Awe as a Design Principle
How Biophilic Design and Mocktails Transform Team Collaboration
I walked into the grape arbor greenhouse at Bella Luna Farms and instantly felt it. The late summer light filtered through a canopy of vines, dappling across tables where Sarah Simon’s watercolor sketches lay in progress. Guests clustered at the bar, curious as The NA Sommelier, Juanita Unger, poured zero-proof cocktails. Two of them featured A Matter of Taste infused sugars, including the evening’s favorite—a Grapefruit Spritz layered with farm-grown thyme, grapefruit juice, orange blossom–infused hop water soda, and our Saffron Sugar.
It wasn’t just a drink. It was a designed experience. You could see the shift: people pausing, smiling, tasting together. That moment captured something I’ve been exploring for years—awe as a design principle.
Juanita pours a NA Sparkling Wine for a delighted guest
Awe as a Design Principle in Biophilic Design
My training in biophilic design has always shaped how I think about gatherings. The framework of 15 biophilic patterns— Visual Connection with Nature, Dynamic Light (and shadow) and Non-Visual Connections (like scent and taste)—offers language for what we feel instinctively. At Bella Luna, nearly every pattern was present: the vineyard view outside, the play of shadow and light across glass, the scent of thyme in the air, the warmth of a greenhouse in transition from day to night. These layered together into something that defied expectation: awe.
Awe is now recognized as the fifteenth biophilic pattern. Defined as a stimulus that shifts perception and enlarges our frame of reference, awe changes how we relate—not only to place, but to each other. That recognition matters deeply to us, because at A Matter of Taste, awe is not decoration. It’s the anchor of our work.
Why Awe Matters for Teams and Workplaces
Research shows that awe fosters prosocial behavior, increases collaboration, and reduces stress. In workplaces, it has been linked to improved creativity and even productivity. But beyond the data, I’ve watched awe transform rooms. People loosen their grip on defensiveness. They open to one another. They help each other. That’s why we prioritize awe in our offerings: not as an add-on, but as the engine of collaboration in dignity.
When we design tastings, workshops, or celebrations, we aren’t just creating flavor experiences. We’re intentionally building environments where awe can emerge—through light, flavor, ritual, and place. Because awe is what makes a moment memorable, and what makes a group more generous with itself.
The Grapefruit Spritz served two ways.
Design Thinking Meets Mocktail Workshops
What excites me is how awe dovetails with the principles of design thinking, listed below. Take Juanita’s Grapefruit Spritz as an example:
Empathize: Guests needed refreshment that felt rooted in Bella Luna.
Define: Capture the essence of the farm in a glass.
Ideate: Citrus, blossom, thyme, spice.
Prototype: Mix, taste, adjust.
Test: Guests sipped, responded, lingered with delight.
This wasn’t just beverage service—it was design thinking embodied. Flavor became a medium for discovery, iteration, and feedback. The result was awe, and awe became the bridge to connection.
Making Saffron Sugar Syrup for the Grapefruit Spritz
What I experienced in the greenhouse isn’t limited to a farm in Woodinville. These same principles apply to boardrooms, retreats, and team offsites. When organizations invite awe into their spaces—through sensory play, thoughtful rituals, or connection to natural patterns—they create conditions for teams to thrive.
At A Matter of Taste, we translate those patterns into practice. Sometimes it’s a mocktail-making workshop where teams muddle herbs and create drinks together. Sometimes it’s a chocolate tasting that doubles as a resilience exercise. Sometimes it’s a tea ritual where participants slow down enough to actually notice one another. Each is designed with awe in mind: sensory cues, natural connections, and a touch of the unexpected.
Biophilic Design Patterns as Teaching Tools
One reason I love bringing biophilic design into our storytelling is that it gives people a framework. It’s not just “that was a nice drink” or “the room felt good.” Instead it’s: we experienced Visual Connection with Nature, Dynamic Light, Non-Visual Connections, and, most importantly, Awe. Giving people that language validates what they feel, and invites them to recreate it elsewhere—in their homes, workplaces, or communities.
For me, this is part of my larger joy: helping people build conditions for worthwhile collaboration. Collaboration rooted not in force, but in dignity. When awe is present, dignity is easier to extend. It reminds us we’re part of something bigger than ourselves.
Awe as an Invitation to Collaboration
At Bella Luna Farms, awe came in the form of light on leaves, art in progress, thyme in a glass, and the company of people savoring it together. That same awe can be cultivated anywhere—if we design for it. And when we do, it doesn’t just transform a moment. It transforms how we see each other.
That is why A Matter of Taste is committed to awe. Because awe is more than a feeling. It’s a principle. It’s a practice. It’s an invitation.
This piece is part of our ongoing storytelling series exploring how biophilic design, flavor, and creative frameworks transform the way teams connect. Reach out today to bring an A Matter of Taste experience to your team.
