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Lise Vester “I was thinking a lot about how we spend our days in autopilot - always on, always forward. Dream View is a deliberate interruption to that rhythm.”
Originally developed during her studies in London, Dream View Bench emerged from personal reflection. “I had just moved to London when COVID hit,” Vester recalls. “That time brought up a lot - stress, isolation, mental health challenges across society. I realized how design could nudge behavior, help us see things differently.”
  • Portrait of designer Lise Vester taken during a studio visit, capturing her in a bright, creative setting that reflects her thoughtful and material-driven design approach.
  • The Dream View Bench by Lise Vester displayed in a studio context, highlighting its soft, organic form and attention to craftsmanship and materials.
  • Studio scene showing design materials, tools, and prototypes arranged as part of the creative process, highlighting hands-on experimentation and material development.
  • View of Lise Vester’s design studio, showing a carefully arranged creative space with natural materials and soft lighting.
  • Sketches and drawings shown in Lise Vester’s studio, capturing elements of her creative process through lines, shapes, and early design ideas.

Bringing healthcare principles into furniture design 


Her background in Healing Architecture made her especially attuned to the emotional potential of design. Dream View Bench is her way of translating those healthcare principles into something more universal and everyday, something that brings comfort without feeling clinical. The concept also echoes ideas from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, which Vester was personally exploring at the time. The project began with a simple, expansive question: How can furniture support mental well-being? 

Lise Vester “I was drawn to how design could mirror those CBT techniques—opening up space for self-reflection, connection, and letting go.”
  • Lise Vester in her studio with the Dream View Bench, shown in a thoughtfully arranged space that reflects her design approach and attention to form and material.
  • Lise Vester working hands-on in her studio, shaping the Dream View Bench and refining its soft, sculptural form as part of her creative process.
  • The Dream View Bench by Lise Vester positioned in her studio, highlighting its sculptural shape in a thoughtful workspace.
  • A moment from Lise Vester’s design process, showing sketches and models in the studio, offering insight into the development of form and function through hands-on exploration.

From concept to curve 

 

Soft in shape but industrial in material, the bench is made from a single bent sheet of brushed stainless steel. She first carved the shape in the wet sand on the beach near her parents’ house where she grew up—an intuitive gesture that set the curve and proportions. The choice is both aesthetic and symbolic: durable for outdoor use, yet subtly reflective, catching the shifting colors of the sky. This blend of permanence and change mirrors the piece’s intent—a grounded structure that encourages moments of lightness and reflection.

 

“I wanted something that feels sculptural but also welcoming,” she says. “People think it has a hard surface, but when they sit, they’re surprised, it adapts to them.” 

  • Lise Vester seated on the Dream View Bench in a raw, industrial space, highlighting the contrast between the bench’s soft form and the rough surroundings.
  • Lise Vester sitting on the Dream View Bench in a raw, industrial space with concrete flooring and minimal surroundings, creating a contrast between the soft, sculptural bench and the rough setting.
  • Prototype models for the Dream View Bench by Lise Vester, displayed together to illustrate the development of form and proportion throughout the design process.
  • A digital sketch of the Dream View Bench in progress, showing the exploration of form and proportion.
  • The Dream View Bench by Lise Vester placed in a raw, industrial setting, highlighting the contrast between its soft, organic form and the surrounding architecture.

An invitation to daydream 


While the design is rooted in ergonomics and neuroscience, it’s also deeply human. “I was inspired by the concept of the ‘infraordinary’, the unnoticed beauty of daily life, like the way the sky changes, or the way clouds move,” she says.

Lise Vester “Daydreaming helps us catch those things. It gives the brain space to rest, reset, and imagine.”

Available in two versions, a bench for shared day dreaming and a single chair for solitude, Dream View invites users to pause, together or alone. “We live in a time of constant input. This piece is about output, clearing space in the mind, making room for reflection,” Vester explains. “It’s not just about how it looks, but how it makes you feel.”

  • Lise Vester sitting on the Dream View Bench placed in a natural outdoor setting, with the soft curves of the bench complementing the surrounding landscape.
  • The Dream View Bench by Lise Vester placed in a outdoor setting.
  • The Dream View Bench by Lise Vester placed on grass in a outdoor environment, highlighting its soft shape and calm presence in the landscape.
  • The Dream View Bench by Lise Vester placed on grass in an outdoor setting, highlighting its soft and organic form.
  • Lise Vester sitting on the Dream View Bench in an outdoor setting, combining the soft, sculptural form of the bench with the calm atmosphere of nature.

That blend of emotional resonance and clean material honesty places Dream View in a new corner of Scandinavian design. “It still values community, simplicity, function, but it's less quiet. It has presence,” she says. “Design today should address the emotional landscape, not just the physical one,” Vester says. “We need furniture that doesn’t just serve us but supports us.”

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