Solid wood, upholstery, bedroom furniture - nowhere is there a broader selection than at imm cologne 2012

Today people are watching TV in the kitchen, bathtubs are migrating to bedrooms, old furniture is combined with new, and if people feel like it they can turn the hallway into a party venue. This sense of freedom within one's own four walls offers lots of opportunities to express one's individual identity and independent sense of design. Visitors will be able to observe all of these trends at the upcoming imm cologne 2012. To give visitors an advance impression of what awaits them in Cologne, we asked the exhibiting companies some questions about their new products.

Nowhere can you see more upholstered furniture than in the comfort area in Halls 4.1, 5.2, 6 and 10.2. Every year during imm cologne, this area is transformed into the global mecca for upholstered furniture. Willi Schillig will be presenting a new design vocabulary, for example in the “16650” seating model from the “boogie” series. In addition to form, the crucial aspects here are the various functions, which become evident only at second glance and turn out to be indispensable after one has actually tried out this seating arrangement. The “Ergolux — ergonomic and luxurious” armrest proved its top quality at imm cologne 2011 and is now being successfully used in the “16650” model. A further highlight is the transformation of the classic “Ergoline” series into functional furniture for today's home interior concepts. Willi Schillig is looking forward to welcoming many visitors from abroad. He describes the “W. Schillig Komfort” series in particular as “ready for the export trade”. “imm cologne is the leading trade fair for our sector. I’m delighted that after a number of ups and downs for the furnishings trade fair in the past few years we’ve joined together and taken the right course to once again live up to this status,” says Erik Stammberger, the Managing Director of Willi Schillig.

Kvadra, a company from Croatia, will be presenting its products to the public for the first time in Cologne. “The main reason why we decided to exhibit in Cologne was the tremendous importance of imm cologne for the global furniture market. Nowhere else is the range of upholstered furniture on display bigger and more attractive, and nowhere else are the trends set so purposefully. We would like to make it into the group of suppliers that set the tone for others — by exhibiting at imm cologne. Through its brand Kvadra Design, the Kvadra company aims to firmly establish itself and demonstrate that Croatia is producing not only good design but also outstanding quality,” reports Tomislav Knezović, the Managing Director of Kvadra. This upholstered furniture producer, specializing in sturdy couch sets that are oriented to end consumers, is one of the few Croatian companies that is boldly expanding into Germany.

Lifestyle Europe Furniture

The Lifestyle company from England aims to impress trade fair visitors with its new product “Pellissima”, especially because of its unusual look and excellent price-performance ratio. “We look forward to the opportunity to show our existing customers our portfolio in detail. We’re also hoping to arouse interest among new customers,” explains Russell Stevens, President of Lifestyle Europe Furniture Ltd.

Sits

The Sits company is another newcomer to the trade fair. “We’re exhibiting at this trade fair for the first time. Our main aim is to inspire the specialized furniture trade in Germany with our ‘Comfortable life’ upholstered furniture collection,” says a spokesperson. Many interesting innovations, and new textiles in particular, await visitors at the company's stand. The special qualities of Sits furniture are romantic design combined with modernity, tasteful design and natural textiles.

Visitors’ dreams will be fulfilled by the many products related to beds and bedrooms that can be seen in the sleep area in Hall 9. From mattresses and sleep systems to bedding and other related textiles, this overview of the product ranges of manufacturers from all over the world will offer everything that makes the bedroom an oasis of wellness. Two completely new waterbed concepts can be seen at the stand of Akva Waterbeds in Hall 9.1. The Danish designer Per Weiss has developed a design for a high-rise upholstered bed with a boxspring mattress, as well as an extensive range of bed units including night tables, shelves and various types of head ends. Akva Waterbeds has developed a motivation, training and marketing package called “Kickstart” that is specially tailored to meet the needs of new customers. This Danish company is the only waterbed manufacturer in the entire sector that is a regular member of the German Association of the Mattress Industry. For this reason among others, Akva hopes its participation in imm cologne will further enhance its prestige and lead to even firmer establishment of the brand in the market.

