New furniture is not developed from thin air. The spirit of the times plays a role – in times of global change, people wish for more security and warmth, evident in especially soft, cuddly furniture and warm, earthy colours. A reversion to earlier, supposedly simpler times is reflected, e.g. in the latest colour trends – the colours and shapes of the 70s are celebrating a comeback.

Ultimately, ergonomics play an ever increasingly important role: Good furniture must not only be beautiful, but foremost be comfortable and provide best possible support for increased numbers of users with back impairments. The designer must feel, absorb and incorporate all these factors. At the same time, the new furniture must look good, be unproblematic in manufacturing and, most of all, be affordable. So the task presented to the designer and the team of upholsterers, seamstresses and constructing engineers in the development department is not an easy one. Last, but not least, is one thing important: year-long experience and an instinctive “gut-feeling”, letting one sense if an idea can lead to success.

According to the approved sketches, a prototype is developed in the sample shop. The following tasks are executed by the prototype engineer:

• Upholstery is built onto the desired frame
• Determining the seat comfort: soft/middle/hard – Nosag-springs, spring core, upholstery down? Decision: which foam, which density?
• Is an additional fleece casing needed
• First sample cut of the cover pattern
• Determine where the seams will be, so as to minimise waste