MINI LIVING – Forests. MINI teams up with Asif Khan to exhibit installation at the London Design Festival 2016.

Munich/London. “Third places” – those that lie between work and home – provide important contact points in our modern urban society. They expand the room we have to live in and help us to relax, meet up with one another and increase our productivity. Freelancers, for example, often use cafés as offices and restaurants as meeting rooms. MINI has joined forces with London-based architect Asif Khan at the London Design Festival 2016 to exhibit the installation MINI LIVING – Forests, which showcases three interpretations of these “spaces between spaces”.

The installation creates new spaces which can be accessed by the public, personalised temporarily and tailored to the needs of our urban society. With MINI LIVING – Forests, the MINI brand is continuing the conversation on future city living which it started with the MINI LIVING installation at this year’s Salone del Mobile in Milan.

The basic three-room concept underpinning MINI LIVING – Forests is inspired by the Japanese idea of “shinrin yoku” – which essentially translates as “forest bathing”, i.e. experiencing the forest with all your senses. Inside the “themed” rooms (Connect, Create and Relax), the plants, furnishings and, in some cases, the flooring create the impression of being in a forest through the use of materials and visual/haptic tools. The three rooms are located in the buzzing urban surrounds of Shoreditch in London.

The Connect Space is a place for meeting up and catching up – spontaneously or pre-planned. A large table forms the centrepiece of the room. The best possible ambience in which to focus on work, meanwhile, is provided by the Create Space. It represents an island of creativity and productivity, and allows users to arrange its furnishings as they wish. The Relax Space welcomes visitors with an abundance of plants and invites them to take a step back from everyday life and relax.

MINI LIVING – Forests is open to the public and available for use during the London Design Festival (17 – 25 September). The installation shows a creative approach to improving the quality of life in our cities in the future.

Opening times*:

17 September: 10.00 – 20.00 hrs

18 September: 10.00 – 18.00 hrs

19 September: 08.00 – 20.00 hrs

20 September: 08.00 – 22.00 hrs

21 September: 08.00 – 21.00 hrs

22 September: 08.00 – 20.00 hrs

23 September: 08.00 – 20.00 hrs

24 September: 10.00 – 20.00 hrs

25 September: 10.00 – 18.00 hrs

* All times are GMT.