"Fun Seating Finds" From Around The World

Recently I posted on social media a photo of a fun bench with the caption “Where am I?” This elicited a response from an urbanist in Victoria that there isn’t enough creative seating in cities these days. Knowing that I had lots of examples of creative/fun seating, I responded with “I feel a blog coming on.”

I always welcome a reason to sift through my collection of 75,000 photos and see where I have been. A chance to relive some great memories. This time I enjoyed looking for fun, funky and quirky seating and here is what I found.

This seating sculpture in Mexico City has to win the award for the most creative and fun.

Here another one from Mexico City. There were probably 10 or so of these hammock structures temporary installed in a park. They were very popular with children and couples.

These fun shoe chairs on Strathmore’s Main Street came in handy when I had to check my notes.

This vintage swing on the front lawn of a house in Bowness, Calgary was inviting.

Loved this memorial bench and stroller in front of an elmentary school in Portland, Oregon.

Plaque reads: “Olivia’s Bench (In loving memory of Olivia “V” Spencer, daughter, sister, friend, neighbor and Chapman Student from 2008 to 2014 “you go on ahead sweetheart, I’ll be right behind you.”

Not sure if you are suppose to sit on these or not. Located at the Banff Centre, they are by Brian Jungen, one of my favourite Canadian artists.

This Alice Muro bench can appropriately be found next to the library in Wingham, Ontario where she was born.

How great is this? Grab a book and sit and read for a bit while on a walk in Calgary.

This bench is located on the side yard of a house in Calgary near the base of the hill to the Foothills Hospital.

I love it when cafes like this one in Vancouver have fun seating on the street.

Sometime a thrift store find, can make for fun seating while you wait for counselling.

Thanks to some neighbours you can sit and enjoy the view of Calgary’s skyline and prairie sky from Grasshopper Hill. Today the hill has a more permanent seating area.

Some urban planner talk about creating public spaces that are the living rooms for people in urban residential towers. I am not sure this is what they had in mind. London, UK.

Along Comox Street in Vancouver’s West End there are several places where chairs have been added so you can enjoy the lush streetscape.

You can make a tradition bench fun with some candy. Austin, Texas

Berlin, Germany has some creative seating. These ones are made from PVC pipes.

Found these benches made from used pallets also in Berlin.

This is the bench that I posted with the message “Where am I?” that started the dialogue about not enough fun seating in cities today. It is located next to a baseball diamond in Calgary, Alberta.

This wheel barrow chair isn’t very comfortable, but it is fun.

It can be found on a tiny island in the Elbow River, in Calgary’s Mission District.

These colourful logs that look like candy from the side are in a playground, next to a community garden in Calgary’s East Village.

Also in Calgary’s East Village are these lounge chairs next to the Bow River along the Riverwalk.

This minimalist, sculpture, bench is located in Calgary’s St. Patrick’s Island. It might not be comfortable but it looks cool.

I wasn’t sure what this was on Calgary’s Stephen Avenue Walk.

Seattle has some fun seating along the waterfront. Great for people watching or a chat with friends.

Peter Smith’s Frog Bench welcomes you to sit along Calgary’s 4th St in Mission.

Love the juxtaposition of colour, materials and ornamention between these two benches in Calgary’s Pumphouse Park along the Bow River.

While this bench isn’t fun, what they are looking at is very fun.

This is what they are looking at….Link: Does Vancouver have the world’s happiest sculpture?

Only in Calgary would you find a tree swing like this on a front lawn. Giddy-up!

Calgary Bow River Promenade in Eau Claire might have the world’s longest benches. They were created as part of the flood mitigation project next to the lagoon.

Calgary’s Eau Claire pebble beach is a great place to sit and relax with friends. In the summer it is the perfect place to watch the sun set.

Vancouver’s South Granville’s quirky seating.

Not sure if this is the owner of the vintage furniture shop, or just a passerby who thought this would be a good place to enjoy a coffee and the paper. Berlin.

You can find this playful street next to the Byword Market in Ottawa. It combines fun tulip sculptures, with colourful chairs and street games.

Also in Ottawa, you can sit beside Oscar Peterson and listen to him play. Yes, there is a recording of him playing the piano incorporated into this installation, near the National Arts Centre.

Found this giant chair in an industrial district in Calgary.

This pink bench invites you to stop and check your messages.

This sculpture by Jill Anholt in Downtown Calgary incorporates seating as part of the design. Back in the ‘80s the Calgary Downtown Association initiated a “Benches as Sculpture” program that resulted in several fun benches. This was not part of that program.

This plaza in Calgary’s Bridgeland neighbourhood not only has fun chairs, but a football table.

Berlin wins the prize for low cost seating.

Public seating is important in the winter also. Found these hand crafted chairs located along the shore of Calgary’s Bow River and strangely not in a park or along the pathway but down at the river’s edge. Could it be that a neighbour just place them there.

Sometimes the best seating is on the edge of fountain that has been turned off.

Last Word

Hope you have enjoyed this tour of seating from around the world as much as I did putting it together.