Zeitraum: Editions and Additions at Interieur Kortrijk

At the recent Interieur biennale in Kortrijk, Zeitraum gave us a sneak peek at some additions to the range which will be officially launched at IMM Koln in January alongside a limited edition Morph chair.  

Images of Asian women have been printed directly onto the oak veneer, before the seat is bent into its final shape. There are 3 women to choose from, all with a tale to tell. Some are printed on the front and back, some on the front only and they are limited to 300 of each style.

Pelle by Lorenz*Kaz made a brief appearance in Milan in April. Blink and you missed it (and a lot of people missed it), but the design is much more honed and almost ready for its formal debut in January. A beautiful saddle leather sling, supported by a refined, slightly oriental wooden frame, Pelle is fit for a king.

Side will soon be available with a new leg detail - adding extra height and creating a more traditional sideboard.

We've added more images from our Kortrijk trip to a Facebook album. Check them all out HERE.

Interieur 2012 Kortrijk

Interieur comes but once every 2 years and that's probably a good thing. It means the standard of exhibitor is high, the standard of exhibition design is high and visitors are eager to see whats on offer. Splitting the show into 2 separate venues, as the organisers did this year, may not be such a good thing, but more of that later.

Interieur at Kortrijk is a chance for the Benelux designers and brands to flex their muscle. With a tendency to be more decorative than the Scandinavians, and quirkier than the Italians, the show has a unique feeling. It's immediately obvious there is a strong curatorial team in charge, with each hall linked by a central corridor, gently guiding you around. Rather than have a single guest of honour, several designers were invited to create installations and temporary cafes on the theme "Future Primitives"  which interrupted the corridor. Makkink & Bey, Nendo and Muller Van Severen all created hugely different spaces.

Installation by Makkink & Bey

Installation by Nendo

One of the more attractive elements of Interieur is that space is given to design galleries, representing less commercial designers and "design-art". Carpenters Workshop Gallery, Galerie Greta Meert (showcasing works by Donald Judd), Valerie Traan (who represents Muller Van Severen amongst others) and Victor Hunt all had space within the main exhibition halls. After LDF, followed by PAD London and Frieze, it's good to see these different sides of the design industry can co-exist. 

Installation by Muller Van Severen

Less effective was the new Buda Island area in the city centre. A fleet of Audi cars in blue and pink Interieur livery carried you from one site to the other. The new zone focused on younger designers and brands and was almost a mini Zona Tortona. However, it felt isolated and had no interaction with the city around it. It may as well have been in an exhibition centre on the edge of town. However, the first time is always difficult, so we won't be too harsh. There were some definite highlights like the Troika ARCADES PROJECT, a site specific installation, and part of the Future Primitives programme, that created a cathedral of light.

It was also good to see Dennis Parren's CYMK light again (last seen tucked in a corner of Spazio Rossana Orlandi) and Vera, Chapter Two, a "must see" during LDF that we missed.

One strand that linked the two sites was the multitude of 3D printing. Long been mooted as the future of design, 3D printing or rapid proto-typing as it is also known, was by far the biggest trend on show. Stepping into the mainstream, it is not that difficult to envisage a day when a show like Interieur becomes an online only event and a visitor to the site can print out at home any of the designs that takes their fancy.  

3D printing at design vlaanderen

We have added an Interieur 2012 album with more images on our Facebook page.

Interieur 2010, Kortrijk and Orgatec 2010, Kӧln

Design shows are like buses - you're almost guaranteed that two come along at once. Every second year the Belgian town of Kortrijk is host to Interieur and as soon as that closes its doors everyone decamps to Cologne for Orgatec, the largest office show on the block. It is a major commitment for any manufacturer who decides to show in both locations.

Let's start at the beginning with Interieur - an accessible and sophisticated show. Generous stands, wide aisles and 6 halls meant it was easy to see everything in a day without being completely worn out. Stand designs were imaginative and ample space was given to young designers within the main show. The focus was firmly on Belgian and Dutch design, but the big Italian brands like Moroso also had a presence.

Overall, the trend seemed to follow Milan - muted backgrounds with splashes of vibrant colour, however this time the colour had the volume turned down slightly. Milan's acid yellow and fluorescent green became mustard and apple green.

Zeitraum launched Morph Kid, the latest addition to the incredibly successful Morph family. Scaled down and with bright felt seat cushions Morph Kid maintains the sleek design credentials of its big brother but adds a playful edge.


Below are some of our other highlights from Interieur. We have uploaded an album of images to our Facebook page here with a more detailed impression.





One week later and everyone was in Cologne, Germany for Orgatec - a mecca for anyone with every the remotest interest in office design. The industry giants like Vitra and Herman Miller had vast stadium-sized stands which certainly drew the crowds, but the smaller stands proved to be just as (if not more) interesting.


We spent a couple of days with Buzzispace on their first ever Orgatec stand and the reaction to the collection was amazing. Having previewed the new Buzzibooth and Buzzihood products at 100% Design in September, we thought we knew what to expect but with people from as far afield as Canada and Australia getting excited about the range, it meant we were run off our feet. Just the way we like it!