Biannual furniture fair Orgatec took place in Cologne in October. It was busy and full of colours. Here is the report from contract fair Orgatec.
Orgatec takes place in Cologne every other year. With just days before the opening of the fair, the organisers announced that the sister fair IMM would not happen in January. The fair industry is challanged and every now and then I hear of the term “fair fatigue”. Are we simply tired of fairs?
I don’t think so. I think we still need fairs. It’s like a whole category. Noone would say we are tired of art or tired of music. But we can absolutely talk about if some fairs are good, important, relevant, nice, making you happy, etc, etc. But fairs as a format should absolutely still exist. It is a meeting place. Here I meet my peers in the industry, fall in love and learn.
Orgatec is a place to meet the industry. All the big brands in contract, public space and office design is here. Officially 729 exhibitors and 50 000 visitors. This is a big fair. Also in space.
The fair was so busy that I actually got irritated for a second. There were people everywhere. And that is a feeling I haven’t felt in a long time. Sure, hallways in Milan are busy but not necessarily as busy as here. It was packed.
I talked to my Scandi brands. Everyone was amazed by the number of people. Sure, the question was still if they actually stopped to buy things. And some of my Swedes had a bit of a challenge when it comes to the layout of the halls.
But the numbers are here. The halls were full of brands. And people.
What about content and innovation? There was a fun section at the fair with art and installations. And it is fun to think about the office space as a place where you have this. Maybe we will need more of these solutions when we go back to the office more. Perhaps it’s not the office chair that makes you thrive at work but actually art?
Orgatec also offered a lot of installations for learning and inspiration. Especially with focus on sustainability. Here the base of a table that only takes 30 minute to 3D print. And material is PLA with 20% cellulose. By Swedish Industrial Poetry.
New things for the office
OK. So we are here to not only talk about the fair. We want to talk about content too. What are the trends from a fair like Orgatec?
The first – and biggest – thing I want to point out is that furniture companies are now moving into the kitchen segment. Top piece is from Pedrali which is a crossover between a cabinet and a kitchenette. Second is from Sedus and here we see a sink. It is almost a fully funtional kitchen, but no cooking tops.
The reason is of course that we meet more in kitchens. Maybe even have a corporate, business meeting in a kitchen setting and then you want it to look nice.
Shining silver
Walking around at the fair I noticed that silver started to emerge. It felt new and stood out. And I say “silver” deliberately, not “white metal”. Is it a disco thing? Top chair by Wilkhahn, second from TM Leader Contract, third from Flokk and perhaps a but of a raw silver and fourth are these room dividers from Molo.
Orange – going on red
Is it red or orange? I would say that orange is leaving terracotta and we see a stronger hue. Top picture is Pedrali which is still playing around with terracotta. Then two pictures from Flokk. Lamps from Grau and bar stools from e15.
Greens
Green is also present and I would state that there are two kinds of green. It is either a strong, emerald colour or a soft pastell version. Top is Vertigo table by Claesson Koivisto Rune for Offecct. Textiles at Sedus. Wood chair from Karl Andersson & Söner. With yellow at Muuto.
Navy
Maybe not a super lot… but some. Yes, I saw some nice navy blue as well. Top picture from Pedrali. Second from Flokk and third from Italian Mara. Notice the nice bend in the back seat. Looks raw and nice. Last picture from Klöber with stackable chairs. We see the greens and also navy blue.
Miscellaneous
I just need a separate chapter for things that are nice – but not necessarily building a “trend”
From Le Klint. This lamp is gorgeous.
This velvet sofa at TM Leader Contract. Gorge. Doesn’t really fit the green trend in general.
At one of the exhibitions with focus on sustainability. This is a prototype for Plus Halle. There is NO upholstery. Made with textiles from Krall Roth.
This type of cone shaped base is said to be big. Here by Spanish Ondarreta.
The color of that velvet sofa at TM Leader Contract is very BRAT!