Six bare bus stops along the Southwest Waterfront in Washington, D.C. have traded empty curbs for bright green steel sofas and chairs, part of a new public art installation designed to make waiting for the bus feel a little more like home. Crews installed the sculptures on September 21, and the Southwest Business Improvement District unveiled them at a ribbon-cutting ceremony four days later, on September 25.
The project, called the Southwest Living Rooms, was designed by artist Bruce Willen and brings seating to stops that previously had no benches or shelters at all, according to DC News Now. The sculptures mimic the shape of chairs and sofas, and officials with the Southwest BID say the goal is to make transit feel less impersonal and create space for personal connection and community, the station reports. Willen described the furniture as welcoming and comfortable, resembling pieces from his grandmother's living room, and said his work aims to create moments of discovery, joy, play, and exploration.
Funding Came From a City Arts Grant
The installation was financed through the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities' Public Art Building Communities program, which awards grants of up to $150,000 to Business Improvement Districts for public art projects, according to the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities. The program is built to support permanent or temporary installations that connect artists with local communities across District neighborhoods, the commission notes.
Beyond Willen's green steel furniture, the project also includes temporary painted sidewalk designs resembling rugs, created by artist Chelsea Ritter-Soronen beneath each sculpture, per the same commission report. The painted elements are meant to complement the furniture and heighten the feeling of an indoor living room transplanted into an outdoor public setting.
Sites Chosen for Ridership and a Lack of Shelter
The Southwest BID says it picked these particular stops based on ridership data and the absence of existing seats or shelter, according to DC News Now. The sculptures now sit at locations including the M and Half Street SW westbound and eastbound stops, the 1st and N Street SW northbound stop, the P Street near 3rd Street SW eastbound stop, and the M and 4th Streets SW stops serving both westbound and southbound riders.
Officials frame the project as addressing an equity gap, noting that nearly one in five residents in the Southwest D.C. neighborhood are older adults and roughly one in five identify as disabled, per the same DC News Now report. The stops previously offered no place to sit while waiting for a bus.
Part of a Larger Pattern of Streetscape Investment
The living room sculptures build on the Southwest BID's Public Art Framework, established in spring 2023, which has already wrapped more than 25 neighborhood traffic control boxes with artwork by local artists, according to the Southwest Business Improvement District. The BID, authorized by the D.C. Council in 2014, also runs street cleaning, ambassador programs, and neighborhood placemaking grants across the Southwest waterfront area, per the National Capital Planning Commission.
The neighborhood has a history of bringing public art into its transit corridors. The BID previously partnered with the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Gallery in 2017 and 2018 to display works outside museum walls, including a Yayoi Kusama installation along pedestrian pathways connecting the L'Enfant Plaza Metro station to the National Mall. Southwest D.C. was also named the District's first Mobility Innovation District in October 2022, backed by a $3 million municipal grant to pilot equitable transit access and mobility improvements, according to the D.C. Mayor's Office.
The living room sculptures also arrive amid a citywide push for similar streetscape upgrades. The D.C. Office of Planning awarded $844,000 in Streets for People grants in 2026 to fund public art, seating, shade, and landscaping across downtown business improvement districts, according to the D.C. Office of Planning.
Willen's Baltimore Roots and a Familiar Design
Willen previously created a similar project called North Ave Living Room in Baltimore in 2026, using green steel furniture, brick pavers, and working lighting to transform transit stops there, according to Bruce Willen's portfolio. That installation drew inspiration from Baltimore's traditional stoop culture and domestic living spaces.
Willen founded the design studio Public Mechanics, which created the Southwest D.C. installation, after co-founding the Baltimore design agency Post Typography and playing in the post-punk band Double Dagger, according to the Maryland Institute College of Art. Public Mechanics focuses on experiential design, placemaking, and civic public art projects.
Seating Praised, but Shelter Still a Question
Not everyone is fully satisfied with the upgrade. WUSA-TV reported that after the unveiling, local transit observers and commuters noted on social media that while the sculptures add seating, they still lack overhead shelters or lighting to protect waiting riders from rain or sun. The feedback reflects a recurring tension in D.C. bus stop upgrades over whether municipal funds should prioritize weather shelters or artistic bench alternatives.
For now, the six Southwest Waterfront stops have gained sofas and chairs where there was once only pavement. Whether shelters or lighting follow remains an open question for the neighborhood's transit riders.
