5 Street Furniture Designs You Wish Were on Your Street
Date published 31 July 2015
At Urban Effects, we love playful and unique urban designs. We find it endlessly fascinating how creative ideas – whether they’re in the form of an unusual public sculpture or a quirky bench built out of sustainable materials – can transform and optimise a space, define and celebrate a community, and bring people together to socialise, relax and regenerate.
We love getting inspired by unique and sustainable street furniture. To satisfy our obsession, we thought we’d share some of the most stunning urban furniture designs we’ve found on our travels through Pinterest. We guarantee you’ll be blown away and wish these awesome designs were on your street!
In Flakes by Mount Fuji Architects
‘in flakes’ is the name of the public art installation of ‘mirrored benches’ that sit beneath cherry trees at the Towada Art Centre in Japan. Crafted of folded stainless steel panels, joined together to form a comfortable bench, each seat’s surface has been polished to reflect the beautiful, ever-changing sky and surrounds.
With their unique yet simple design, the benches capture the beauty of Japan’s seasons throughout the year, from cherry blossoms that float through the air in spring to sunlight streaming through the trees in summer, burnished autumn leaves in autumn and snowfall in winter. ‘in flakes’ creates a unique, idyllic sanctuary in an urban space for reflection and regeneration.
Serac Bench by Zaha Hadid
Renowned architect Zaha Hadid drew inspiration for his Serac Bench from the arctic landscape. Made from a resin and quartz composite of sparkling white, the urban sculpture doubles as a bench, evoking the smooth ridges and curves of a block of ice formed in the crevasses of a glacier. With its glowing light and mesmerising depth of texture, the Serac Bench brings the beauty and power of nature into an urban setting.
Loop Bench by Jeppe Hein
Danish artist Jeppe Hein’s ‘Loop Benches’ offer a clever twist on the traditional park bench, using a variety of curves, angles, twists and bends to encourage people to connect socially. The unique bench designs reverse the traditional idea of a seat as a place of rest and solitude, and force people to communicate actively.
Pile Isle by Elena Goray and Christoph Tönges
Style meets sustainability with this natural bamboo street furniture. Created by tying a bundle of bamboo sticks together with stainless steel belts, this artistic bamboo bench is comfortable with a warm, natural feel. We think it creates the perfect place for locals to enjoy downtime and connect with nature within a hectic city!
UNIRE/UNITE by Urban Movement Design
We simply can’t get enough of this interactive urban furniture by Urban Movement Design. Made of CNC routed marine ply and upholstered with concrete canvas, this unique bench encourages physical activity by integrating a variety of yoga-inspired exercises into its design. The structure even instructs these exercises with downloadable QR codes. Ultimately, UNIRE/UNITE offers an inspirational take on how we can use urban spaces to transform our modern sedentary lifestyles.
Keen for more amazing urban furniture designs? Check out our Urban Effects Pinterest account for more inspiration.