Lobby feels cold and people don’t linger

Everything is symmetrical, tidy and of one piece. Seats stand free in the room, with no wall behind them, no alcove, no table within reach. Nobody willingly sits down in the middle of a room.

Create zones: something behind your back, alcoves, different seat heights, tables within reach. Smaller groupings instead of one large surface. Usually rearranging and adding is enough — no construction.

One lighting setting for every time of day, usually too bright and too even. Hard surfaces — stone, glass, plaster — with no textile to absorb sound. The room feels like a hall.

Light in layers: base light, zone light, accents — clearly dimmed and warmer in the evening. Textiles, rugs, curtains, soft furniture against the echo. Both change a room more than new furniture does.

The lobby is a room without an offer. No drink within reach, no newspaper, no fire, no music, no host. Whoever stays, stays without a reason — so nobody stays.

Bring an offer into the room: a drink, a fire, a table with something on it, a moment in the evening. If the bar is elsewhere, it belongs here — or part of it does. People stay where something happens.

Reception stands behind the desk. Service is in the restaurant. The lobby belongs to nobody. A guest who sits down goes unnoticed.

Define the lobby as a host’s room: who is here and when, who approaches guests, who brings the drink. A room with a host becomes warm — even without new furniture.