FURNFETTISh

Merel Karhof has been utilizing breeze as muse for years, finding new ways to spin airflow. The London-based designer’s wind knitting machine which united a metal mill and loom to make one-of-a-kind scarves. Her ongoing Energy Harvesters series underscores her fascination with the invisible force. And her newest project, a furniture collection, is not only inspiring but it’s the extremely ambitious.

Karhof cited the project at the Zaanse Schans region of the Netherlands, an industrial milling hub which dates back almost 300 years. On-site, Karhof's harnessed raving gales and used original, still-functioning machinery in a three-fold process to create the furniture: a sawmill sliced the wood that provided the structure for each piece, a color mill ground the pigment which was further used to dye the yarn, and Karhof’s own knitting machine transformed those colored fibers into mini pillows to upholster the stools, benches, and seats. And much like she did with the scarves, whose length corresponded to time it took to make, each cushion is sized relative to how long it took to produce.

The concept itself is enough to make this one of the coolest design endeavors in the furniture industry, not to mention a thoughtful approach to sustainability.

The credit of using reclaimed wood as opposed to conventional wood to furnish houses, offices and summerhouses has escalated in recent times. The current frequency at making reclaimed wood part of homes stress on the fact that reclaimed timber has a unique, quirky and exquisite look, but also is an added environmental benefit that salvaged wood generates.

The environmental benefit of using reclaimed wood as opposed to non-recycled materials is that it eliminates pointless waste. The exposure of other types of waste often prevents the wood from completely decomposing and instead the wood partially breaks down, which generates the release of methane gas which causes a vicious cycle in global warming, creating ground-level ozone, which is bad for both the environment and for human health.

The Global Tree Campaign, a joint venture between Fauna & Flora International (FFI) and Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) is an international campaign that concentrates to saving trees that are threatened with extinction across the world. According to the campaign, more than 8000 tree species are threatened with extinction.

When buying furniture, such as settees, beds, coffee tables and dining room tables and chairs that have been made out of reclaimed wood, it saves trees from being cut down. The Global Trees Campaign also estimates that less than 10 percent of wood waste is actually recycled.

Reclaimed wood not only adds a unique, rustic and hand-crafted look with a stylish and tasteful edge, but goes a long way in the quest to minimise the carbon footprints.

With work all set to start in the UK on the execution of the EC Directive on Alternative Dispute Resolution ADR, Jo Swinson MP took time to reference The Furniture Ombudsman in the midst of a Parliamentary debate on the new legislation which is expected to have an impact on retailers and consumers across Europe.

Ms Swinson MP, who became Minister for Employment Relations and Consumer Affairs in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and Women and Equalities Minister in the Department of Culture, Media and Sport in 2012 said "The UK already has compulsory schemes in place in areas such as financial or legal services, and many sectors have voluntary schemes in place such as The Furniture Ombudsman which several large retailers are signed up to."

Head of The Furniture Ombudsman, Kevin Grix stated "I was delighted to read the transcript of the discussions in Hansard in which Ms Swinson MP rightly acknowledged The Furniture Ombudsman's position within the consumer dispute resolution landscape. I predict a change in the consciousness of consumers and retailers over the next 5 years when it comes to alternative dispute resolution and Ombudsman schemes in general. I am proud that The Furniture Ombudsman has been leading the way in relation to consumer and retailer disputes for over 20 years, and we remain committed to providing a first class service throughout the implementation of the Directive and beyond."

BDI member DCA has been selected as Hitachi Rail Europe’s design partner responsible for the interior design of the Super Express trains that form a key part of the DfT’s Intercity Express Programme (IEP).
 
Under this programme Hitachi Rail Europe will be supplying a fleet of 92 electric and bi-mode trains for the Great Western Main Line and the East Coast Main Line, comprising 596 carriages in total.

DCA’s work on the interior design, which will be completed during the second half of 2013, includes the construction of a full size mock-up at their Warwick workshops to demonstrate their interior design solution to all the relevant project stakeholders.

Rob Bassil, the Director responsible for DCA’s Transport Sector said: “We are very excited to be involved in what is one of the biggest and most significant contracts ever placed in the UK rail industry. The new trains will offer British passengers a step change in reliability, capacity and comfort, and Hitachi has challenged DCA to deliver an iconic interior design to underline these benefits. We have put the right staff, resources and processes in place to support the Hitachi team in doing exactly that.”
    
