From the Archives: Ambient Lounge at V Festival 2011

V Festival, August 2011

Some photographs bring back an entire atmosphere. The red canopy. The grass underfoot. Sunglasses, festival wristbands and people who had clearly found a very good place to spend the afternoon.

In August 2011, Ambient Lounge furnished the private, invitation-only VIP Louder Lounge at V Festival in the UK. Our archive from that weekend opens a window onto an early chapter of the brand: soft luxury taking its place among music, design and festival life.

Founded in 2005, Ambient Lounge was six years into its story. Looking back fifteen years later, these photographs capture an idea that still feels familiar: create somewhere beautifully comfortable, and people will make it their own.

A different kind of festival seating

The setting had plenty of theatre. Sculptural red canopies stretched above the grass, planting framed the lounge, and bold colour ran through the furniture. Within it all were smaller places to settle: a few seats facing one another, a table within reach, room to stretch out.

Sapphire Black Butterfly seating, Wildberry Red Evolution loungers and Supernova Grey Studio pieces gave different parts of the space their own character. Twin models offered room to share, while Versa tables kept the essentials close. The names belong to the original archive, and so does that unmistakable red-and-grey palette.

These were arrangements people could use instinctively. Turn towards a friend. Put your feet up. Stay for another conversation. Across the outdoor and covered areas, the furniture brought the ease of a living room into the middle of a festival.

Inside The Roof Gardens lounge

The Roof Gardens hospitality area was part of the Louder Lounge setting, with Ambient Lounge furniture installed through its lounge and private VIP spaces. The archive even records our branding on The Roof Gardens bar menu: a small detail that places the furniture firmly within the hospitality experience.

Under the canopy, the colour deepened. Red seating and low tables created intimate groups around the bar; outside, black loungers sat against bright grass and planting. Gold Class Versa Tables featured in the private VIP area, alongside the wider mix of soft seating.

Looking through the photographs, it is easy to follow the space being brought to life. The carefully arranged seats become places for bags, drinks, conversations and thoroughly unhurried afternoons.

When everyone found the lounge

The original gallery records a snapshot of British cultural life in 2011. Alexandra Burke and Myleene Klass appear in its pages, alongside names including Matt Smith, Rupert Grint, Cara Delevingne and Nick Grimshaw, all noted around the Louder Lounge.

That cast gives the archive its sense of occasion. The most revealing photographs, though, are the relaxed ones: guests sunk low into a seat, friends gathered around a table, someone stretching out as if they had brought their favourite spot from home.

There is an appealing contrast between the dressed-up setting and how comfortably people inhabit it. Festival outfits, statement sunglasses, shoes off, legs over the side. The design has done its job when people feel free to relax.

The Ambient Lounge team found time to join in, too. A caption in the original deck calls it “vital product testing” of the Studio, Evolution and Twin models. It appears to have been a fairly thorough session.

And then came the British weather

Of course, the weather had its own plans.

As the light faded and rain arrived, the archive shows the gathering continuing inside The Roof Gardens bar. The covered lounge filled with people, with soft seats and tables still at the centre of it all.

Outside, one photograph catches a guest beneath a red-and-black umbrella, comfortably settled on a red lounger. The accompanying 2011 notes describe the furniture left in the rain as waterproof and quick drying. It is a particularly British little entry in the brand archive: an outdoor performance moment, complete with an umbrella.

The photograph says something about the appeal of the seat as well. Even with the weather turning, someone had decided it was worth staying.

Fifteen years later

The clothes date the photographs. So do some of the faces, the colours and the festival styling. The way people use the furniture could have been photographed yesterday.

Since 2005, Ambient Lounge has spent more than two decades creating distinctive soft furniture and relaxed environments internationally. This weekend at V Festival is one vivid chapter in that history, bringing together music, hospitality, design and the simple pleasure of a very comfortable seat.

Our collections have evolved enormously since 2011. The instinct behind them continues: beautifully relaxed furniture can change the way people use a space, encouraging them to sit, stay, talk and spend time together.

Today, that idea continues through Ambient Lounge and Beanbag Hire Australia, creating relaxed furniture environments for festivals, brand activations, corporate events, weddings and outdoor cinemas around Australia.

An invitation-only lounge in a British festival field. An afternoon that became an evening. Fifteen years on, it is still a lovely reminder of where a little soft luxury can take you.