KANSEI Design Limited

KANSEI Design is a methodology for designing human experience through the integration of the senses.

It integrates multisensory inputs into a coherent experience—
translating how people feel into measurable, actionable value.

Grounded in objective metrics, it goes beyond comfort to support psychological safety, focus, and creativity.
It respects individual differences and neurodiversity.

It helps people return to their natural rhythm.
And what they experience stays with them.

Space becomes a medium—
carrying a company’s philosophy, culture, and brand.

We design what people feel.
Safely. Reliably. Thoughtfully.

case studies

Latest

THE LIONS

Shared Office / Olfactory Branding & Wellbeing at Work Research Background WORK STYLING is expanding a new model of workplace across Japan, built around the idea of working with genuine fulfilment. We designed an olfactory branding programme to carry the values of that brand directly to the senses of the people who work within its spaces. Spatial Aroma — A Unified Olfactory Brand Experience The original fragrance "Inspiration," created to embody the WORK STYLING brand, is diffused throughout the entrance of all 80 locations nationwide (as of 2026). The same scent greeting every arrival — regardless of which location — creates a consistent olfactory brand experience across the entire network. Personal Fragrance — Supporting the Mindset of Work Seven original fragrances were composed to accompany the different states of working. Designed as personal conditioning tools — with compositions such as FOCUS and CREATIVE — each fragrance is intended to help users arrive at the mental state they need before the work ahead. Installed across ten flagship locations including WORK STYLING Tokyo Midtown Yaesu, they have become a well-loved part of the daily routine for many members, reached for before meetings and periods of focused work alike. Workshops — Cultivating Sensory Awareness Beyond the introduction of fragrance, we host regular art workshops for members to develop their own sensory awareness. A case in which scent — conceived as a spatial branding element — evolved naturally into a service offering of the facility itself. Joint Research — The Science of Working Well To verify the impact of sensory design, we conducted a joint research programme under the theme of wellbeing at work. Through field research and the production of a findings report, we have built an evidence base for the value that sensory design brings to the workplace. What we did Multisensory branding strategy Original fragrance composition Spatial aroma installation (74 locations) Aroma product planning and manufacturing Olfactory communication design Multisensory guideline and web production Kansei design workshops for members Joint research: wellbeing at work Research report and mini white paper production Learn more WORK STYLING

DAIKAN｜Milan Design Week 2026

Return to...—A Multisensory Installation Presented at Milan Design Week 2026,Return to...is a multisensory installation exploring human awakening.Beginning with vision, perception unfolds into sound, touch, scent, and taste. Centered on the FLUX TABLE, whose mirror-polished surface moves like liquid,the space invites a gradual deepening of the senses. In the realm of scent, the work proposes an experience of “listening,”revealing the connections between material, time, and human presence within Japanese craftsmanship. CONCEPT｜Listening to Scent Japanese craftsmanship does not begin by controlling materials,but by listening to the presence that resides within them. Iron, stone, and living beings exist within the same continuum,resonating and interconnected. Scent is not only something to smell,but something to listen to. By receiving the subtle resonance of materials through human sensibility,and refining them through careful handwork,a quiet spirit comes to dwell within the creation. This project reframes scent as a medium through which the unseen can be perceived. APPROACH｜Olfactory Translation of Material and Time The installation introduces two fragrances that articulate the relationship between material, time,and human intervention within Japanese making. SCENT 1Ame-no-Mikage-no-Mikoto—Memory of Stone Perfumer: SARIBlend: Crystal (Nagano / Himalaya / Awaji Island), Frankincense (Oman)Fragrance compounds extracted through a specialized method from mineral materials. The crystals sourced from Nagano, the Himalayas, and Awaji Island were each distilled at a time suggested by the stone itself:dusk for Nagano, night for the Himalayas, and a full-moon night for Awaji Island.Though all are crystals, each carries a distinct resonance shaped by land, light, and memory. This fragrance is named afterAme-no-Mikage-no-Mikoto,the Shinto deity of metallurgy and blacksmithing. It evokes the origin of making—the moment when stone meets fire, becomes iron,and is shaped through human hands. Formed through earth, water, light, and vast spans of time,stone exists within the same continuum as life and human creation. A subtle note of frankincense acts as a quiet invocation,gently revealing the presence inherent within the material. SCENT 2Memory of Iron and Beast—Resonance of Life Perfumer: Hiroyuki TairaBlend: Green leaf, Cypress, Light wax, Civet, Burnt leather, Metal note, Patchouli, Animal base, Amber A nameless presence emerges from the earth. Green leaf and cypress outline life breathing freely within the landscape,while light wax suggests the warmth and density of a living body. The atmosphere then shifts. Civet and burnt leather mark a moment of rupture,as the cold resonance of metalreveals human intention—distant, yet decisive. And yet, life does not disappear. Returning to the earth through patchouli,amber and animal notes linger,indicating a presence that continues beyond form. Life is not extinguished,but transformed—resonating through different states of existence. This fragrance allows the audience to listento the intersection of iron and life. OUTCOME｜From Sensory Experience to Perception of Continuity The installation has expanded perception beyond visual aesthetics,engaging visitors in a multisensory awareness of connection. The two fragrances are not conceived as opposites,but as expressions within a continuous cycle—from life to earth, from earth to stone, from stone to iron,and back into the conditions that sustain life.