     

The winners of the 2013 Carpet Design Awards were announced on Sunday, 13 January. It was the eighth time that this fascinating competition has been staged at DOMOTEX. The winners in ten different categories received their awards at the world’s leading trade fair for carpets and floor coverings. Every year the prestigious Carpet Design Awards sets the highest standards in terms of the quality and design of handmade rugs and carpets. An international panel of top professionals selects the winners in ten product categories.

 “I have been involved with the jury of the Carpet Design Awards now for four years and I continue to be surprised and excited by the stream of new ideas presented each year for us to judge. This year it has been noticeable that traditional carpet patterns have re-entered the contemporary rug design lexicon, opening up many new possibilities for the coming years”, says James Ffrench, chair of the Judging Panel.

This year’s high-calibre panel of judges comprised six top names from the field of materials, so the emphasis of the competition was on the quality of the materials used and the quality of the product itself, as well as such properties as novelty, imaginative design and the implementation of creative ideas. For the first time this year the competition also included three modern design categories in the competition.

Participation in the Carpet Design Awards competition is not exclusively restricted to exhibitors at the leading trade fair DOMOTEX. This underlines the international significance of the award, which is viewed by participants, and effectively used by the winners, as a mark of quality which is recognized worldwide.

On the 21st December 2012, Craftwood celebrated four staff 10 year service awards. Managing Director, Alan Carter and his wife, Jes Carter, who is a non-executive Director of Craftwood decided that the continuing success of the business was definitely worth celebrating and wanted to recognise and award each of the long serving members of staff.

Each of the staff members has worked for the company since its inception in 2000, with Alan Carter taking over the business in 2009.

The four long serving staff members included Darren Lofthouse, Upholstery Supervisor; Mandy Lofthouse, Financial Director; Sally Papworth, Sales and Marketing Co-ordinator and Stewart Smith, Joinery Supervisor.

Darren, Mandy and Sally all received a watch and Stewart received a Kindle Fire HD
Alan Carter stated; “We felt it is incredibly important to recognise the years of hard work, loyalty and dedicated service that these members of staff have given to Craftwood by really celebrating the event”.

Craftwood Interiors is a global specialist in the manufacture of bespoke contemporary upholstered banquette seating for the commercial marketplace. It manufactures fixed or free standing seating with either a sprung or platform base.



Source: BCFA

At the FX Awards 2012 held on November 22, 2012 at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London, the DO chair by Orangebox received the Workplace Seating Award, while the Flo Plus monitor arm by colebrookbossonsaunders got the Public,Leisure and Office Products Award.  Both are FIRA members.

The 2012 Product of the Year award was won by Virgin Atlantic's in-house design team for the design of the new Virgin Atlantic A330 Upper Class Cabin.  Levent Caglar, Chief Ergonomist at FIRA, worked with the Virgin Atlantic design team, providing the ergonomics input and assessing the design as it was developed.  
 
Another important award was the Outstanding Lifetime Contribution to design, won byNiels Diffrient. "I have worked with him for the last ten years," said Caglar.  "He has designed Freedom and Liberty chairs and a number of desk lights for Humanscale, who are FIRA members, and I have been working with them very closely.   Niels' latest design is the World Chair, for which I've provided the ergonomics input for the design.  FIRA was also involved in testing various prototypes."

United Kingdom Trade and Investment (UKTI) is proposing to organise a trade mission to the USA for members of the furniture sector based in London and the South East.

The intention is to build the mission around one of the 2013 trade shows, either Highpoint (October 19th to 24th) or the International Contemporary Furniture Fair in New York (May 18th to 21st). It would include links with the British Consulate and, hopefully, an opportunity for participants to hold meetings arranged for them with potential customers.

Eligible organisations would be furniture companies, or suppliers of products to the furniture industry, based in London (M25 area) and the South-east (Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, East Sussex, Hampshire and the Isle of White, Kent, Oxfordshire, Surrey and West Sussex).

There is a high probability that some of the costs of participation will be subsidised through a Government grant.

