The Kid Test for Great Design

Here’s a design test you won’t find in architecture school:

Would a kid enjoy playing hide-and-seek here?

It’s not a trick question. If the answer is yes, you’re probably standing in a good space. If the answer is no, you’re probably in a boring one.

Think about the places you love. The café you always return to. That one boutique hotel you still tell friends about. Even your friend’s apartment that just feels…better than it has any right to.

Chances are, there’s a sense of discovery. Little corners, surprising details, things you notice on the tenth visit that you missed on the first. It’s playful without being childish.

That’s what makes it memorable.

Why it works

Kids don’t care about designer chairs or marble countertops. They care about the thrill of peeking around a corner, finding a nook, or spotting something curious on the shelf.

Adults aren’t that different—we just pretend to be.

When a space invites exploration, we feel it. We lean in. We remember it. And we come back.

The holiday apartment problem

Most holiday rentals get this wrong.

They have the checklist items: bed, table, sofa, lamp. Functional? Sure. Memorable? Never.

It’s like a meal that fills you up but you forget five minutes later.

The apartments people rave about—the ones they recommend to their friends—always have tiny details that spark curiosity. A lamp you’ve never seen before. A book that feels oddly placed but perfectly right. A little alcove where you can sit with a glass of wine and watch the light change.

They don’t just work as spaces. They make you want to play.

Design as memory-making

Here’s the real takeaway: design isn’t only about solving problems. It’s about creating stories people carry with them.

Try it yourself.

The next time you walk into a café, lobby, or even your own living room, pause for two seconds. Ask: the simplest filter for that might just be:

Does this place make me want to explore?

Because if the answer is yes, you’ve found magic.
If the answer is no, you’ve diagnosed why it feels flat.