Listen and understand
We begin with the learners, teaching approach, room sizes, budget and timescale. This gives us a practical brief for the space.
Madsen Design Education · Working with VS
Furniture planning for better learning spaces.
I help schools and architects plan learning spaces, choose VS furniture and explore layouts and samples. From a single classroom to a complete school, you can speak directly to Henning Madsen, VS UK Sales Manager.
More than 30 years of experience in the UK educational furniture market.
VS in numbers
The manufacturer behind the furniture
135+years of VS experience
1,700people employed by VS
€330mannual VS turnover
1m+chairs made by VS each year
A considered approach
Furniture should support how people learn.
Children and young people do not all learn, sit or move in the same way. The environment should give them options.
We help clients look beyond filling rooms with furniture. Together, we consider movement, concentration, collaboration, inclusion and how spaces need to adapt throughout the day.
The result is a learning environment that works harder, lasts longer and feels better for the people using it.
How I can help
Support from first conversation to finished space.
You do not need a finished brief to get started. We can begin with your ideas, a room plan or the challenges in your current space, then agree the most useful next step.
Plan and select
I work with you and the VS team on furniture options and layouts, considering circulation, storage and the activities each room needs to support.
Experience the products
Where appropriate, I can arrange samples, demonstrations, a classroom trial or a VS showroom visit so staff can explore the options before deciding.
Agree quotation and supply
Quotations and orders for UK projects are normally handled through our selected UK partners. I introduce the right partner for your project and remain involved with product advice and support, including delivery and installation requirements.
Space planning example
See how the furniture works before it reaches the room.
A detailed plan helps explore circulation, class sizes, teaching positions, storage and the relationship between different learning settings before products are specified.
It also gives the school, designers and project team a clear basis for reviewing the proposal together and making changes early.
Why The Third Teacher matters
The environment teaches too.
This book is included because its ideas are the backbone of how VS develops furniture and how Madsen Design approaches every learning environment. It asks us to see the classroom itself as an active part of education, alongside teachers and peers.
Created by OWP/P Architects, VS Furniture and Bruce Mau Design, the book presents 79 practical ideas for using design to support teaching, learning and wellbeing.
Movement supports attention
Children need to change posture, rock, swivel and move. Dynamic furniture supports this natural behaviour and can help pupils remain comfortable and engaged.
Spaces must adapt quickly
Classrooms should move easily between teaching, teamwork, research and reflection. Teachers and pupils should be able to reconfigure the space themselves within minutes.
Different learners need choice
There is no single position or setting that works for everyone. A variety of settings helps more learners participate, regulate and work independently.
Movement
Dynamic seating encourages natural changes of posture rather than expecting pupils to remain still.
Flexibility
Furniture that can be moved and reconfigured supports different teaching styles and group sizes.
Longevity
Robust construction and timeless design deliver value over years of intensive educational use.
Inclusion
A greater variety of settings helps more learners find the position and environment that works for them.
Why VS
Built in Germany.
Designed around learning.
VS has spent more than 135 years developing furniture for education. From its home in Tauberbischofsheim, Germany, the company combines research, engineering and manufacturing in one place.
Made to order
Products are manufactured for each project rather than drawn from European stock.
Research led
Ergonomics, movement and changing educational practice inform the development process.
Responsible quality
Durable products, careful material choices and repairable designs support a longer working life.
36 month warranty
Practical reassurance from an established specialist educational manufacturer.
Learning environments
Every space has a different job to do.
We help develop coherent furniture solutions across a campus, while respecting the particular needs of each space.
Classrooms
Flexible arrangements for individual focus, group work and whole class teaching.
Libraries and study
Quiet concentration, informal reading and collaborative research within one setting.
Dining and social spaces
Robust, welcoming furniture that supports multiple uses beyond mealtimes.
Further and higher education
Adaptable settings for seminars, lectures, project work and independent study.
SEND
Thoughtful environments with greater choice for sensory regulation, posture and participation.
Staff and collaboration
Professional spaces for planning, meetings, focused work and informal exchange.
Explore by project need
Useful guidance for planning learning spaces.
These focused guides explain how furniture can support different classrooms, activities and learners.
Complete environments
Classroom furniture
Plan seating, tables and storage around how teachers and pupils use the room.
