Take off in style: Vitra and the art of airport seating

Passenger Terminal Expo is Europe’s largest airport terminal exhibition. And while such is always good to know, why are we at (smow)blog telling you.

.04 bench by Maarten Van Severen from Vitra

Because it is a opportune moment once again demonstrate that designer furniture and furniture by top designers can be found everywhere. Even in an airport – an environment that is normally considered as a design desert. Among the exhibitors at Passenger terminal expo is smow partner Vitra. For over 40 years Vitra have been developing and producing seating for public spaces, including airports. The Vitra range includes benches based on, for example, the .04 by Maarten Van Severen and the Plastic Side Chair series by Charles and Ray Eames. A new addition is the Airport range by Sir Norman Foster.

Foster Airport for Vitra

More famous for designing actual Airports, in 1998 Foster and Vitra joined forces to create a sleek, comfortable seating system for terminal buildings that can be effortlessly installed, uninstalled, extended and reduced as required. The Foster Airport series can be seen, and for all enjoyed, for example, at London Heathrow, Göteborg or Porto airports.
And although specifically designed for airports such benches and seating systems are also ideally suited for all public spaces be it museums, waiting rooms, public offices or wherever short term seating is regularly required. Such benches are not listed on the (smow)homepage, can however be ordered through smow.
And if a whole bench is too much, you can always recreate that unique airport atmosphere at home with a single Vitra chair from smow.com