Floor van Ast, Design Post Köln‘s managing partner, explains the identity and the mission of the showroom-platform, and she talks also about the new trends, the flexibility, the sustainability and the different ways of using buildings and spaces.
Floor van Ast. Photo © Fred Ernst
Design Post Köln is more than a showroom…
Design Post in Cologne is a showroom and a platform for design-related industries. We function as an open network: a community of like-minded people, anticipating the future design context. Our role is to connect people, knowledge and ideas, and to share them openly. We’d like to challenge “business as usual”, contribute to new perspectives and imagine more sustainable futures. Design Post acts as a toolbox that you can use to organise branded events, product launches, talks, meet-ups, sampling events and pitches. Today’s global challenges will require fundamental changes in the furniture and interior design industry. Design Post is committed to engaging with all future developments, opportunities and obstacles as a joint effort.
Design Post Koln. Photo © Lucas Hardonk
Who are your clients?
We have a mix of partner brands that focus on both contract and residential or hospitality, which is also reflected in our visitors, ranging from dealers, (interior) architects and developers to end users. During the year, visitors tend to be from the region, and around events and fairs, they come from all parts of Germany, from neighbouring countries and beyond.
What are the trends in furniture?
There is more interest in solutions for working from home and many people have started to refurbish their homes. If we look at it in a more abstract way, we think the bigger theme is flexibility. Our needs are constantly changing, and we as a society are being challenged enormously. This calls for sustainable solutions that incorporate flexibility into the entire cycle of the products and environments we design.
Design Post Koln. Photo © Lucas Hardonk
What relationship do you have with international brands and partners?
Our most important stakeholders are of course the brands. Currently brands from 8 countries (Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy, Sweden, Belgium, Denmark, Spain) present their collections at Design Post. We have been around for 15 years and are always looking for partners who will strengthen our collective. Brands with a strong identity, with a focus on quality and innovation, which is also reflected in their communications. The social and environmental commitment of our partners will play an increasingly important role in how we choose our partners, and also in how we want to develop ourselves and contribute to the industry we are in.
Any upcoming event?
For the end of September, we are planning a multi-day event with a focus on the new products and collections that many brands have not yet been able to show in a real-life exhibition. We will also have our 15th anniversary this year and we don’t want to let this go by unnoticed! We hope we can celebrate this in September.
Design Post Köln
Deutz-Mülheimer-Str. 22a
50679 Köln
