Project Schiphol Lounge 2

The location of Schiphol, in the Haarlemmermeer polder, has a rich history. The polder landscape of Holland was an inspiration for many artists in the Dutch art movement 'De Stijl' . Their characteristic orthogonal works are essentially abstractions of the Dutch (polder) landscape, the same landscape that surrounds Schiphol and provides this view for its visitors. For the design of a new seating area in lounge 2, we were inspired by a Dutch icon: Mondriaan. Mondriaan originally started as a classical landscape painter but progressively abstracted his style. We analyzed his final works, the Boogie-Woogie paintings, and used them as an organizing principle for designing a space: orthogonal sequences of lines and planes in primary colors that together form a kind of room. The seating area is also set up in this way: connected chairs form seating areas of various sizes that are linked together and fit precisely with the existing architecture. This creates an unexpected composition and a great diversity of seating options, making it suitable for both small and large groups of travelers. To create visual tranquility in busy Schiphol, we replaced the three primary colors with solid wood from three European types of trees: Oak, Beech, and Walnut; trees that Mondriaan himself once painted.