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Nelson Bench_FullSizeRender

In support of Thomas Interior Systems’s charity fundraiser for the 100 Club of Chicago, HPA and more than a dozen architecture and design firms were challenged to give a classic furniture piece – George Nelson’s iconic platform bench – a Chicago twist.

Designers from HPA’s Interiors Group were inspired by local Chicago urban gardens and rooftop green spaces. In HPA’s interpretation, the materials that characterize city streets – concrete, wood and metal – are contrasted by the greenery of nature. An intervention of metal channels house green succulents that are nestled in decorative white granite between the bench’s wood slats. Embedded steel tubes direct water to the plant roots.

This third annual auction was held in tandem with Thomas Interiors Systems’s Open House on June 2nd. Proceeds benefitted the 100 Club of Chicago, a non-profit that has been providing resources and support to the families of fallen first responders for 50 years.