Virgin's snazzy new LAX Clubhouse is dripping with Californian influences

If you’re tasked with redesigning the Virgin Atlantic clubhouse at Los Angeles International airport – the very last room visitors to the US’ beautiful west coast are going to see before jetting back off to their own grey lives – you’d best make sure you do a bloody good job of it. Virgin Atlantic were thoroughly aware of the potential pitfalls of such a project, and so have set about creating a space which encapsulates the warm, individual spirit that the company has gone to such lengths to establish. And it seems to us that they’ve succeeded.

Designed by New York-based firm Slade Architecture in collaboration with Virgin Atlantic’s in-house design team, the new clubhouse looks to channel Southern California in all elements of its design. From fluid, flowing shapes which echo the beaches’ undulating waves, to furniture built out of layers of bamboo inspired by “surfboards, skateboards, boat hulls and polished beach stones,” every aspect of the lounge is thoroughly Californian. There’s even the option to recline in an iconic Eames chair, designed by California-based duo Charles and Ray Eames in the 1950s, while enjoying Dana Reichenbach’s immersive media installation, featuring her trademark “lightscapes, subtle movement and vivid colour” on the facing wall. The only danger with such a space is that, with its laid back atmosphere and collection of tailor-made and classic objects, you might miss your flight altogether.