Lobby

A lobby is the one room in a hotel that every guest passes through and nobody is served in. The seating has to look composed from thirty feet away, hold up to luggage, wet swimsuits and laptop bags, and still be comfortable enough that someone waiting forty minutes for a room does not resent it. This collection is built for that job: lounge chairs, club chairs, sofas, settees, benches and ottomans specified for commercial lobbies, lounges, club rooms and waiting areas.

Plan the room in groupings, not in pieces

Lobbies fail when they are furnished as rows. What works is a set of conversation groupings — typically a sofa with two lounge chairs and a low table, or four chairs around a shared table — sized so that strangers can occupy the same grouping without being forced to face each other. Leave 18" between a sofa and its table, 30" of walking clearance between groupings, and give at least one grouping a clear sightline to the front desk for guests watching for their turn.

Seat height and depth decide who can use it

Deep, low lounge seating photographs beautifully and is difficult for older guests to get out of. In a mixed-use lobby, vary it: include lounge chairs at a 17–19" seat height with arms that extend far enough forward to push up from, alongside the deeper pieces. For properties with a significant senior or accessibility population, a firmer cushion and a higher seat is the single most appreciated specification choice in the room.

Upholstery, realistically

Lobby seating meets more unknown substances than restaurant seating does. Specify 100,000 double rub contract fabric or commercial vinyl meeting CAL TB 117-2013, with a soil and stain finish, and consider putting the most cleanable material on the seat deck and a softer fabric on the outside back where nobody sits. Darker, patterned or textured fabrics hide wear on high-traffic pieces far better than flat light solids. We accept COM and COL; minimums may apply.

Power, where guests actually sit

Guests choose lobby seats by proximity to an outlet. If power can be run to grouping locations before finishes, do it — it changes which seats get used and how long guests stay. Retrofitted power strips taped to chair legs are the alternative, and they look it.

Wood, metal and frame construction

Our wood lounge frames are built from American walnut, American white oak, American ash and European beech, almost all with mortise-and-tenon joinery rather than bolted connections — the construction that survives a lobby where furniture gets pushed rather than lifted. Metal frames are welded, not bolted. All frames are tested to hold up to 400 lbs and carry a 3-year structural warranty. Higher weight-rated and bariatric frames are available on request.

Where this collection is used

Hotel lobbies, resort lobbies and cabana lounges, casino lounges, club, campus and corporate reception, senior living common rooms and healthcare waiting areas, and entertainment venue lounges.

Browse the pieces

Lounge chairs and sofas, arm chairs, upholstered chairs and table tops with low bases for occasional tables.

Lead times and ordering

Standard production is 14–20 weeks, with rush to 8–10 weeks available on many items; COM orders begin when material arrives. Minimum order is typically 4 pieces, smaller orders considered on request. Sample chairs are available for sit tests before you commit to a full lobby — worth doing, because lounge comfort cannot be judged from a photograph.

How do I get pricing? Contact your local sales rep or a project manager or administrator in our office and we will quote your list, including freight.