AFTER FORM
Custom parametric benches at Sahara Mall, Riyadh, viewed from above along a tiled retail corridor.
Furniture / Sahara Mall, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

30 benches for Sahara Mall

A family of 30 parametric benches created for the public spaces of Sahara Mall.

30 benches for Sahara Mall

The bench series for Sahara Mall in Riyadh was developed for a high-traffic retail environment where comfort, durability and visual recognition all matter. Shopping malls are complex public interiors: people move through them quickly, pause unpredictably, gather in groups and often use furniture as a navigation reference. In this context, seating must do more than fill empty areas. It has to support the rhythm of the building and contribute to the quality of the visitor experience.

The 30 benches create a family of rest points throughout the mall. Their curved profiles soften the commercial environment and introduce a warmer, more crafted presence among storefronts, signage and polished floors. The ribbed construction gives each piece architectural depth, allowing the benches to stand out without relying on bright colors or decorative excess. They feel sculptural, but they remain approachable and functional.

From a design perspective, the benches work as islands within circulation. Their rounded and flowing shapes encourage people to pause without creating hard barriers in the pedestrian path. This is especially valuable in retail planning, where furniture must balance dwell time with movement. A well-placed bench can improve comfort, extend visits and make public areas feel more generous.

For mall developers and retail designers, the project shows how custom seating can influence the perception of an entire interior. Standard benches often disappear into the background. These pieces create identity. They offer visitors a memorable tactile experience and give the mall a more refined architectural layer. The result is a public seating system that supports both commercial performance and spatial quality.

Custom parametric benches at Sahara Mall, Riyadh, viewed from above along a tiled retail corridor.
Long CNC-cut plywood bench installed between storefronts at Sahara Mall in Riyadh.
Two sculptural public-space benches forming a seating group in the Sahara Mall concourse.
Curved plywood bench integrated with planters in the Sahara Mall commercial interior.
Close side view of a long ribbed bench with raised seating contours at Sahara Mall.
Wide mall corridor view showing a custom bench as a focal point beside a feature wall.
Low three-quarter view of an undulating plywood bench on the patterned mall floor.
Sculptural bench with a raised central backrest installed beside retail storefronts.
Long parametric bench photographed across the open Sahara Mall circulation area.
Curved public-space bench framed by the black-and-white geometric floor pattern.
Compact circular bench with a high sculptural back positioned outside a retail store.
Rear three-quarter view of a rounded ribbed bench in the Sahara Mall concourse.
Low wave-shaped bench shown in profile within the completed shopping mall interior.
Paired seating contours and tapered backrests on a custom Sahara Mall bench.
End view along the symmetrical ribs of a sculptural plywood mall bench.
Long bench seen diagonally across the patterned tile floor and retail frontage.
Group of custom benches defining an informal seating zone in the mall corridor.
Detail between two curved bench ends showing the precision of the layered plywood edges.
Two long parametric benches installed parallel to the main retail circulation route.
Rear view of a linear CNC-cut plywood bench with a softly raised backrest.
High-angle photograph following the full curved length of a Sahara Mall bench.
End perspective of a bench showing the layered profile and surrounding storefronts.
Top view of a compact sculptural bench at the center of the mall floor pattern.
Long public-space bench aligned with a planter and the open shopping corridor.
Planter bench combining tropical greenery with a flowing layered plywood surround.
Side view of a ribbed bench with multiple seating heights in the completed mall interior.
Axial view down the center of a sculptural bench with two rising backrest peaks.
Large circular arrangement of curved plywood benches creating a group seating area.
Integrated planter bench photographed beneath the open retail atrium.
Curved bench and backrest detail showing the warm plywood finish in the mall interior.
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