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IMM Cologne 2018
Trend Check in Cologne

January blues? Far from it! As the first furnishings trade fair of this new year, IMM Cologne is back again for 2018, lighting up the many-faceted world of interiors. In the Rhine metropolis, more than 1,200 exhibitors from 50 different countries will be presenting their latest ideas for the home and room designs to create a more beautiful home, inspiring people to redesign their own four walls. Rolf Benz is back again as well, presenting visionary upholstered furniture creations that bring a smile to the faces of visitors trying out the seats, whilst also setting the bar for pioneering furniture design considerably higher.

Recently Selected Design Icons

Two leading-edge products are causing a stir in 2018: the Rolf Benz 562 club armchair and the Rolf Benz RONDO modular sofa. Both models were awarded the prestigious "Iconic Awards: Innovative Interior 2018" in the run up to "IMM Cologne" and the simultaneous "Interior Design Week" fairs. The award is regarded in the furniture industry as a barometer of trends in contemporary interior design.

 The elegant Rolf Benz RONDO lounge sofa with its narrow and high, rounded back was the "Winner" of the competition. The stylishly minimalistic, organic-looking and unpretentious Rolf Benz 562 club armchair achieved the highest award, "Best of Best".

 Both creations were from Swiss designer This Weber, resulting from his engagement with the existing Rolf Benz collection. "We wanted to design upholstered furniture that was as delicate and space-saving as possible, yet still comfortable and elegant," explains This Weber. "Since both pieces of furniture have stylistic similarities, they can be freely combined: the RONDO sofa’s design determines the basic melody, while the club armchairs set the tone."

This Weber was born with a flair for appealing design: "I come from a family of craftsmen and designers. My grandfather was a joiner and made furniture as unique pieces. My father worked as a graphic designer and typographer and designed fonts and logos," recalls Weber. Referring to the recently-won awards, the successful designer is refreshingly pragmatic: "Such awards are always nice and they create a certain amount of attention, but it's much more important that customers actually like the products and that they are successful on the market," says Weber.

This Weber, Designer

„I come from a family of craftsmen and designers. My grandfather was a joiner and made furniture as unique pieces. My father worked as a graphic designer and typographer and designed fonts and logos“

Out and About with the Winners

The fact that the harmoniously shaped Rolf Benz 562 club armchair feels perfectly at home in different (residential) landscapes is one of its greatest strengths. This is also confirmed by the images that were taken shortly before IMM Cologne, presenting the graceful chairs and their designer at distinctive locations throughout Cologne. Whether in front of the cathedral, in the Museum Ludwig, on the Hohenzollern Bridge, on the Rheinpromenade, in front of the Kranhäuser [crane houses] or down in the "Chlodwigplatz" underground station, the two protagonists are – quite literally – outstanding. "I want to create desirable objects. That’s my aim, day after day," explains This Weber. Mission accomplished!