“For us, a Danish manufacturer that exports almost 100 percent of its products, imm cologne has for years been the most important platform for presenting our new products and testing the pulse of specialist traders from all over the world. We enjoy being an established company presenting our niche product in the midst of all the sleep system manufacturers and joining them as an equal in the segment of high quality bed systems. Our mission is to provide customers with the best sleep they can get,” says Thomas Wiese from the company's Sales and Marketing department.

This year the EuroComfort corporate group will focus once again on presenting entire brand worlds. The highlight will be its “Brinkhaus Luxury Lifestyle” range — products that provide high-quality sleeping comfort such as boxspring beds, mattresses, spring suspension systems, bedspreads, and pillows filled with down and natural hair. At Badenia Bettcomfort, the focus will be on the company's new “XDream” bedding and mattress collection. This specialist trade brand focuses expertly on the themes of sustainability, environmental friendliness and naturalness. The company, which is based in Friesenheim, Germany, considers the sector's most important current trends to be sustainability and offering a range of high-quality products for fair and affordable prices.

Dynaglobe

Dynaglobe has worked with air and liquids to produce its collection for 2012. The result is a range of changeable and adjustable sleep systems. This company, which is based in Schmiechen, Germany, has thought of a special feature that puts it in tune with the times: the possibility of regulating the firmness of the mattress by means of an iPhone. Dynaglobe regards the use of air in the “sleep” segment as a future-oriented approach. This innovation is also increasing in popularity among end consumers.

Ulrich Leifeld

Trade fairs where the most important manufacturers present their products are of course also attended by the key associations of the sector. “In our lounge area in the centre of Hall 9, we’re showing how companies can create interesting and appealing points of sale,” says Ulrich Leifeld, Managing Director of the Association of the Mattress Industry. “We inspire our visitors by reporting on best practices, but we’d also like to present a ‘bad practice’ in order to encourage them to think about how they can change and further improve their POS in the future. After all, 70 per cent of all decisions to buy are not made at home but directly at the POS. Our meet@sleep sector party on the Tuesday of the trade fair (17th January) will of course once again be a special highlight. The Association of the Mattress Industry and Koelnmesse cordially invite all interested individuals from the sector to come to the party, together with their customers, colleagues and friends.”

Joka, which is known for its excellent functional furniture, chaise longues and high-quality mattresses, has decided to exhibit in the sleep area in 2012. A new generation of beds, including boxspring beds, French beds and completely new modular head ends, will dominate the stand of this Austrian company. Even though the Joka company doubts it can make a huge impression in view of the large number of suppliers, it has nonetheless announced it is launching a major offensive in the entire German-speaking region. The company hopes to score points thanks to its new market profile, its new product portfolio and its service package for the trade.

ProNatura has already progressed further in this area. This Austrian company will focus on its sophisticated studio concepts at imm cologne 2012. For example, just one of its double beds can replace up to ten conventional test mattresses. A second trade fair highlight will be the “ProNatura bioMilbenstopp” anti-mite system. This long-acting biological system against mites in mattresses and bedding enables people with allergies to breathe easily in the future. According to ProNatura, the themes of environmental friendliness and sustainability will be the key factors influencing end consumers’ purchasing decisions in the future. Individuality, in the sense of form-fitting ergonomics and orthopaedic support in sleep systems, will also play an important role.

The exhibitor Veldeman Bedding from Opglabbeek, Belgium, expects to see international flair and lots of interest on the part of German visitors during the week of the trade fair. Veldeman would like to promote the “Classic” boxspring concept in Cologne. The company is particularly interested in repositioning itself in the German market.

Abrito

Another word for young home design is smart — and that's the name of the corresponding area for suppliers in this segment at imm cologne. Here in Halls 7 and 8, visitors will be able to find out what's in fashion in this segment and will ensure good sales figures tomorrow. One of the companies exhibiting here will be Abrito. Through its presentation at the fair, this Portuguese company hopes to finally land a major order — after all, the customer in question is eager to experience the products directly. And since this is the case, why not present the products within the huge framework of this trade fair so as to attract the attention of other potential customers as well? The company will not be showcasing individual products, because it designs furnishing concepts for complete rooms, as well as extensive interior design compositions. “In view of all the information and inquiries that have reached us so far, I can say that imm cologne is a very well-organized trade fair. It promises to be a very good stage on which we can boost our business,” says Luis Silva, Head of Marketing at Abrito.