Source: FIRA

At the FX Awards 2012 held on November 22, 2012 at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London, the DO chair by Orangebox received the Workplace Seating Award, while the Flo Plus monitor arm by colebrookbossonsaunders got the Public,Leisure and Office Products Award.  Both are FIRA members.

The 2012 Product of the Year award was won by Virgin Atlantic's in-house design team for the design of the new Virgin Atlantic A330 Upper Class Cabin.  Levent Caglar, Chief Ergonomist at FIRA, worked with the Virgin Atlantic design team, providing the ergonomics input and assessing the design as it was developed.  
 
Another important award was the Outstanding Lifetime Contribution to design, won byNiels Diffrient. "I have worked with him for the last ten years," said Caglar.  "He has designed Freedom and Liberty chairs and a number of desk lights for Humanscale, who are FIRA members, and I have been working with them very closely.   Niels' latest design is the World Chair, for which I've provided the ergonomics input for the design.  FIRA was also involved in testing various prototypes."

Ahmedabad-based Timbor Home has announced that the company has won an order of Rs 4 crore for solid wood furniture from Coastal Gujarat Power Ltd. (A Tata Power Co.) for their Mundra Township Project in Gujarat.

One of the the largest manufacturers-retailers of modular kitchens and solid wood furniture in the country, Timbor Home Ltd. makes a range of solid wood furniture. Continuing with the trend of executing furniture projects for housing colonies in large power projects, Timbor Home will now execute the same for Coastal Gujarat Power Ltd.

"The company has in the past done similar furniture projects for housing colonies for large power projects in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. The company has also tied up with various real estate companies in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad, Indore, Chennai and Bhubaneswar for furnishing their apartments with ready to use kitchens and furniture," Timbor Home said in its filing on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) on Thursday.

According to the company, the trend for fully furnished apartments is fast catching up in the country, with the real estate sector under pressure, offering value additions like kitchens and furniture works out as a win-win proposition for the builder and the customer.

The company is a fully integrated player and manufactures all the components in-house at its state-of-the-art, fully automated plants in Changodar, Vatva and Umreth. The in-house manufacturing capability helps the company to garner higher profit margins on its products compared to importers and traders of kitchens and furniture.

Timbor Home has a pan-India retail presence in 81 cities with over 140 exclusive showrooms for its various products.

Source: Business Standard

Australian furniture industry has reported to be sluggish with unlikely chances of resurrection in the next 12 months. Industry experts have augured minor gains in 2015/16, when industry revenue is anticipated to grow at a rate of 1.3 per cent per annum to reach $1.30 billion. Martin Lewis, the CEO of Furnishing Industry Association of Australia (FIAA) remarked that currently the industry is struggling. He said, “Despite the overall economy of Australia doing well by world standards, thrift is the dominant concern among the Australian consumers. The housing and construction industry have been in decline for several years and house prices have dropped continuously over the last five years. Australian consumers have focussed more on paying down mortgage debt and adding to superannuation savings. Discretionary purchasing on items such as furniture, including kitchen renovations, has been flat. Much of this is a hangover from the global financial crisis, from the domination of the ageing baby-boomer population focussing more on retirement planning, and from the rise in the Australian dollar particularly. The Australian dollar has climbed since January 2012 from $0.89 US to $1.03. Australian manufacturers have suffered big time from this.”

Rohan Wright of Australian Furniture Association Inc. shares the same view and believes that the market is probably over-serviced at the moment. About the current state of the furniture industry in Australia, he said, “Furniture sales are described as the worst they have ever been. The lack of new housing starts, baby boomers nearing retirements with lower wealth levels, and fear of a global recession have combined to make the market very challenging across the board.”

Read more in Nov-Dec issue of Furniture & Accessories Europe

UBM is launching its first ever furniture and interiors show in Southeast Asia in September next year. The Southeast Asia Furniture & Interiors Import-Export Exhibition (SEAFIE) will be held in Kuala Lumpur, at the Putra World Trade Centre from Sept 13 to 16, 2013.

SEAFIE will complement the Malaysian International Furniture Fair (MIFF), held in March every year, and other UBM industry shows, notably Furniture China which is the largest furniture expo in the world, Index Fairs in India and UK Interiors.

