Originating from the humble beginnings of a small carpentry workshop in 1955, Spanish brand Andreu World has built a reputation for high-quality, responsibly made, sustainable furniture—Cradle to Cradle certified and crafted from wood sourced from reforested and certified forests. Marking 70 years of commitment to responsible manufacturing and design and collaborations across hospitality, workspace and outdoor sectors, the company returned to Clerkenwell Design Week 2025 with a milestone celebration at its London flagship showroom. The space, designed by Patricia Urquiola and unveiled during the 2024 edition of the design week, stands as both a design destination and a statement of sustainable innovation—an expression of Andreu World’s ethos. As part of the programme, the venue hosted a roundtable discussion on May 20, 2025, to celebrate its 70-year anniversary and the launch of Travel well seated—the final volume in their publication series, alongside Eat well seated and Work well seated. The conversation, moderated by STIR, explored the future of hospitality design with industry leaders including Gensler and Foster + Partners.

The panel discussion, held at Andreu World’s London showroom and chaired by Samta Nadeem, Curatorial Director at STIR, brought together key voices from architecture and design to explore the themes behind Travel well seated, the final instalment of the brand’s Well seated trilogy published by Lunwerg Editores. Featuring Jonathan Breen (Studio Director, Gensler), Annamaria Anderloni (Partner, Interior Designer, Foster + Partners) and José Pino (Area Manager, UK and North Europe, Andreu World), the conversation examined the evolving design narratives shaping the hospitality industry. Opening with investigations of the trilogy’s development, the panel positioned the books as accessible, global design guides that humanise professional practice and celebrate experience through the lens of where one eats, works and travels. “The first and the last of these books also serve as restaurant and city guide, respectively, offering nuggets from designers who inspire us—sharing something that cannot be found anywhere else. In that sense, these books script the unscripted act of ‘being a regular human’ behind the ‘professional on the job’,” comments Nadeem.

Andreu World’s Well seated trilogy offers a look at how thoughtful design enhances experiences in three key environments—work, dining and travel. The first book, Eat well seated, is a global restaurant guide that delves into the intersection of gastronomy and design. Featuring 25 handpicked venues, from Berlin to Brisbane, the book includes interviews with Michelin star chefs and reflects on how comfort and aesthetics can make or break the dining experience. Work well seated follows with a detailed look at 50 future-forward workplace designs for major global brands, analysing how carefully crafted furniture design contributes to healthier, more sustainable and collaborative work environments in an era of rapid change. “This trilogy was our way to present our projects and our collaborations to the world,” Pino says in the panel discussion. “We are able to showcase how we can adapt to different identities, spaces and geographies; this book [Travel well seated] aptly concludes this trilogy of our work."

The newly launched Travel well seated, concluding the series and taking centre stage at the design event, offers a global tour of hotels that prioritise sustainable design and guest wellbeing—showcasing projects by distinguished architects such as Patricia Urquiola, Foster + Partners, and Gensler. The book traces the ever-evolving role of hospitality spaces, presenting a vision of hotel design where environmental responsibility is as vital as luxury. With personal travel tips from the designers themselves, the publication interweaves practical insight with aspirational destinations—a design reference and a unique travel guide for those who value beauty, comfort and purpose in equal measure.

The discussion delved into the driving ideas behind Travel well seated, particularly the intersection of sustainability, architecture and the shifting purpose of hotel architecture. “Post-pandemic, there has been a boom in the hospitality sector all over the world. People realised they do not need to go to work or stay at home; they can travel and combine all of those things in their lifestyle,” Breen notes in the discussion. To this, Anderloni adds, “The pandemic is the time we realised how much we missed travelling—as soon as we could go back, we were all travelling. We expect it to give an additional meaning to our life.”

The discourse further charted the significance of LEED certification as a future benchmark alongside the traditional five-star rating and the growing positioning of hotels as landmarks and hybrid workspaces beyond just accommodations. The panellists also considered the repurposing of heritage buildings, how long buildings are designed to last and the transition from macro architectural decisions to micro choices in furniture and finishes. Looking back at her practice in hospitality architecture, Anderloni comments, “An important consideration is how hospitality affects the locals. We, as an industry, have a responsibility towards them.” Further, dissecting the role hotels play as workspaces, Breen says, “In a lot of luxury hotels, there are more employees than there are guests. You have to provide for them in all the spaces they spend their day in.”

The session concluded with a rapid-fire round, inviting each speaker to share personal design ambitions and favourites, offering a peek into the minds shaping the spaces we inhabit. This finale paved the way for a toast celebrating Andreu World’s 70-year legacy of sustainable innovation. The event also underscored a shared commitment to responsible design, with Foster + Partners’ integrated environmental strategies and Gensler’s ambitious Net Zero Carbon goal by 2030 aligning closely with Andreu World's circular and FSC-certified manufacturing practices. Together, the voices projected a collective vision for a more sustainable, human-centred future of the built environment.