Chat-Board

Another new participant at the trade fair is Chat-Board from Denmark, a Focus Products brand. The company's representatives regard imm cologne as an important trade fair for Europe as a whole, especially for companies that plan to market designer furniture in the high-end segment. The most important innovation from Chat-Board is magnetic glass writing boards that are functional and pep up the interiors of private households, office rooms, conference areas, hotels and restaurants.

Ex.t

The Ex.t company from Florence, Italy, will also be exhibiting for the first time at the furnishings fair. The company is very interested in the German market and likes the connection between furniture for living rooms and bathrooms at the trade fair — a connection that is also reflected in the company's own product range. For the bathroom furniture segment in particular, Ex.t has designed interesting and functional items that interpret this part of the home in an ultramodern way. Many of the items were designed by Sigrid Stromgren.

Flexa

Flexa is planning to introduce a new white bed system on the market at imm cologne. It also has a new series of storage furniture. Flexa, a producer of children's furniture, believes that the biggest current trend is individuality. Even when they’re buying furniture for small children, end consumers want to configure items according to their own wishes so as to get the exact items of furniture they’ve been dreaming of.

Kare

The Kare company from Garching, Germany, is taking “an individual mix of styles” as the organizing principle of its presentation at the trade fair. Accordingly, it will be presenting a number of trend shows in parallel in an appropriate setting. The highlight will most probably be the “Rock Star” trend show, which is impressive and dramatic — it will really rock! Sinful splendour, punk versions of baroque motifs and a spectacular mix of colours such as silver, dark purple and black — these elements are combined in the trend show to create a rock star ambience for the home. Glamorous lamps, decadent beds and legendary bar counters are the soloists that meet here in an exciting mix. “Rock Star” is truly the ultimate counterweight to sober purism in interior design. This is where luxury rocks and vibrates and gets under your skin! In the smart segment, Kare expects to see many other creative young companies that offer high-quality design. The representatives of this company from Bavaria also believe that uniqueness is the key trend of today: “People long for a strong expression of individuality when they decorate their own home as a place of refuge. This is the link to the trend toward ‘home cocooning’ — a megatrend that is constantly growing.”

Konrad Merkt

The family-owned Konrad Merkt company from Spaichingen, Germany, offers young and unusual design and high-quality products. In Cologne, the company, which specializes in metal technology, plans to showcase the creative children's desk called “Orgoo”, which is unusually adaptive. According to Merkt, the “Orgoo” brand is relatively new on the market and therefore not yet widely distributed. Konrad Merkt, which will be exhibiting at imm cologne for the third time, is aiming to systematically further expand its network of dealers in Germany and also to increase its export business. “We decided to once again exhibit at imm cologne because we expect to reach the most diverse range of visitors here. The international scope of this trade fair also played a big role in our decision,” says Anke Bitsch, “Orgoo” Product Manager at Konrad Merkt.

Topstar

The Topstar company from Langenneufnach, Germany, is coming to Cologne with a complete relaunch of its “Sitness” line. In addition to many innovations, the company is currently developing a new premium POS concept. Its revamped POS design features a fresh new appearance and stands out because of its use of high-quality materials. The main focus of this system is a special theme-oriented display that offers the most important information about the topic of “dynamic sitting” and the possibility of directly trying out how this type of seating actually works. The aim is to show the interested customer the difference between a chair without a BODY-BALANCE-TEC seat joint and a chair with this three-dimensionally movable seating surface. “In my opinion, imm cologne is one of the most important leading trade fairs in the furniture sector. Year after year, this is where the world's latest innovations and new products are presented. However, the organizers must make sure that the fair's quality and image continue to remain at a high level in the future,” says Peter Wagner, Design and Brand Officer at Topstar.

Unilin

Unilin states that its Didit Click Möbel line, which will be making its trade fair debut in 2012, is downright revolutionary. This furniture range can be quickly assembled without any tools. The Didit Click Möbel line is the result of what Unilin considers to be a major trend: the dynamic and frequent changes that families — and their furniture — now go through. According to Unilin, today's furniture must above all be easy to handle, assemble and maintain while at the same time being trendy and practical.

