Air France business lounge

Air France has entrusted designer Mathieu Lehanneur to create a bespoke bar area for its new Air France Business lounge in hall L at Paris-Charles de Gaulle terminal 2E. A timeless space suspended between heaven and earth, Le Balcon is set against the runways in a unique and welcoming architecture.

Forming a curved structure sheltered under an immense golden mirrored ceiling, Le Balcon is a 160 sq. m installation that seems to be about to take off. We are no longer in Paris but not yet elsewhere.

The space includes a central bar with a succession of outlying theatrical box seats where passengers can relax and enjoy gourmet delicacies prior to their flight. Each box is upholstered in blue velvet and embroidered with their respective numbers, and features a large sofa, a pedestal table and the latest connectivity services.

“Boxes are emblematic of a certain French lifestyle. From the Palais Garnier to the French Open, they expertly combine the need for privacy with a dynamic collective spirit. The lodge is always the best place to admire the show!” says Mathieu Lehanneur. “Flying is to remain motionless in a moving world. It is feeling the cities and clouds slide under one’s feet. I wanted this space to work in the same way – at Le Balcon, one contemplates in silence the incessant movements of the sky and people” he adds.

“This superb collaboration with Mathieu Lehanneur invites our customers to step into a genuine world of comfort and well-being inside our new Business lounge prior to their flight. Air France has always worked with the most innovative designers of the time to bring an aesthetic and prestigious touch to the world of air travel”, added Anne Rigail, Customer EVP, Air France.

At Le Balcon, the show takes place outside as much as it does inside. The uninterrupted movement of planes on the runway mirrors the movements of the travellers, whose reflections enliven the interior’s mirrored ceiling. Mixing wood, marble, glass and light, Le Balcon is at once chic, immersive and digital.

At the centre, the designer has integrated a LED screen into the parquet floor depicting an image of the sky. From daybreak to dusk, this giant window of light imitates the variations of the day in real time. Whatever your departure time, this sky is like an introduction to your journey, before jetting across time zones…

With Le Balcon, Mathieu Lehanneur wishes to offer a real concentrate of France’s savoir vivre, combining inventiveness, humour and elegance with a great attention to detail. Le Balcon is an unmissable destination prior to boarding.

Mathieu Lehanneur