Design from the heart by COR

Rheda-Wiedenbrück is a little town in eastern North Rhine-Westphalia with a population of 48,000. Nowhere else in Germany is so much furniture produced as here, and there’s probably no other region in the country with so many upholsterers, cabinetmakers and sewers either. No fewer than 140 of them work at COR’s production facility alone.

The old-established family business, which is today under the direction of Leo Lübke, has been making top-quality and timeless furniture ever since it was founded in 1954. The design brand’s name is Latin and means heart. It couldn’t be more fitting! Because despite its size – COR has a total workforce of 220 – the company has always remained a craft-based enterprise and continues to produce virtually everything itself – from the frame all the way to the covers. With flawless precision and a passionate dedication to workmanship.

You sense the heart and soul that go into making the furniture as soon you step foot in the production facility. The scent of beech welcomes you in the first hall, where the wood that serves as the basis for almost all COR’s furniture frames is stored. The trees it comes from are between 80 and 100 years old when they’re felled and delivered here. Dried and not yet debarked, they are stacked in metres-high towers before going to the workshop to be cut to size.

The offcuts left over from production are used to fuel the on-site heating system. Wood therefore plays a central role, and that’s evident right down to the last detail. The solid wood frames are assembled entirely without screws; instead, the individual elements are connected using mortise and tenon joints. It’s a system that has proved its worth over time – and in combination with top-quality materials, it ensures the furniture will be a source of joy for decades to come.

But before a finished piece of COR furniture leaves the production facility, it passes through 10 different departments. From delivery and cutting to the basic upholstery, sewing and final upholstering, all the way to the final inspection – many of the individual steps have been modernised and upgraded with digitalised machinery in recent years. The die cutting machine, for instance, has been replaced with a digital leather cutter that makes it possible to scan the hide and mark which pieces can be used where. Nevertheless, skilled workmanship and the people behind it remain indispensable.

The majority of CORians, as the staff affectionately call themselves, have been with the company for years. Three employees have celebrated their 40th anniversary in the last two years, another 13 have been with the company for 25 years. Apparently, working for COR is something people enjoy doing for a long time. And the furniture that’s made here is just as long-lasting. The staff realise that – partly because, every once in a while, they receive an enquiry from a client asking whether it’s possible to replace or renew the covers on the Conseta suite they’ve inherited so that it can continue being used for years to come. For COR that goes without saying, even in the case of discontinued models.

The company counts on lastingness when it comes to collaborating with designers as well. Markus Jehs and Jürgen Laub of design studio Jehs & Laub; Laub have already created eight pieces of furniture for COR, for instance. And one of its most famous sofas originates from Swiss designers Franz Hero and Karl Odermatt of team form ag: the modular Trio system is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2023 and – typically for COR – remains just as timeless and contemporary as back when it was first launched.

Text: Stefanie Solèr | Photos © COR

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