Photos: new look for Qantas Chairman's Lounge, Melbourne Airport

First replacing the Skybed with something off the shelf, now this... I feel like the last people that had good taste in QF management were sacked in the last round of layoffs!

I was just going to make the Ikea comparison. No, Ikea doesn't necessarily equal tacky but compared to the previous "private club" feel this is a far cry.

Ah well, not as if I'd ever see the inside of the lounge anyway. Moving on. :)

Correct - only Sydney got the Marc Newson treatment and it was controversial - a lot of the pollies etc with zero design appreciation liked it. I think it's a shame. It was a bold call, but a complete success. Probably looks better in person, especially at night.

The Melbourne lounge is just meh.

 it's time for QF to move away from the 'mancave' mindset and embrace a more up to date/contemporary/unisex design which reflects more of the actual members of the chairmans lounge...well done QF

By "male" do you mean men?

i agree!!! well said

The Marc Newsom design is dark, very masculine, and clubby. I welcome a brighter, lighter design. The seating area in the new design looks good, but the dining area just shouts Ikea to me.

Did anyone say Ikea is tacky? I don't have a problem with Ikea furniture; I have Ikea furniture in my living room. However, in a airport lounge I prefer a layout that looks as if it is the result of meticulous design, exceptional materials and generous proportions. I'd prefer that it doesn't look and feel like an Ikea showroom, nor like my living room.

MartinS,

You've hit it on the head! Maybe the look they're going for is someone's living room!

going by the various comments on here...IKEA!! because apparently ONLY IKEA  makes/supplies this type of furniture....i admit i dont know where/who supplies them....but im willing be bet they are NOT from IKEA....and are of a far better quality...maybe even made in OZ with OZ sourced materials... shock/horror!!....and yes also very 'melbourne'  ... that's a compliment..not a criticizm

Indeed, some commenters here would do well to go and have a wander around some high end furniture shops and realise that this look is very in right now, and it's very different to the chunky chipboard flat pack stuff that you get at Ikea. I have nothing against Ikea, but I doubt anybody would be making the comparison if they saw the furniture in person and realised how much quality and finish impacts the feel of the space. 

let me also add...i have nothing against IKEA..i have acquired many 'allen keys' over the years!! and am happy to report all of my purchases have survived what i have inflicted on them...lol

I too am sure they are not from Ikea. But as you say "IKEA makes/supplies this type of furniture".

The dining area looks cramped and overly busy to me. Like an Ikea showroom, or a Docklands cafe if you prefer. Great for creating a bit of buzz in a cafe, and I'd be quite happy to grab lunch or a coffee in such a setting. Personally, I prefer an airport lounge to be an oasis of calm, but each to his/her own.

let's not forget....this is the Chairman's Lounge..and will hardly be overcrowded by the 'masses' ..even in the dining area... i'm sure the dining space will be able to accommodate its clientelle quite comfortably

Thanks for the throw back to the 1950's PB, and god forbid any women accesses these lounges - unless they are serving the drinks.  No Qantas hasn't lost the plet - as the quaint colonial world you want to hark back to no longer exists.

I was merely pointing out that the demographic is more attuned to a more discerning taste aesthetically, but thanks for insinuating about my morals, which is far removed from what you're suggesting.

Take out the word "unfortunately" and I couldn't disagree with your first two paragraphs, mr-jb.

Shouldn't all airline lounges be quiet, restful, subdued havens away from the madding crowd though? Isn't that the idea? It remains my hope, but these days I often wish I'd stayed in the public areas, where you rarely are forced to listen to interminable mobile telephone conversations from self-important wheeler-dealers or pep-talks from sales managers to their sycophants.

I have been in there on numerous occasions before and after the refurb and I think it is actually very nice and much better than the old one! I completely agree the pictures don't do it justice and it is much nicer in person.

The food from the restaurant was fantastic although the service was average, admittedly it has improved dramatically as the new staff find their feet. 

I do have to question wether it is all worth it though... My first impression, along with my father, when we walked in after the refurb was any wonder qantas is going broke!