This exciting new show will cover gross exhibition space of 45,000 sq metres and feature the international mid- to high-end brands of home and office furniture, interior design products and soft furnishings. SEAFIE is targeted to draw 300 international exhibitors and 20,000 buyers from all over the world.

The four-day fair will be organised by the same professional team behind MIFF, which has 19 years of proven track record and in-depth market knowledge. “The timing is ideal for the launch of SEAFIE in light of the changing market environment. Based on in-depth market research by UBM, September is a key second buying season for furniture and interiors buyers worldwide these days,” said MIFF Chairman Datuk Dr Tan Chin Huat.

Another booster for SEAFIE is the expanding Southeast Asian market itself because of its 600 million population and growing middle class customers. While furniture and fittings exports from Southeast Asia have been on an uptrend, imports too have increased significantly due to growing purchasing power and demand for branded high quality lifestyle products.

“SEAFIE will be a fantastic opportunity to tap into this market for manufacturers, designers and distributors of mid- to high-end furniture brands focusing on design and interior furnishings,” Tan added. “We are also targeting 20,000 buyers from all over the world. There will be lots of trendy purchases and exciting deals for contract buyers, proper developers, project managers and interior decorators.”


Source: IAFP Alliance

Herman Miller, Inc. announced results for its second quarter ended December 1, 2012. The company reported net sales in the quarter of $441.8 million; a decrease of 0.9% from the same quarter last fiscal year. New orders in the second quarter of $475.8 million were 8.1% higher than the prior year. Sequentially, net sales in the quarter decreased 1.8% from the first quarter of this fiscal year, while orders were up 5.3% over the same period.

Herman Miller reported second quarter diluted earnings per share of $0.14. This compares to $0.41 per share in the same period of fiscal 2012. The company’s earnings this quarter were reduced by non-cash charges associated with the strategy to terminate its domestic defined benefit pension plans and expenses associated with previously announced restructuring actions. Excluding the impact of these items, adjusted diluted earnings per share in the second quarter of fiscal 2013 were $0.35.

Brian Walker, Chief Executive Officer, stated, “While the quarter’s sales came in below our expectations, we see progress and momentum in our strategy, evidenced by solid growth in consolidated orders and backlog. A combination of factors contributed to lower than anticipated sales in the quarter, including long-leadtime orders, disruption caused by the East Coast storm, and further weakening of demand in Europe. However, we’re encouraged by the increased order activity reported by each of our segments and by the particular strength of our key growth initiatives.”

Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Europe's Top 100 Office Furniture Companies" report. It provides details on companies operating in European office furniture markets. JSA League Table of the 100 largest office furniture companies in Europe. The information in the report are:
- Sales turnover with increases and decreases
- Market share
- Profitability - in money and by percentage of sales
- Number of employees

Companies Mentioned

USM
Steelcase
Koenig + Neurath
Kinnarps
Haworth
Nowy Styl

Source: BusinessWire
 

The efforts of British furniture manufacturers to become greener are again to be recognised with the launch of the second annual Furniture Makers Sustainability Award.

British manufacturing members of the Furniture Industry Sustainability Programme (FISP), administered by FIRA will be invited to enter for the award, which aims to recognise, reward and publicise the good work being done in the British furniture industry to further sustainable manufacturing. This year, current holders of the Furniture Makers' Manufacturing Guild Mark will also be eligible to enter, as sustainability is one of the criteria used to assess companies applying for the Mark.

The inaugural award was won earlier this year by Orangebox, with runners up being the Symphony Group, Premiere Kitchens and Senator International.

The 2013 trophy will be awarded to the company which, in the judges' opinion, has made the most notable improvements in sustainable manufacturing during 2012, in such areas as environmental waste, energy, packaging and transport management, purchasing policies, employment, training and education. The judges will take into account the size of the business concerned so that the relative importance of the progress can be measured.

Entries for the award are invited by 1 February 2013, shortly after which the judges will draw up a short list of companies who will be invited to present their case in person to the panel on 25 April 2013.

The judges for the 2013 award will be Charles Vernon, Master of the Worshipful Company of Furniture Makers; David Walton, Chairman of the Furniture Industry Sustainability Programme Steering Committee; Alan Marshall, liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Furniture Makers and environmental adviser to the industry; Barbara Chandler, freelance writer, journalist and photographer. The judges will be assisted and advised by James Bell, FIRA's Environmental Consultant.
 

