Designer Reveals Details About Cathay Pacific’s New Lounge in Tokyo.

“Traveling well is thinking about all of those small details along the journey and how they come together as a total experience.” I like this line from designer Ilsa Crawford a lot.

Ask a chef, teacher, politician, or painter what “traveling well” means to them, and I guarantee you’ll get four vastly different answers. Why? It’s simple, really. We all bring our own experiences and interests with us on the road. And then, when it’s time to go home, we bring our new adventures, discoveries, and relationships with us, incorporating them into our lives like building blocks, until our next trip.

That’s what Crawford did in Japan. Drawing on what “traveling well” means to her, she designed Cathay Pacific’s Haneda Lounge in Tokyo International Airport around those beliefs. It’s a gorgeous space—one where function and comfort are tied together fittingly by an iconic Noodle Bar.

Recently, I’ve been digging through interviews with artists dissecting their craft. From Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead breaking down the band’s songs to reading author Tom Wolfe’s thoughts on New Journalism, I find the process behind creation fascinating.

That’s what caught my attention with this video from Cathay Pacific showing off its new lounge at Tokyo International. Crawford reveals her ideas for the lounge and why she and her team at Studioilse designed the Haneda Lounge the way they did. It’s interesting to hear her approach for the lounge, which is the first at Haneda to be operated by a foreign airline. Designing the space around the concept of a life well traveled, Crawford incorporates Cathay Pacific’s core value of enabling its passengers to “travel well, thus live well” with touches of small details and Asian hospitality to create a total experience for the traveler.

As travelers, we pass through public spaces like this all of the time. Some are good, a lot are forgettable, and a few are grand—haven’t you ever wondered what makes the best ones so good? Now is your chance. And to find out more about Cathay Pacific, follow #lifewelltravelled.

Do you have a favorite airport lounge? Tell us about it in the comments below!

*Photo by  Andrei Dimofte | Flickr Creative Commons
**This post is sponsored by Cathay Pacific; however, our thoughts and opinions are entirely our own.