The Monocle Minute
On Design

We check in at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport to glimpse Finnair’s newest airport lounge and sit down with architect Ole Scheeren to talk about his new twist on office buildings with the Tencent Helix in Shenzhen. Plus: a restaurant with a view of Mont Ventoux (pictured) and we celebrate the anniversary of an iconic chair that almost every Australian has sat in. But first, Stella Roos takes us on a tour of Europe from Barcelona to Berlin via its quirky road signs.

For airlines looking to improve their presence in global hubs, a smartly designed lounge is a sure-fire way to win customer loyalty. It’s why Finnair has commissioned Joanna Laajisto to create a new 440-seat lounge at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport. The recently opened space, located on the airport’s Schengen side, is influenced by Finnish nature and features local wood, stone, leather and woollen fabrics. “I wanted to create an environment that gives your senses a moment of rest from the hectic world of travel, the type of positive feeling you get when you collapse in your own bed,” says Laajisto.

The Helsinki-based designer also used Finnish furniture, including Artek’s Domus Chairs, Made by Choice’s Goma bar stool by Thomas Sandell and Centenniale coffee tables designed by Laajisto for Finnish furniture maker Nikari. “I used round shapes as a nod to the cabin experience and to create a cosy atmosphere in what is a busy environment,” adds Laajisto. The only downside of this calming lounge environment? The potential that one might snooze through their departure time – they will, at least, wake up comfortable and well-fed.
joannalaajisto.com

For more on Finnair’s new lounge at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport, pick up a copy of Monocle’s September issue today.

Le Belvédère is a cosy restaurant located in the heart of Provence. Designed by Rudy Guénaire of Night Flight, the dining room has stunning views of Mont Ventoux, something that the Paris-based designer drew inspiration from when creating the interiors. Imagined as a rustic and sunny reinterpretation of modernism, Le Belvédère features a soft-colour palette of green, beige and orange. “I was inspired by the supple modernist lines for which I have an irrational love,” says Guénaire. “But also Japan, which makes everything so unique and precious. Of course, there's a nod to Mallet-Stevens’s Villa Cavrois too – I’m the biggest fan.”

In addition to the landscape being reflected in the finishes, large bay windows in strategic places frame the spectacular views of the landscape and provide gentle ventilation. Wooden furniture carved in rounded shapes (drawn by hand) create an even more inviting atmosphere. This is the ninth restaurant project for Guénaire and it showcases his talent at capturing the soul of space and reflecting the beauty of its surroundings within four walls.
studionightflight.com

Ole Scheeren founded his architecture studio, Büro Ole Scheeren, in 2010. With offices in Berlin, Bangkok, Beijing, New York, Hong Kong and London, the German creative’s team work on a wide range of projects around the world. We spoke to Scheeren about one of his current flagship projects, the Tencent Helix in Shenzhen. The twisting tower is introducing a new era of office buildings with an eye on the importance of balance and the greater purpose of architecture – which is “built to live”.

It seems as though the office space has evolved over time. How does the Tencent Helix tackle issues of productivity and connectivity?
The Tencent Helix is, in a way, a combination of something very simple that becomes very complex and then becomes quite simple again. It’s a set of four towers split into eight different pieces that in themselves are very functional and efficient, which then twist in a central vortex. It’s almost like a fusion chamber that brings all the elements of the headquarters together in a social mixing chamber. But it’s not that the entire thing has become a playground – there are zones of focus and function, and zones of interaction.

In offices you need spaces for privacy and collaboration. How do you strike that balance?
You need a sense of individuality and connectivity in terms of the workplace but also in terms of the structure itself. It’s very important that a building doesn’t isolate itself with its own self-obsession but interacts with the wider context. So, for example, Tencent Helix sits on a huge plateau that we call the “urban forum”. This plateau is almost like a city of restaurants and shops where the building itself really blends with its surroundings to create a highly interactive public space.

You’re renowned for creating these big, bold buildings, yet there is always a lightness to them. How do you deliver density in a way that isn’t overwhelming?
It’s important that architecture is approachable and interactive, connecting with people’s emotions while being memorable. A dimension of openness and maybe even playfulness is important. But at the core of all my buildings is the question, “What do they really do?” We ask ourselves how our buildings change the way in which people relate and how spaces create particular opportunities to be active components of their context, rather than passive bystanders. We want our architecture to invigorate and activate you as a human being.

For more from Ole Scheeren, tune in to this week’s episode ofMonocle On Design.

Sydney-based company Sebel started out as a toy manufacturer but switched to making furniture using the same techniques. In 1974 the company launched the Integra, a chair made of just a single piece of polypropylene and now an unsung hero of Australian design. Cheap, stackable and virtually indestructible, the Integra became a bestseller: more than four million have found their way into Australian schools, offices and homes over the past 50 years.

The designer of the Integra was Charles Furey, a maths teacher and musician who pivoted to industrial design with great success. Though not a household name, Furey was the creator of many other ubiquitous Australian products, including the original styrofoam cooler and a range of Pyrex casserole dishes. Later in life, Furey held the well-earned title of president of the Ergonomics Society of Australia. Indeed, there is hardly an Australian who hasn’t sat in one of his chairs, which remains in production with Sebel to this day – a reminder that sometimes we don’t need to dig into the archive to find outstanding designs.

Louis Poulsen: First House of Light tells the story of, you guessed it, the renowned Danish lighting company Louis Poulsen as it celebrates 150 years in business. Published by Phaidon, the monograph traces the story of the brand from its inception in 1874 by founder Ludvig Raymond Poulsen to the present day, while illuminating the behind-the-scenes processes and modern manufacturing that creates some of the world’s best-known lighting systems, from the Artichoke pendant to the Panthella table lamp.

First House of Light gathers more than 200 archival drawings and photographs, including designs sketched out by mid-century Danish stalwarts such as Verner Panton and Arne Jacobsen but also contemporary luminaries including Icelandic-Danish artist Olafur Eliasson and Japanese designer Shoichi Uchiyama. A notable chapter is the introduction of the Poul Henningsen-designed PH lamps that continue to populate cafés, homes and hotels in Copenhagen to this day.
phaidon.com; louispoulsen.com

Rugs have the potential to tie a room together. But finding one that will fit in with your home and add a comforting textural layer to a room can be a challenge. Cue Armadillo, the Australian rug brand’s New Icons collection of six rugs draws inspiration from traditional weaves the world over, including Morocco and Japan.

Each rug is handcrafted using natural fibres such as wool, jute and cotton – and all are available in a range of tonal and natural hues. For a retro feel, we have our eye on the Sequoia, which is spun and hand-stitched from jute into a diamond pattern reminiscent of 1970s seagrass mats. And, as the northern hemisphere begins to shift its attention to the colder months ahead, the Pebble rug (pictured right) will bring comfort underfoot thanks to its bouclé weave of New Zealand wool while the Cable rug (pictured left) is a durable option with a subtle chevron pattern.
armadillo-co.com