WORK STYLING — Mitsui Fudosan

WORK STYLING is expanding a new model of workplace across Japan, built around the idea of working with genuine fulfilment. We designed an olfactory branding programme to carry the values of that brand directly to the senses of the people who work within its spaces.

TSUNAGU x KANSEI Design

AOAO SAPPORO

TRIBUS

Seiwa Business

PARK WELLSTATE – NISHIAZABU

TRC

GRAPHY SHIBUYA

the founder

Mai Yanagawa holds a BA in Arts from the University of Melbourne and an MA in Economics from the University of Sydney. After returning to Japan, she served as a business development manager (TRADE) at the Australian Embassy in Tokyo, contributing to bilateral business development between Japan and Australia. She later completed a Master’s degree in Kansei Design at Hiroshima International University and is currently a doctoral candidate in Kansei Engineering at Chuo University, where her research focuses on the design of human sensory experience, with a particular emphasis on olfaction.

In 2011, she founded the Japanese subsidiary of a global company specializing in scent branding across more than 100 countries. Through applied research and industry practice, she has investigated the effects of scent and sound on human memory, emotion, and behavior, establishing a framework that positions sensory stimuli as fundamental components of human experience rather than mere preferences.

In 2013, she established the KANSEI Projects Committee, bringing together specialists across multiple sensory domains. Her work centers on the research and implementation of multisensory design—integrating scent, sound, light, and environmental elements—in collaboration with corporations and institutions.In the field of neurodiversity, she conducts international research on Snoezelen (multisensory environments), designing spaces that support psychological well-being and enable individuals to recognize their authentic selves through sensory experience.

Former professional featherweight boxer and professional kickboxer.

CEOMai Yanagawa

company
profile

Established: 2017（Renamed from KDC to KANSEI Design Limited on January 11, 2023.）
Address: NEKIRIKI HOUSE
4-4-10 Kitazawa, Setagaya-ku
Tokyo 155-0031, Japan
Representative: Mai Yanagawa
Capital: JPY 11,000,000
Bank: Mizuho Bank
Business Activities: Planning, production, implementation, and deployment of product development, spatial design, and multisensory branding communication based on Kansei Design.
Clients: Mitsui Fudosan, Mitsui Fudosan Residential, Nikken Sekkei, Toppan Holdings, Japan Tobacco, RICOH, Tokyo Tatemono, Seiwa Business, NTT Docomo Business, Omron