A new Lufthansa Lounge at Milan Airport with HIMACS

The days of small windows, little daylight, remote locations and crowded interiors for airport lounges are long gone. A new concept brought the Lufthansa Lounge at Milan’s Malpensa Airport to a more central location. With a total space of nearly 550 square metres, the area in Terminal 1A offers passengers of the airline ample space – including a view of the airport ramp. Open spaces reflect generosity, while numerous retreat areas offer privacy.

The new Lounge is a pilot project for the new Lufthansa Lounge Concept redesigned by Kitzig Design Studios. The designers retained the characteristic curved lines featuring in existing Lufthansa Lounges worldwide, by using the LG Hausys HIMACS Solid Surface material. Rounded corners are reminiscent of the aerodynamic design of planes, creating a subtle reference to the airline. In order to provide each Lounge with a high recognition value within the world of Lufthansa, the new concept is also finished with typical local elements.

As soon as visitors enter the new Lounge, they experience a touch of Milan’s chic. Light strips recessed in the floor and the ceiling lead the passengers past an elegant brilliant white counter made of HIMACS Alpine White, directly to the centre of the bright and generously designed Lounge.     

A free-standing oval food counter with a shelf suspended above it, reflecting the basic geometric shape, forms the heart of the Lufthansa Lounge in Milan. For a durable high-quality execution of the curved elements, Kitzig Design Studios chose the HIMACS Solid Surface material in Lunar Sand colour. The thermoformable Solid Surface material consists of minerals, acrylic and natural pigments.

At the same time, the non-porous surface does not allow bacteria, mould or dirt to grow, thus complying with all hygiene requirements. With its tough characteristics, HIMACS can also handle the heavy-duty use in public areas.

For this reason, not only the central food counter and the suspended shelfs but also the high tables, the laterally placed main bar and the partitions were all made of HIMACS. They were designed with the non-porous Solid Surface material in Alpine White.

While the free-standing counter for serving snacks is a reminiscence of the typical Italian “aperitivo”, other elements also provide a connection to Milan: for example, the walkway from the entrance to the food counter is highlighted with light strips recessed in the floor and the ceiling, resembling a cat-walk, and reflecting Milan as the City of fashion. At the same time, and in line with the airport setting, it could be associated with a runway. This successful interior design with durable Solid Surface material furniture and fittings already received the renowned German Design Award 2019 and is very popular with visitors of the Lufthansa Lounge.