More than 30 Indian companies, including Virgo Laminates (L) and Merino (R), exhibited at Interzum 2025.

By DHANANJAY SARDESHPANDE

Interzum 2025 has set the course for the future with the combined innovative strength of its participants to drive sustainable transformation of the interiors and furniture fittings industry in coming years.

With around 60,000 trade visitors from 148 countries and more than 1,600 exhibitors from 57 countries, Interzum 2025 became the international stage for innovative materials, intelligent components and smart technologies that will shape the homes and workplaces of tomorrow.

The leading countries in terms of visitor numbers included Italy, China, Spain, Poland and the Netherlands. The event’s international focus was also evident among the exhibitors, reflecting the global relevance of the topics discussed and driven forward in Cologne.

The trade fair is also attracting an increasing number of Indian manufacturers – especially wood-based panel suppliers – to display their products to ever-expanding and diverse markets around the world.

This year there were 30-odd Indian exhibitors (not counting those in the mattress and textile sectors) at the show, taking advantage of its international character and impeccable professional credentials.

Awards, recognition

As in previous years, a highlight of the trade fair was the Interzum award. In 2025, it had a strong link to the central theme with the introduction of a special ‘Rethinking Resources’ category alongside the three standard categories.

From a total of 146 entries submitted by 80 companies from 23 countries, the jury of experts selected 66 exceptionally forward-looking innovations – including 12 entries that were awarded the highest distinction. ‘Best of the Best’. Greenlam Industries from India bagged the Red Dot award for ‘Best in Quality’ product (see following pages).

Three projects were honoured with the highest award, the ‘Best of the Best’, impressively demonstrating how ecological thinking becomes the driving force behind functional innovations:

Häfele SE & Co KG impressed the jury with its ‘Dynamic Living’ residential module, which enables flexible use of space in a very small area, thanks to movable walls, modular furnishings and integrated lighting solutions.

The Vita Group was honoured for its advanced mattress, which achieves a new level of circular product design with mass-balanced, recycled and bio-circular raw materials.

Forbo Flooring B.V. was honoured for Furniture Linoleum, a surface solution based entirely on natural raw materials: linseed oil, recycled wood flour, paper backing and limestone form the basis for a durable, robust and at the same time CO₂-binding linoleum.

In the ‘Function & Components’ category, two submissions impressed with their design and functional excellence: Julius Blum GmbH received the award for PlocoBox, a high-quality box system for living areas.

Arturo Salice was awarded for the Exedra2 motorised slide-in door system,in which doors disappear silently into the furniture body. The self-supporting mechanism has no visible guide rails and is flexibly suitable for numerous interior design applications.

Alvic FR Mobiliario impressed in the ‘Materials & Nature’ category with Zenit 3.0, a super-matt, UV-lacquered decorative panel with exceptional scratch resistance, an anti-fingerprint surface and an easy-to-regenerate coating.

Tabu Spa received the award for the ReFigured veneers collection; a series of coloured veneers made from five types of wood that combine aesthetic sophistication with high functionality thanks to innovative fibre orientation.

Global players such as Hettich (L) and Kesseboehmer (R) brought in their innovations in fittings, top-class materials and finishes.

Focus areas

The central theme of ‘Rethinking Resources: Circular and Bio-based Solutions’ lay at the heart of the event, with the industry demonstrating its determination to play an active role in shaping its journey into a resource-efficient, sustainable future.

From foam made from recycled waste to recovered fibres from MDF and HDF boards, to resource-efficient zinc recycling systems, sustainability was the dominant theme at many exhibitors’ stands.

With its three exhibition segments – ‘Function and Components’, ‘Materials and Nature’ and ‘Textile and Machinery’ – the trade fair offered a comprehensive overview of the market, packed with innovation and impressively in-depth specialist content. Cologne was also the venue for many product launches, highlighting the pace of development in the industry.

In addition to informing the exhibitors’ product presentations, Interzum’s central theme was also reflected in the diverse event programme. The three Interzum Trend Forums took deep dives into key issues affecting the future of the industry – from bio-circular materials and resource-efficient furniture design to the Digital Product Passport as the key to a circular economy.

At the Trend Stage, renowned experts gave first-class presentations, in which they shared detailed insights into international industry trends, provided in-depth market analyses and discussed the current regulatory environment.

The Product Stage augmented the programme with actionable tips relating to new products, best practices and forward-looking strategies from the exhibitors – directly from the source. What these presentations made clear was that the industry isn’t simply watching the transition from the sidelines but actively driving progress.

Oliver Frese, COO of Koelnmesse (the organiser), said the feedback from his exhibitors confirms that the quality of the visitor profile at the trade fair was consistently outstanding. “By working together with a committed sector, we’re staging events with global appeal here in Cologne.”

Matthias Pollmann, Koelnmesse’s Vice-President for Trade Fair Management, said: “We’re already looking ahead to the next event, when we intend to keep on supporting this process of transformation and stimulating new ideas. Our aim is to continue to offer the industry a platform where global trends are not only discussed, but actively shaped.”

The next Interzum will take place May 11-14, 2027, in Cologne. For more information, visit interzum.com. (With inputs from Koelnmesse)

Products on display ranged from furniture connectors and fittings (L) to recycled foam, and new concepts in panel manufacturing (R).

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