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Sound Cave
by Sonos

Brand

Sonos

Type of project

Hybrid Cafe Experiene

Timeline

Location

ArtCenter College of Design

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September - December, 2021

Skills

Storytelling, Creative Strategy, Brand Activation, Multi-Sensorial Design, Spatial Design, Experience Design, Spatial Graphics, Content Writing

Softwares

Rhino 7, Twinmotion, Photoshop

Project Brief

How can design extend a brand’s presence to include a cafe experience?

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There is an opportunity for brands to reimagine the future of the in-store experience. Physical retail stores are poised for innovation: to draw people away from their screens, into unique branded experiences with the potential to build community; or even to create rich hybrids that integrate the digital tools with experiential space.

 

With more and more brands offering online options, customers seek brick and mortar experiences that are immersive, multi-layered, multi-use and a delight to the sense.

About the space

Feel More with Sound — The Sonos Way
 

Welcome to Sound Cave, a multi-sensory café designed to awaken your senses through the power of sound. Created for Sonos and inspired by the phenomenon of synesthesia, this immersive space reimagines the everyday café as a living, breathing soundscape — one where taste, touch, scent, and sight are all elevated by carefully orchestrated sound.
 

At its heart, Sound Cave tells the story of a mystical cave — not just any cave, but the birthplace of sound itself. Over centuries, sound has shaped this cavern, echoing through its walls, leaving behind traces in the textures, the air, and even the taste of your tea. This isn’t just a café; it’s a sacred sanctuary where you can meet sound where it all began — where you can hear it, feel it, and perhaps even taste it.
 

Tea becomes the perfect partner in this sensory journey. Just as sound unfolds in layers — rhythm, tone, emotion — tea reveals its essence through aroma, warmth, and depth of flavor. Together, they form an interplay of sensations that ground you, elevate you, and reconnect you with the natural world.
 

The experience is crafted in two layers:

  • The Collective Experience: In the main space, sound harmonizes with your senses — intensifying flavor, altering aroma, and transforming touch. Nature-inspired compositions shape the atmosphere, turning a simple sip of tea into a moment of resonance and wonder.

  • The Personal Journey: Step into a private sound pod and take control. Through the Sonos app, you can select the soundscape that surrounds you — a rainstorm in the forest, a chorus of birds at dawn, or a quiet pulse of ambient rhythm. Watch as the sounds you choose shift your perception, transforming your tea, your mood, and your connection to the space around you.
     

Sound Cave is more than a café — it’s Sonos’s tribute to the primal power of sound and its ability to awaken something deep within us. It’s a space where sound isn’t just heard — it’s lived.

Axonometric view - Sound Cave.001.jpeg
Sonos Ad on phone.png

Instagram advertisement for the launch of the cafe experience

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Sonos application for the cafe, with in built ordering and menu, sound pod experience and a story about the space

A video mock up of the app that lets you control the sound in the cafe Sound pods. Turn table experience with nature inspired sounds that play in space, as you activate it through the app

Disclaimer: This is a project designed while undergoing my Masters program

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© Brand Experience Design By Keerthana Menon

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