imm Cologne has the distinction of not only being the first furniture fair of the year, but one of the biggest. The ideal venue for Northern European companies to present their latest creations, imm also boasts one of the most international displays of furniture design anywhere. - Josephine Minutillo
 

Giddy up
When it comes to finding playful, even off-the-wall pieces, Belgian outdoor line Extremis is typically a safe bet. This year in Cologne, the company presented an unusual new outdoor seating ensemble. Bronco is a plastic stool whose shape is derived from a horse saddle. The accompanying table, Corral, also made from rotation-molded polyethylene, can be lit up in various colors depending on the chosen filter. When hung upside down, the table becomes a light fixture fittingly called C’upsidedown. Extremis, Gijverinkhove, Belgium. www.extremis.be

[Reader Service: April 2007 #206]
 

Soft woods
Founded in 1995, e15 established its reputation for its exclusive use of solid wood, particularly oak. Recently the company has broadened its scope, this year introducing two new upholstered pieces. The Kashan sofa is easily identifiable as an e15 product with its solid wood backrest and Minimalist form. The Shiraz sofa (shown), on the other hand, features no wood at all. Its unusual form was inspired in part by traditional Persian seating islands. e15, Oberursel, Germany. www.e15.com

[Reader Service: April 2007 #207]
     

Far-out fabric
Winner of the Best Item award at imm, Kinnasand’s Rocco fabric exploits a new development in weaving technology. Using a special clip-cord technique, the multilayered, graphically arranged colored panels optically flow into one another. The resulting complex coloring and shading gets its airiness from the change from sheer to densely woven stripes. Kinnasand, Westerstede, Germany. www.kinnasand.de

[Reader Service: April 2007 #208]

Punk rocker
The young design duo of Patrick Frey and Markus Boge have designed products for several German furniture companies, most recently for the playful line Elmar Flötotto. The splayed legs of their new seat, Abraham, may look a bit odd, but they make for a comfortable and smooth rocking chair. Available with a matching ottoman. Elmar Flötotto, Gütersloh, Germany. www.elmarfloetotto.de

[Reader Service: April 2007 #209]