Fitz&Sits program: creative benches transforming Fitzrovia for LFA2025
Public seating isn’t just functional – it can also be cultural, expressive, and symbolic. That idea comes to life in Fitz&Sits, a new installation of nine creative benches across Fitzrovia, unveiled as part of the London Festival of Architecture (LFA) 2025.
Proudly supported by The Langham Estate and co-delivered with The Fitzrovia Partnership, Fitz&Sits merges art, community, and sustainability in everyday spaces – making room for people to sit, pause, and reconnect with their surroundings.
What is Fitz&Sits?
Fitz&Sits is a featured programme in LFA2025, created through a design competition for emerging architects, designers, and artists. The goal: to explore how public furniture can reflect a place’s identity while meeting everyday needs.
Installed from 27 May to June 2025, each bench represents a response to the following challenge – designed to be reused, inclusive, and locally grounded.
Under this year’s LFA theme, Voices, the benches give shape to the stories and character of Fitzrovia. Known for its mix of creative industries, heritage architecture, and evolving identity, Fitzrovia was a natural setting for this installation. The Fitz&Sits benches bring that story into the public realm – literally, on the streets.
As Rosa Rogina, Director of LFA, put it:
“This project is a brilliant example of how emerging designers can thoughtfully reimagine public spaces in sustainable and locally responsive ways.” (Source)
Under the ongoing events of the London Festival of Architecture 2025 at Fitzrovia Quarter, here are some highlights at our beloved neighbourhood: Mural on Mortimer (1) and Fitzrovia Food & Drink Trails (2).
Nine creative benches across Fitzrovia: the results of Fitz&Sits
Spread across Fitzrovia, each of the nine benches is both a sculptural piece and a functional seat – designed for the community, by emerging talents. Here are a few highlights from the trail:
The Leftover Loveseat
- Designed by: Marie-Louise Jones + Foils + Love Design Studio
- Sponsored by: The Langham Estate
- Location: Fitzrovia Quarter
Crafted from recycled materials collected from local restaurants – oyster shells, wine bottles, broken china – the Leftover Loveseat blends sustainability with storytelling. Inspired by the S-shaped loveseats of Fitzrovia’s Georgian past, the bench reinterprets a historical form through the lens of modern zero-waste design. It reflects The Langham Estate’s ongoing commitment to placemaking and long-term sustainability in the public realm.
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Think Twice
- Designed by: Andrada Calin, Tabby Bunyan & Mark Smith from Isokon Plus
- Sponsored by: LDG
Located in Fitzrovia Quarter, this piece prompts reflection on consumption and reuse, encouraging the public to pause – not just physically, but mentally.
Seat of the Collective Voice
- Designed by: Kupkei
- Sponsored by: Databricks
A sculptural, angular firm that invites group seating while referencing collective action and shared narratives.
Fitz Together
- Designed by: Minifie Collective
- Sponsored by: Virgin
Uses interlocking components to explore the idea of unity – celebrating Fitzrovia’s diverse user base.
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Bare Things
- Designed by: Pei-Chi Lee & Asia Zwierzchowska
- Sponsored by: Seddons
A tactile, pared-back design that highlights natural textures and simple material reuse.
A Bench of Our Own
- Designed by: Playful Matter
- Sponsored by: Fora
Encourages playful, non-prescriptive use – a space for adults and children alike.
The Junction
- Designed by: Studio OleO with 121 Collective
- Sponsored by: Sainsbury Wellcome Centre
A multi-use installation that invites pause in one of Fitzrovia’s busiest junctions.
Middlesex Speaks
- Designed by: James Shackleton and Hackney Mosaic Project
- Sponsored by: The Newman Hotel
Integrates mosaic elements with local voices and quotes from the community.
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Patiently Waiting
- Designed by: Studio This + That
- Sponsored by: TDL and HSL
A minimalist bench reflecting on time and patience in the urban environment.
How Fitz&Sits supports sustainable placemaking
Fitz&Sits is more than an aesthetic intervention. It reflects a shared commitment to environmental responsibility and a practical form of urban engagement.
- Materials: All benches are made using recycled, repurposed, or low-carbon materials
- Function: Designed to be used – not just viewed. They create space for people to pause, meet, and reflect
- Engagement: By embedding seating directly into streetscapes, the installations invite spontaneous interaction and community use
The Langham Estate’s sponsorship of one of the benches reflects our broader approach to placemaking across Fitzrovia Quarter. Our investment in projects like Fitz&Sits isn’t about temporary visibility – it’s about supporting changes that improve how public space functions. We believe public seating, especially when designed with care, contributes to a more accessible and people-friendly city. This aligns with other Langham-supported initiatives like Fitzrovia Food & Drink Trails 2025, which uses food and walking to activate public space and deepen local engagement.
As a long-term stakeholder in Fitzrovia, The Langham Estate continues to back initiatives that promote environmental responsibility, enhance walkability, and add everyday value to the local community – whether through property, public realm, or partnerships like this.
The legacy of Fitz&Sits
While Fitz&Sits is timed with LFA2025, its impact is intended to last well beyond the festival.
Some benches will be retained as permanent features, donated by their sponsors. This creates a lasting benefit: more public seating, thoughtfully placed and designed for long-term use.
This permanence is intentional. Good placemaking is not about temporary activation – it’s about lasting improvements to how people use and feel in their environment. Public seating is a small but critical part of that. It encourages movement through the city, supports accessibility, and offers a quiet place to pause, reflect or connect.
From a local infrastructure perspective, the programme addresses a real gap: limited public seating in central London. These benches meet an everyday need while adding depth and design value to the streetscape.
For The Langham Estate, Fitz&Sits fits into a long-term approach to placemaking – one that supports incremental improvements to public space and reinforces Fitzrovia’s identity as a district where creativity, heritage, and everyday usability intersect.
This same blend of heritage and innovation continues to attract forward-thinking businesses. Read more in why Fitzrovia’s historic buildings are perfect for modern creative agencies (3).
Join The Langham Estate in shaping Fitzrovia’s future
Public furniture, like retail and leisure, plays a vital role in how people experience a neighbourhood. At The Langham Estate, we continue to support initiatives that bring people closer to the places they live, work, and visit.
Looking to be part of a neighbourhood shaped by creativity, sustainability, and community investment?
Public furniture, like retail and leisure, plays a vital role in how people experience a neighbourhood. At The Langham Estate, we continue to support initiatives that bring people closer to the places they live, work, and visit.
Looking to be part of a neighbourhood shaped by creativity, sustainability, and community investment?