Video Chat: Diving Deeper Into the Concept of Invisible Kindness
This interview is free to all subscribers.
Last month, I published an interview with Brian Miller—co-founder of Streetsense and the design mind behind some of DC’s most intuitive spaces—where we unpacked his philosophy of “invisible kindness.” At a time when the concept of luxury is being redefined across hospitality—not by lavish amenities, but by how you make someone feel—that conversation tapped into a tension many of us are navigating. So I brought him back to go deeper.
What became immediately clear in our follow-up conversation was how naturally Brian’s approach meets this moment. He thinks like an anthropologist, noticing the behaviors most people overlook—how guests approach a space, where they pause, what they fumble with—and translates those observations into environments that quietly support comfort and clarity. We unpacked what that looks like in the real world, from lobbies and lighting to service rituals and even TikTok, which Brian uses as a kind of digital ethnography to track what travelers actually value.
Some additional highlights from our deeper dive include:
How “invisible kindness” shows up in the tiniest, often overlooked design decisions
How that mindset comes to life in places like Decibel, a cramped underground sake bar that’s thrived for decades by setting its own rules, and Quarters, a genre-blurring showroom-slash-bar in NYC that challenges guests to rethink how a space should behave
The real opportunity to build emotional resonance at the beginning and end of every guest experienceWhat trust has to do with design—and why chasing attention is a distraction
How platforms like TikTok can double as ethnographic research for experience design
The difference between delight and thoughtfulness—and why both matter
What airlines get wrong about the in-flight experience—and why hot meals should never be served on flights
The deeply human instincts AI can’t replicate—especially in hospitality
This was a nuanced, insight-rich conversation that sharpened my own thinking around what really makes a hospitality experience feel exceptional. I hope it sparks something for you, too.
Enjoy!
Katalina, I really enjoyed this interview. Thank you.