Interiors UK 2013 will feature Signature Spaces with room concepts brought together by the industry’s most celebrated designers. Nina Campbell, one of the most respected and influential interior designers will dress the show entrances and a signature space in Hall 3.Nina is thrilled to be designing the entrance hall at the Interiors Show in January.

On arrival expect to be amazed by a grand entrance designed by Nina.The individual halls will be defined by one of Nina’s loves; colour.  Expect a marriage of traditional, well loved and opulent designs with a new, fresh and contemporary colour palette. Colour stories such as coral, apple green, aqua and stone will be making their debut in various forms.

Nina will have two stands of her own at the show. Her ‘Home’ shall reflect her own, cosy, inviting and somewhere you immediately get offered a drink and want to settle in. Built around the ethos that mixing style and comfort is essential it will reflect exactly what she achieves when designing for her clients and her own homes. Among the displayed products include beautiful glass, table linen, whimsical china, embroidered cushions and other home accessories and gifts.
 

Dutch designer Reinier de Jong will present both REK bookcase and REK coffee table for the first time together at the IMM Furniture fair in Cologne from January 14 to 20. A brand new version of the bookcase will be on show. Reinier de Jong will also present a new chair which will have its world premier in Cologne. Visit us at stand number 080 in exhibition hall 3.1 (aisle C).

REK bookcase is now finished with wonderful, light grey Tefor by Abet Laminati, a 100% recycled and recyclable laminate material. The original design of the bookcase is from 2008 and was taken in production in 2009. REK coffee table, its little brother is produced since 2012. Both designs have a unique feature in common: The bookcase grows with your book collection and the coffee table grows with your coffee needs. Both bookcase and coffee table are exclusively available at Reinier de Jong.
 
Last but not least: A new chair design by Reinier de Jong will be launched at the IMM fair in Cologne. Details and images of the chair will be released just a week prior to the fair.
The Dewar Glassware and the Copper Lights by David Derksen will also be exhibited in the stand.

The REK series has grown to design icons in just a few years. They have been published in magazines and newspapers all over the world and have been sent to clients in the United States, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, China among others.

A new WIPO report shows that while the global economy continued to underperform, intellectual property (IP) filings worldwide kept growing strongly in 2011. It also finds that China’s patent office became the largest in the world, as measured by the number of patent applications received. Before 2011, China already accounted for most filings of utility models (UMs), trademarks and industrial designs.1

World Intellectual Property Indicators 2012 shows that patent filings worldwide grew by 7.8% in 2011, exceeding 7% growth for the second year in a row. Similarly, UM, industrial design and trademark filings increased by 35%, 16% and 13.3%, respectively.

“Sustained growth in IP filings indicates that companies continue to innovate despite weak economic conditions. This is good news, as it lays the foundation for the world economy to generate growth and prosperity in the future,” said WIPO Director General Francis Gurry.

China’s State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO) overtook the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in 2011 to become the largest patent office in the world, after having surpassed the Japan Patent Office (JPO) in 2010. In the 100 years before 2011, only three patent offices – Germany, Japan and the United States - had occupied the position of largest office.

In the Report’s foreword, Mr. Gurry points out that “even though caution is required in directly comparing IP filing figures across countries, these trends nevertheless reflect how the geography of innovation has shifted.”

Industrial design applications worldwide grew strongly over the last two years. In 2011, design filings increased by 16%, following 13.9% growth in 2010. This considerable growth was mostly due to strong growth in China. SIPO accounted for 90% of total growth from 2009 to 2011. The 775,700 industrial design applications filed worldwide in 2011 consisted of 691,200 resident and 84,500 non-resident applications.

Unlike patents, the list of top 20 offices includes 8 offices located in middle-income countries. China – a middle-income country – received the largest number of design applications (521,468) in 2011. Turkey, another middle-income country, received 41,218 filings, which is larger than the number of filings at the JPO or the USPTO. Between 2010 and 2011, the IP offices of China (23.8%), India (16.7%), Mexico (17.2%), Turkey (17.6%) and Ukraine (17.5%) each saw rapid growth in filings.