Wimex

Wimex has been using imm cologne as a platform for more than ten years now. In addition to its well-established Wimex brand, the company from Georgsmarienhütte, Germany, has also been presenting its “fresh to go” brand at its stand for the past two years. In 2012, Wimex’ main innovation at the fair will be fronts with textured surfaces. Its presentation will also focus on sleeping comfort and lighting. “I’m delighted that imm cologne has once again become Germany‘s leading furniture fair in recent years. We think that the event is once again comparable to the most important furniture fair in Milan. Nowhere else can business be initiated as well as in Cologne, which is also the best place to intensify existing relations with international partners. It's essential that the key international decision-makers stay longer and that additional customer groups and companies from international markets are attracted to Cologne so that the German furniture industry can further strengthen its position on global markets,” says Wimex Managing Director Ulrich Börger. According to Wimex, the main trend at the moment is white rooms with contrasting wood elements. Another increasingly important concern is to make furniture look natural — for example, by giving its surfaces a natural texture.

Furniplus

basic will bring together furnishing ideas from all over the world in Hall 2.2. Besides furniture, this area will feature lighting systems and accessories. The Indonesian furniture manufacturer Furniplus will once again come to Cologne, where it will again show a new product range in basic this year. Furniplus Sales Director Felsa Wijaya is very impressed by the trade fair: “We consider imm cologne to be a platform where manufacturers, buyers and suppliers can meet as equals. That's what makes the fair indispensable.” According to Furniplus, the living room and bedroom furniture segments currently have the most going on, which is why the company thinks the sector's key trends and developments can be found in these areas.

Anrei

solid — a sub-category of prime in Hall 10.1 — also promises to be very exciting. In this area, the suppliers of solid wood furniture will focus on getting even more visitors excited about products made of this versatile material. One of the exhibitors here will be the Austrian wood specialist Anrei, which will be returning to imm cologne after a five-year break. During this time the company has developed very promising new model lines, which will now be presented to the general public at an international venue. “imm cologne is now more important for the market than ever, and Germany is the main country we export to. Those are just two of the many reasons why we decided to take part in the fair. Because many Austrian dealers visit the trade fair and we want to expand our lead on the Austrian market, it's very important for us to be here,” says a representative of Anrei. Lovers of expressive solid wood will particularly like “Tesso”. To make this product, Anrei uses beech heartwood, knotty nut, knotty oak, or ash heartwood with a striking grain.

Gomab Swiss AG

Thanks to the event's good image in recent years, Gomab Swiss AG from Bottighofen, Switzerland, has decided to take part in imm cologne for the first time. The highlight at the company's stand will be the “Modena” bedroom range made of wild oak, which combines elegance with a touch of wildness. Gomab very carefully selects the high-quality wood in accordance with its expressive structures. Rough-planed elements and elegant Optiwhite glass parts in pure white form a nice contrast to the wild oak. Because the designers, product developers and technicians at Gomab rarely take a break, the Swiss company has announced that it will also be presenting other interesting new products. “We’re glad that imm cologne 2012 will give us the opportunity to present our latest design ideas and our diverse range of products made of various types of solid wood,” says René Üpraus, Head of Export Business at Gomab.

Humpert Möbel

Another company, Humpert-Möbel from Sundern, Germany, will be offering a new product range that provides a contemporary interpretation of traditional joining elements made by skilled craftsmen and combines them with new materials. One of these new products is a media wall that can be arranged as needed. At the fair, Humpert-Möbel hopes to have lively discussions and create new networks.

Kolarevic

The Serbian furniture manufacturer Kolarevic also specializes in solid wood. The company likes and “respects wood, and thus it continually strives to present, in the best possible way, the beauty of wood through good quality processing of its surface,” states Kolarevic on its website. What the company particularly likes about imm cologne are the large number of visitors and the good organization, which makes it easy for potential customers to find the exhibitors that are of interest to them.

Further information is available at:
www.imm-cologne.com

imm cologne + LivingInteriors
16th to 22nd January 2012
9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Public days: 20th to 22nd January 2012

Read more news related Imm Cologne 2012 at Infurma