Explore classroom furniture → Adaptable spacesFlexible classroom furniture
Create settings that move between individual work, collaboration and instruction.
Explore flexible classrooms → Inclusive planningSEND classroom furniture
Provide greater choice for movement, sensory regulation, comfort and participation.
Explore SEND environments → Responsible furnitureSustainability at VS
Explore durability, repairability, materials, production and verified certification.
Explore sustainability →Practical planning advice
A useful place to start.
Questions to consider before choosing classroom furniture.
Free planning checklist
Turn your ideas into a useful brief.
Use this 2 page checklist to consider learner needs, layouts, furniture choices, budgets and trials. Note your 3 priorities, then get in touch if you would like to talk them through.
PDF · 2 pages · Ready to print
How do we choose suitable chair and table heights?
Start with the pupils who will use the furniture, rather than selecting 1 height for every room. Consider the chair and table together, with opportunities to try the proposed sizes. Where pupils require specialist postural support, involve the appropriate qualified adviser.
Explore classroom furnitureWhat makes a classroom flexible in everyday use?
Plan around the activities you need to accommodate, from whole class teaching to group work and individual focus. Check how easily furniture can move, where resources will be stored and whether circulation remains clear in each arrangement. Staff should be able to try the layouts themselves.
Explore flexible classroomsHow can we assess long term value?
Look at construction, warranty, cleaning, maintenance and the availability of replacement parts alongside the purchase price. Ask whether the furniture can adapt as teaching needs change, and request certification information relevant to the products being considered.
Explore sustainability at VSCan we try furniture before deciding?
Speak to me about your project and the options you want to explore. Depending on the brief and availability, samples, demonstrations, a classroom evaluation or a showroom visit may help you assess the furniture with staff.
Find out about classroom evaluationSelected products
Recognisable design. Serious performance.
Seating
PantoSwing LuPo
A dynamic cantilever chair that supports natural movement throughout the day.
Tables
Shift+ Tables
Single and group tables share the same curved edge, allowing the products to fit together as simply as building blocks.
Storage and zoning
Shift+ Landscape
Straight and curved storage units create furniture landscapes and define different learning zones within the classroom.
Tables
Individual, collaborative and height adjustable options.
Storage
Integrated systems for organised, adaptable spaces.
Soft seating
Comfortable settings for reading, conversation and retreat.
Extended range
Space and FloorFriends add further possibilities for flexible and varied learning settings.
The original active sitting stool
Hokki. Movement with purpose.
Hokki makes one of the central ideas behind The Third Teacher tangible. A learning environment should allow the body to move, rather than expecting every pupil to remain completely still.
The gently curved base supports small, natural changes of position while seated. This gives pupils another way to regulate movement, remain comfortable and engage with learning.
Active sittingEncourages natural movement and changes of posture.
ChoiceAdds another seating option for different learners and activities.
VersatilitySuitable for classrooms, libraries, group spaces and informal learning.
Classroom evaluation
Experience a flexible classroom before making a commitment.
For suitable projects, we can explore a complete VS classroom evaluation without financial commitment. We begin by understanding how the room is currently used, then consider a flexible setting around the needs of teachers and pupils.
The furniture can be experienced through meaningful everyday use, giving the school a practical basis for evaluating movement, flexibility, comfort and engagement.
Explore the free classroom evaluation1Understand the room, users and learning activities.
2Develop a suitable flexible furniture setting.
3Evaluate the furniture through everyday use.
Independent schools
Experience across the independent school sector.
VS furniture has been supplied to a wide range of leading independent schools across the UK.
Projects have ranged from individual classrooms and active seating to libraries, dining spaces and wider campus furniture programmes. The schools shown below are selected examples of institutions where VS furniture has been supplied.
Projects and classroom trials
Furniture working in real learning spaces.
See the needs behind each project, the furniture choices and how the spaces are used. Classroom trials also show how schools can explore options before a larger investment.
Classroom trial
Harberton SEN School
Belfast, Northern Ireland
The brief. Explore furniture and layouts in 8 temporary classrooms to inform decisions for the future school.
The approach. Flexible group tables, mobile storage and varied seating give staff different settings to try. The drawings show proposed arrangements, while the photographs show furniture installed for the trial.
What schools can learn. A trial provides an opportunity to review access, room arrangements and everyday use before finalising a larger furniture specification.
