I have to be careful when getting a ride from my teammate Michael that I do not wave my left hand in the front seat. I have turned on his radio accidently at least four times in the last few car journeys. This is due to his BMW having motion sensors for ease of engagement for the radio vs nobs and dials.

Technology can hide behind common interior materials by embedding intelligence directly into architectural elements and furniture, allowing the hardware to disappear while maintaining full functionality. This design approach, often called “shy tech,” focuses on making technology a natural extension of the environment rather than a dominant addition to it. The automotive sector has led the way, but this is going into hospitatlity and commercial office spaces now more readily.

Here are the specific ways technology is integrated into common materials in an office space:

Natural and Soft Materials

• Wood as an Interface: In modern design, particularly in automotive cockpits, wood is engineered to function as a touchscreen. This allows for a smooth, minimalist surface that only reveals its interactive nature when needed.

• Leather and Fabric: Functional buttons and controls can be placed invisibly behind leather or fabric. These interactive panels remain hidden until a user engages with them, keeping spaces—such as car interiors—sleek and clean.

• Cork and Felt: In office environments, materials like cork tiling and felt acoustic paneling are used to wrap meeting booths. These materials create a “reduced-noise sanctuary” that houses necessary technology discreetly while prioritizing acoustic comfort and privacy.

Structural and Ambient Elements

• Walls and Surfaces: Intelligence is increasingly embedded into structural elements; for instance, walls can double as display surfaces. Additionally, projections are used to turn virtually any physical surface into an interactive control panel.

• Furniture Integration: Technology is hidden within high-quality, timeless furniture, such as conference tables with hidden connectivity or stepped bench seating that conceals power and data pathways.

• Smart Lighting: Lighting systems are designed to provide both aesthetic ambiance and data feedback, effectively hiding functional information within the atmosphere of the room.

Functional Methods of Integration

• Seamless Automation: Instead of physical interfaces, the sources describe “smart building” technology that uses sensors to detect a user’s presence. For example, walking into a room can automatically connect a device to a screen and adjust lighting and temperature to pre-saved preferences without the user ever touching a button.

• Proactive Intelligence: Systems like voice and gesture controls move complex operations into the background. By learning user behavior and responding to natural prompts, technology remains “barely perceptible” and operates discreetly behind the scenes.

Ultimately, the goal of hiding technology behind these materials is to create a “phygital” (physical and digital) experience where the tools feel like “magic, not machinery,” responding intuitively to human needs without the visual clutter of traditional gadgets.