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Well I guess you can’t criticise this Souvenir concession at Minneapolis St Paul Airport for not having a sense of place. A sense of taste though?

One thing though is that souvenir stores aren’t meant to look classy. Its not the way the product category generally works. In fact in so many cases in airports I’ve seen operators try to make the store look better, more exclusive & upmarket and its almost always been at the expense of sales.

Airport souvenir sales are generally impulse driven, value purchases and a store which looks too expensive or exclusive has a tendency to put people off. In this category anyway.

The Cost of Performing Rest

The Cost of Performing Rest

Modern systems have turned rest into something we perform rather than something that restores us. This essay explores why holidays often fail to renew people, how work and the holiday industry reinforce the problem, and what real restoration actually requires.

The New Luxury Signal: Emotional Stability

The New Luxury Signal: Emotional Stability

Luxury resorts used to sell status and spectacle. Now they sell something quieter: relief. Guests arrive overloaded, and the best resorts are redesigning around sensory calm, reduced friction, and emotional steadiness. Modern luxury is less about what you add, and more about what you remove.

When You Can’t Leave: Designing for the Flight Reflex in Airports, Venues, and Hospitals

When You Can’t Leave: Designing for the Flight Reflex in Airports, Venues, and Hospitals

In high-stimulus public spaces, our bodies do more than react – they strategise.
Airports, hospitals, and stadiums all evoke subtle “Flight” responses: scanning, pacing, early exits.
Understanding how threat appraisal drives behaviour can help architects and planners design calmer spaces – and reveal why relaxation, not excitement, predicts dwell, spend, and satisfaction.