Besides imagining a more exciting future for public seating, this modular system also endeavours to envision a more sustainable future for the planet. Its palette draws upon mostly recycled and renewable materials, including certified wood, recycled ocean plastic and low-carbon aluminum. The cradle-to-cradle life cycle of these components also informs the bench’s circular form. Moreover, by veering away from the staid linear designs that tend to define most waiting areas, the surprising shape strives to inspire more dynamic interactions between strangers

Shaped like a keepsake pebble acquired along a beach walk, Arper’s rounded lounge chair looks just as at home outdoors as in. A fully upholstered option makes for an ideal waiting room chair, while a version pairing a plastic shell with a removable cushion proves great for backyards. The versatile design’s regard for nature extends to its construction as well: Because it’s free of glue, the chair can be completely disassembled for disposal at the end of its life, making it easy to put the polypropylene of its shell — already composed of 80 per cent recycled materials — to additional use.

Perfect for home office workers seeking ergonomic comfort that doesn’t compromise the domestic feel of their spaces, Essa — conceived as a return to the essence of task seating — favours refined simplicity over high-tech gadgetry. Its signature feature is its arched arms, which offer sturdy support in a fluid form that’s echoed in the gentle sweep of the chair’s backrest. All of these curves and contours work to ensure a high level of coziness across a wide variety of seating positions, accommodating natural shifts throughout the workday without the need for complex adjustments.

A splendid merging of modern artistic expression with Old World tradition, Soda by Greek designer Yiannis Ghikas was born of the desire to conjure the seemingly impossible: a large-scale and shapely coffee table made from a single volume of glass. When conceptualizing and researching his design for Italian furniture company Miniforms, Ghikas soon discovered why an all-glass table of this magnitude was in short supply — the technical know-how required to produce it is possessed by only a handful of renowned artisans on the island of Murano, whose workshops have been unmatched for centuries. For both Miniforms and Ghikas, turning to these experts was an opportunity to preserve an inherited skill and apply it in a contemporary way.

Slipcovers have gone couture. Taking a page from the fashion industry, removable padded “jackets” wrap around the recycled plastic shell of this haute lounge chair as a way to extend the seat’s lifespan as seasons change and tastes evolve. To match the generous selection of chic upholstery offerings — which include both leathers and textiles — the design is available with three versatile base options: wooden legs, wooden dowels and a playfully exaggerated metal cone (the latter two also swivel). Time to make some more room in the coat closet for Lud’o’s wardrobe.