By exploring the potential of liminal design for museums and exhibitions through the intentional juxtaposition of the familiar and the unfamiliar, we offer perspectives to ignite visitors’ imagination. The theoretical framework connecting liminality, transformative experiences, and juxtaposition anchors a practical three-step model that showcases how museums can offer liminal experiences with narrative engagement, optimal abstraction, and suspension of disbelief. Concepts are illustrated with examples, including the Seattle Asian Art Museum, Victoria and Albert, Brera, and the Louvre Abu Dhabi. The specific dynamics of interactive technology, immersive exhibits, and multimedia are discussed as additional thresholds and juxtapositions creating liminality that can offer deeper and more meaningful visitor experiences.

As ubiquitous technology is increasingly mediating our relationships with the world and others, we argue that the sublime is struggling to find room in product design primarily aimed at commercial and transactional goals such as speed and efficiency. We suggest a new category of products to promote deeper and more meaningful experiences, specifically those offering liminality, transcendence, and personal transformation. This paper introduces a conceptual framework and three-step design approach looking at narrative participation in design through abstractions to promote, hold and deepen more complex emotions. We explore implications from a theoretical point of view and suggest product examples for how the model might be applied in practice.