A Familiar Classic Two-Way Bench Reimagined by Portuguese Designer

Conceived by Portuguese designer Hugo Passos as a one-off for the 2019 outdoor exhibition Social Seating, held in a Finnish park, the two-way Banco Bench reimagines a familiar classic. Known for a profound focus on functionality in his reinvention of everyday objects, Passos contoured the backrest for comfort, the resulting shape “somehow reminiscent of a Japanese daruma or edamame bean,” he says, “bringing a sort of unexpected softness and dynamism to the strong straight lines” of the seat’s planks. Taken with the bench’s freshly organic—yet familiar—typology and Scandinavian vibe, Danish design company Skagerak by Fritz Hansen collaborated with Passos on a production version. Untreated, the warm honey-gold teak weathers to silvery gray, and dual seats capture conversation while earning our pick for solving the mountain homeowner conundrum of dueling vistas. Banco Bench, approximately 51”w x 35”d x 30”h, sold as a flat pack, $3,069; skagerak.com