Reimagining Furniture Design for Emotional Well-Being: Aura by Grace Chao

At the Future Art & Design Award UK 2025 Summer Season, Taiwanese designer Ya-Ning Chao (Grace) was honored with the Diamond Prize and Best Design of the Season for her furniture design project Aura—a work that reimagines the modern workplace as a living, breathing environment shaped by emotional awareness.

Design Rooted in Emotion and Experience

“Hi, I’m Grace Chao from Taiwan.”

For Grace, creativity has always been a source of pure joy. From childhood drawing to studying industrial design, her creative journey has been driven by a belief that design is not merely about technique, but about ideas that genuinely connect with people. Industrial design, for her, became a way to translate abstract thoughts and emotions into tangible experiences—objects that quietly improve everyday life.

As she began planning her graduation project, Grace posed a deeply personal question: As I enter the next stage of life and step into the workplace, what kind of environment will I spend most of my time in?

This reflection led her to focus on the office as both a physical and emotional space.

Understanding the Emotional Landscape of Work

Through surveys conducted with Generation Z employees, Grace discovered a shared reality: beyond workload pressure, many workers experience emotional strain and blurred personal boundaries. The workplace, rather than offering stability, often amplifies stress.

This insight sparked a pivotal idea—what if a workspace could “breathe,” like a living being, and support emotional well-being?

That question became the foundation of Aura.

Aura: Visualizing Emotional Breath

Inspired by the concept of breath—echoing the biblical imagery of life being breathed into Adam—Grace designed Aura as a piece of furniture that restores emotional vitality to the workspace. Through subtle light and gentle motion, Aura visualizes emotional boundaries, allowing users to sense presence, reconnect with others, and regain balance.

Rather than imposing structure, Aura responds quietly to human interaction. It creates an atmosphere that feels alive—one where people can breathe, focus, and coexist with greater awareness.

From Invisible Feelings to Physical Form

The most exciting aspect of the creative process, Grace explains, was realizing how design could translate emotions into something people can physically feel. At the same time, this was also the greatest challenge: transforming invisible psychological states into a responsive, tangible design language.

For Grace, Aura is not just a piece of furniture. It is a reminder—to care about people, emotions, and the unseen energy that connects individuals within shared spaces.

Award Experience and Reflections

Participating in the Future Art & Design Award UK has been truly meaningful for Grace. Reflecting on the experience, she shares: “Participating in the Future Art & Design Award UK has been truly meaningful, and receiving this wonderful honor is something I deeply cherish.”

This recognition celebrates Aura as a work that bridges furniture design, emotional intelligence, and contemporary workplace culture, offering a vision of environments that truly support the people within them.