A room designed for thinking together.
We call it the Knight's Room: a space where showing up matters as much as winning. You don't have to be quick, experienced or competitive. You just have to be here. Neuroaesthetics, the study of how our surroundings affect the brain, is still young, but it points to something we believe deeply: the space around us shapes how we feel, connect and engage. So we are designing ours with care. Everyone starts at square one.
Here, the first move is simply walking in.
We don't rank players or keep score. Some of us learn chess quickly; some of us take our time. Both belong here.
In chess, every game begins with a single move. Here, that move is walking through the door. From the moment you arrive, fast or slow, beginner or veteran, you're part of the game.
What matters most is that we show up, sit down together and spend time thinking, talking and being part of something. Research suggests the quality of an experience matters, not just attendance, so we work to make every visit worth the trip.
Light, sound and scent reach us before a single word is spoken. Neuroaesthetics studies how light, sound, color and form affect the brain and body. The field is young but growing, and it guides how we design.
Research also links rich cultural experiences, like visiting galleries and concerts, to healthier aging. We want our room to offer some of that richness every week, and to say, before anyone speaks: you are welcome here.
Adults over 50 who visited museums, galleries, theater or concerts every few months had a 43% lower risk of dementia over about 12 years, in a study of 9,550 people. Group membership alone was not linked. An association, not proof of cause.
Long-term study · Fancourt et al., J Epidemiol Community Health, 2020 (opens in a new tab)
Quieter rooms, clear wayfinding and warm, non-institutional spaces are linked to less agitation and more social engagement in older adults. The studies are small, so we will keep following this research and learn from our own room as it takes shape.
Research reviews · Dementia-friendly environments, ARIIA evidence summary (opens in a new tab)
Neuroaesthetics studies how light, sound, color and form affect the brain and body. It guides our design. It does not yet prove outcomes.
Emerging science · International Arts + Mind Lab, Johns Hopkins (opens in a new tab)
Full citations and limits are on The Evidence page.
Six principles, each grounded in research on aging and the environment. Here is what you will see, hear, smell and feel when you join us.
Warm, bright lamps at every table, with soft art and nature imagery on the walls. Never flashing, never on the board.
Songs from the years you remember best as you arrive and as we share stories, and quiet when it's time to think.
A gentle, flameless scent to welcome you, chosen by our players' vote and changed often. Seats away from the scent are always available.
Comfortable chairs with arms, calm solid tablecloths that make every piece easy to see, and a small object on each table to start a conversation.
Every seat faces the front, the room is easy to move through, and there's space for walkers and wheelchairs.
No clocks on the game, no scores on the wall. Watching, playing and listening all count.
Whether you're new to chess, returning after years away or simply like to take your time, you belong here. People learn differently, and some days are harder than others.
Our facilitators teach at your pace, and no one is ever rushed or compared. Like the knight that visits every square, we make room for every player: the quick, the careful, the curious and the brand new.
Whatever your pace, your experience or your day, your seat is waiting.
A beautiful room is not a treatment. It is an invitation. The science of space is still emerging, so we use it to guide our design, not to make promises.
The Knight's Room opens with our first sessions in the upcoming season. We design for comfort, mood and connection, and we will study what our space does, with research partners, before we report any results. What we can promise today: you will feel welcome, comfortable and part of something.
We are looking for research partners in aging, design and neuroaesthetics, and for arts and design partners to help us build the room well.