Compare the drawings and classrooms
Case study
Ardnashee SEN School and College
Derry, Northern Ireland
VS furniture helped create flexible and inclusive settings for individual focus, group learning, sensory support and therapeutic activity. Mobile and height adjustable products allow staff to adapt each room around the needs of pupils.
10,500 m²new school
275pupils
3 to 19age range
Working with Samuel Stevenson Architects, Alpha and VS.
View the full case study
Case study
Castle Tower SEN School
Ballymena, Northern Ireland
Castle Tower brings together 3 former SEN schools in a purpose built environment for pupils aged 3 to 19. Following an 18 month trial, VS Shift+ furniture was selected to give staff the freedom to reconfigure classrooms, shared spaces and breakout areas around different learners and activities.
Planning lesson. Testing the furniture with staff before the wider project gave the school a practical basis for its selection.
£21mschool investment
300pupils
3 to 19age range
Working with Castle Tower School, Isherwood & Ellis, Alpha and VS.
View the full case study
Case study
Barony Campus
Cumnock, East Ayrshire
VS furniture supports classrooms, learning plazas, dining areas and additional support needs spaces across this major shared campus. Flexible and easily moved products help staff create settings for collaborative, independent and traditional teaching.
£68mcampus investment
2,500students
5schools combined
Working with East Ayrshire Council, Sheppard Robson and Sharp Business Systems UK.
View the full case study
Case study
Haberdashers Boys School
Hertfordshire, England
Flexible furniture helps teachers adapt preparatory and senior classrooms during a lesson, moving between whole class teaching, group work and independent learning. TriTable tables and PantoMove chairs combine easy movement, comfort and durability.
Following an initial classroom trial, the school introduced PantoMove 3D chairs across its classrooms. The case study shares feedback from Senior Deputy Head John Maguire and explains how staff experimented with layouts to make full use of the furniture.
View the full case study
Case study
St Marys Primary School
Purton, Swindon, England
VS worked closely with the school to provide coordinated furniture for its new building. Flexible tables, ergonomic chairs and Hokki stools help staff and pupils adapt classrooms around different subjects and learning activities.
In the case study, headteacher at the time Ian Tucker explains why the school selected VS and shares its experience of active seating and triangular tables. Pupils took an active role in changing classroom layouts, making the furniture part of how they learn.
View the full case studyLatest from LinkedIn
Ideas, projects and conversations.
Follow Henning for practical thinking about classroom furniture, inclusive learning environments and current VS projects.
HMC Conference
Conversations at HMC in Manchester
Henning joined the Pinnacle team at Manchester Central from 28 to 30 September to discuss VS furniture and future learning environments with school leaders.
Read on LinkedInSEND project
Harberton Special School
8 SEN classrooms and dedicated quiet rooms use VS furniture to support learning, wellbeing and inclusion.
Read on LinkedInLearning environments
The classroom is part of the learning
Good learning environments give children choice, support natural movement and adapt to different learners and activities.
Read on LinkedIn
“My role is to help clients make good decisions, based on how their spaces will actually be used.”
About Henning
Experience you can speak to directly.
Henning Madsen is VS UK Sales Manager and brings more than 30 years of personal experience in the UK educational furniture market.
Through Madsen Design Ltd, Henning works directly with schools, colleges, universities, architects and designers to plan learning spaces and select suitable VS furniture. Quotations and orders for UK projects are normally handled through selected authorised UK partners, with delivery and installation arranged to suit the project.
You have a direct point of contact for furniture advice, layouts, product samples and introductions to the VS team. The approach is personal, practical and focused on long term relationships.
Experience VS
See the thinking behind the furniture.
Visit the showroom and manufacturing facilities in Tauberbischofsheim, Germany. Explore complete learning environments, compare products and see how VS furniture is designed and made.
Arrange a visitStart a conversation
Planning a new learning environment?
An initial conversation can cover 1 classroom, a refurbishment or a complete school. Tell me what you are considering, even if your plans are at an early stage.
I work directly with you on planning and product selection. Quotations and orders are normally handled through our selected UK partners. I can introduce the right partner for your project and remain involved throughout, providing product advice and support.
Henning Madsen
VS UK Sales Manager
Madsen Design Ltd