Opening of the Vitra London Showroom

Vitra is known for its furniture classics by Charles and Ray Eames, George Nelson, Alexander Girard, Verner Panton and Jean Prouvé as well as for contemporary works by designers such as Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, Antonio Citterio, Konstantin Grcic, Hella Jongerius, Alberto Meda and Jasper Morrison. The listed Tramshed was built as a power station for the East London Tramway in 1905 on Rivington Street in Shoreditch. Vitra has gently renovated the interior, preserving all the defining historic details and forging a link between old and new. The 920 square metre exhibition space is divided into three main areas: On the ground floor, ‘The Club’ is an office installation geared towards the post-pandemic needs of people and companies. Vitra implemented and tested the first Club Office at its headquarters in Switzerland. The Club at the Tramshed, the home of Vitra’s London team, follows this template with its large bar and varied zones, demonstrating how the inspirational concept can be adapted to changing spatial conditions. The ground floor also includes a collage-like display of products from the Vitra Home Collection on the mezzanine. ‘The Gallery’ in the basement of the Tramshed contains an inspiring presentation of Vitra’s product portfolio and curated spaces dedicated to various themes. At the opening, the focus will be on the comprehensively updated Jean Prouvé collection and and will introduce some new additions, including a limited edition of the Fauteuil Kangourou, designed in 1948. The third area – ‘The Cottage’ is a space to host events and meetings. It is located on the first floor of the Tramshed and will open in 2023. Visitors to the Tramshed will also get a sneak peek into the Vitra Session planned for this fall.