21s

From Saint-Etienne, France

21s gives a human face to the cities of tomorrow

TF Urban and Marc Aurel took on the challenge of creating a signature furniture that would allow Europe’s large cities to update their image while meeting all of the needs for a contemporary urban space: lightness, comfort for all users, friendliness, well-being and durability.

21s was first born as a sketch in November 2013; following research, and back and forths between the design agency and TF Urban, the prototype at last took shape at the end of 2014.

Within the context of the International Design Biennial of Saint Etienne in March 2015, the city and its partners organised a competition to promote innovative urban furniture projects, through the “Banc d’essai” (“bench test”) call for projects. The objective of this event was to be present in the city and to share with the general public the creativity of the designers and the experience of the Biennial, by making Saint-Etienne a space of experimentation and a laboratory of innovation. The 21s lounge was exhibited in the heart of the city, in Jean Jaurès Square. Two months after this installation, the feedback from the interviews carried out by the Biennial’s team was overwhelmingly positive: the furniture was approved by all users of all ages. They especially appreciated the beauty of the object, its originality, its comfort and the pleasure of sharing moments with friends or strangers within the public space.

Following this strong test, the city not only decided to acquire the 21s lounge but also to use it in photos for its own communications campaign.