plants. A nearby mirror reflects the chair, adding an intriguing touch to the outdoor arrangement.
  • An image of the Dream View Bench placed on a rooftop surrounded by lush green plants and grass, creating a serene and calming atmosphere.
  • An image of the Dream View Bench placed on a rooftop surrounded by lush green plants and grass, creating a serene and calming atmosphere.

Multisensory design elements

The installation engaged all senses through carefully orchestrated elements. Tactile stimulation came through varied textures of plants, grasses, and moss at different heights, creating an organic landscape full of depth. Visual cues included natural fractal patterns woven throughout the space—from the Dream View's organic shape to reflective ponds and mirrors that enhanced the sense of infinite landscape.

Together with Studio Pneuma, we created a scented experience that complemented the installation's connection to nature. In natural environments, we're exposed to phytoncides—compounds that plants emit to lower stress hormones and strengthen immune function. Their signature fragrance, "Floating Leaf," inspired by Tarkovsky's Solaris, featured Geranium, Basil, and Lavender to evoke a restorative atmosphere. Studio Pneuma notes:

 

Studio Pneuma "We believe smell is a vital yet under-explored layer of spatial design. There's great depth and nuance in working with the intangible. When we begin to consider the atmospheric elements – the invisible characters of a space – we open up a richer architectural vocabulary and experience."
  • An image of the Dream View Bench placed on a rooftop surrounded by lush green plants and grass, creating a serene and calming atmosphere.
  • An image of the Dream View Chair placed on a rooftop surrounded by lush green plants and grass, creating a serene and calming atmosphere.
  • A small bottle with Muuto's own scent laying on the grass.

Swell Studio curated the soundscape, combining pink noise with natural sounds of flowing water and rustling leaves that activate the brain, evoke memories, and reduce heart rate. Drawing from field recordings captured in , the audio experience helps balance the nervous system. As Brian d'Souza from Swell Studio notes, sound plays a fundamental role in how we experience space:

 

 

Swell Studio "Sound is crucial in the creation of a space. Our ears are always open—they don't blink, and so therefore the sound information we hear are always having an impact and that can be positive or negative."
  • An image of the Dream View Bench placed on a rooftop surrounded by lush green plants and grass, creating a serene and calming atmosphere.
  • An image of the Dream View Bench placed on a rooftop surrounded by lush green plants and grass, creating a serene and calming atmosphere.

Collaborative vision

For neuroaesthetic consultancy, we teamed up with Kinda Studios, who provided the theoretical framework. The installation was guided by three key principles: coherence (ensuring all sensory elements worked together harmoniously), multisensory equality (giving equal weight to all senses rather than just the visual), and user-centered experience (creating a tranquil sanctuary that invited pause and exploration).

As Robyn Landau, co-founder of Kinda Studios: "At Kinda Studios, we believe you don't always need to understand the neuroscience to feel it."

This theoretical framework aligned naturally with our values and commitment to thoughtful, human-centered design. The collaboration represented a shared mission to bring academic insights into real-world designs that support how people feel in their spaces, ultimately transforming how we think about design and its role in individual and collective health. 

Kinda Studios "Muuto is really pioneering neuroaesthetics in the world of interior design, so it's been inspiring to work with a brand where these principles are embedded in the process, intention, and design foundations."
  • A small bottle with Muuto's own scent placed on a Dream View Chair
  • A green Restore basket with paper bags placed on a Dream View Bench.
  • A green Restore basket with paper bags placed on the green glrass.

Creating lasting connection

"Grounded in Nature" provided a restorative sanctuary amid the busy 3daysofdesign, designed to evoke that feeling of restful ease. As Studio Pneuma notes: "We hope visitors left with an embodied sense of how poetic intention can quietly transform the experience of space."

Visitors took home tangible memories—a "Floating Leaf" scent sample and a piece of limestone, while supplies lasted—recognizing scent as a powerful memory trigger to extend the grounding experience beyond the rooftop.

The installation exemplified what's possible when research meets intentional design—creating spaces that don't just look beautiful, but actively support how people feel and connect.

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