Cologne furniture fair set for Jan. 14 to 20
Show will include new trend displays
Carole Sloan -- Furniture Today, December 31, 2007
COLOGNE, Germany – The imm cologne fair being held here Jan. 14 to 20 will feature some new trend displays, including a special event called “Compasso d’oro” that will celebrate 50 years of Italian design.
The Cologne fair will feature about 1,400 exhibitors, more than 60% of which are from outside Germany. Ten American exhibitors will be showing.
Under the umbrella of “imm pure,” Hall 11 will focus on modern design, with products selected by an international panel of experts. About 200 companies will provide an overview of the most important design trends in this area.
The showcase for up-and-coming designers in Hall 2 has been restructured under the umbrella of “d3 design talents,” with three categories: one for professionals, a design contest (formerly called “inspired by Cologne”) and a platform for young design students called The Young Wild Ones.
The “Compasso d’oro” exhibit replaces what for five years had been an exhibition of “ideal houses.” The new direction is a major step in reinforcing Cologne’s position in the furniture design world, according to Wolfgang Kranz, executive director of Koelnmesse, the show’s sponsor.
“We are bringing the modern classics of Italian design to Cologne,” he said.
The special presentation is set along a grass-covered path with store windows on either side displaying Italian products from the last 50 years. Companies featured include Alessi, Kartell, Cassina and B&B Italia.
This year’s imm cologne show also will see the launch of a new program that puts the spotlight on one featured country. For 2008, it will be the Netherlands. Each year will feature a different country.
The U.S. companies and organizations exhibiting at imm cologne are Ashley Furniture, Ergomotion, GB Roberts – Fine Art Furniture, High Point Market Authority, Kinwai USA, Kittrich, Powerlife Furniture, Sitcom Furniture, Stanley Furniture and the State of North Carolina Furniture Export Office.
