Is Interzum the design industry’s new hidden gem?
With over 60,000 visitors and 1,600 exhibitors, Interzum is big. And yet, despite its scale, many in the design industry still see it as a niche supplier fair. But here’s the truth: Interzum is a treasure trove of innovation, and it’s time more people paid attention.
Interzum brands itself as a “supplier fair,” but Interzum is much more. It’s where product developers and designers go to find the next idea—the missing piece that transforms a good product into a brilliant one. Think high-tech components like smart furniture legs, clever drawer systems, or moving wall partitions that turn a 16 sqm space into something that feels like 40 sqm.
Each of the eight halls (some spanning multiple levels) is a world of its own, loosely organized by themes like materials, textiles, and engineering innovations. The variety is: wood, veneers, laminates, lighting systems, cabinet components, kitchen fittings, acoustic materials, technical fabrics, leather, adhesives—and then some.
This is where kitchen door manufacturers come to discover a new hinge mechanism. Where furniture producers find a more elegant joint or the perfect surface finish. It’s a detail-focused fair, but the kind of detail that unlocks creativity and elevates design.
During my two-day visit, I walked, talked, listened, and even gave a seminar on the design trends I see shaping the future. The atmosphere? Absolutely buzzing. It’s not a place for casual browsing—it’s intense, focused, and filled with purpose.
I also ran into a few familiar faces from Scandinavia. Brands like Blå Station and Kvänum were there—not to show off finished products, but to find the right solutions. These are design-driven, engineering-minded companies looking for that one component or system that can push a product forward. We talked bolts, drawers and textures.
So, is it worth going? In a word: absolutely. Was it overwhelming? Yes. Was it easy to navigate? Not really. But was it full of game-changing ideas? Without a doubt.
Interzum might not have the glamour of a typical design fair. It’s not about pretty stands or polished final products. But if you care about the mechanics of good design—about how things work, not just how they look—then this is the place to be.
Interzum is a fair mainly about details. Looking for a special kind of armrest for your office chair? It’s here. Looking for a table mechanic? It’s here.
Need a separate and private space at the office? The mechanics are here.
Tired of not reaching the top shelf in the kitchen? At Interzum you can find this movable kitchen shelf.
This is of course also a fair with colours and finishing materials. I would say that the majority of the textiles here are for mattresses or similar products. Not for interiors but on products.
But all kinds of finishing hands on products. Linoleum, veneer, plastics, etc, etc. It is all very diverse and maybe more focus on functionality than colour trends. It was tricky to find any kind of colour trends here.
Look at all these veneers. It’s just lovely.
You could also find various supplier that delivered texture.
Wouldn’t it be lovely to have a kitchen with different kinds of texture patterns?? Love.
A few, but not so many wallpaper suppliers.
Again – imagine having kitchen cabinets made of these woods!! But these pieces of wood were shown also for seats of stools and other funiture.
There were at least two special exhibitions at the fair. The were showing innovation and new sustainable thinking in this field. Below is a handle made of meadow grass.
So to summarize:
Interzum gets high scores. It was pretty difficult to penetrate it all, but very interesting. I recommend all my designer friends to go. And of course product developer and brands interesting in finding NEW innovation. For them this is a ten out of ten. Almost a MUST-SEE.
I would love to go back. Now I know what to look for. Maybe I wouldn’t go back to the mattress section, but I definately want to keep track of evolution in surfaces of products and new ideas for kitchens.