Relaxed Elegance

Koinor sofas are different. They have curves where others have corners. They look casual yet elegant. They move their owners with relax functions that are completely invisible. They embody what company owner Gerd Bissinger calls "the new Koinor".

Founded 60 years ago by Horst Müller, the sofa company was acquired by executive staff in 1992. Michael Schulz and Gerd Bissinger were amongst those who became partners. They reorganised the company, built an ultramodern production facility and enhanced their ever more contemporary sofas by incorporating relax functions. On the creative side, Kurt Beier and Wolfgang Gebert, together with selected internal and external designers, played a vital role in shaping this period of renewal.

Today, 400 people in four plants in and around Michelau sew, upholster and market Koinor's sensuous leather sofas. Sophisticated fabric upholstery also features in the large-scale producer's collection, which is manufactured entirely in the region. Customers all over the world appreciate the emotional appeal of Koinor's unique seating furniture, around 30 percent of which is exported to 50 different countries.

The social ethics that company founder Müller once imprinted on his company are still upheld by Gerd Bissinger and Michael Schulz today. So as to ensure it can continue making top-quality furniture in Germany, the Koinor family is developing ever more sophisticated sofas, loungers, armchairs, recliners and dinner sofas – and producing them very economically thanks to a just-in-time strategy. "The design has to match the price," says Gerd Bissinger. He is therefore all the more delighted that his cost-efficient supply network works so well – and that he was able to persuade perceptive architect Tamara Härty to join the firm as head designer.

Tamara Härty is delighted too – about the visual softness of the Koinor sofas and the haptic experience provided by the leather. She has no qualms about suggesting fine aniline hides for the collection – be it an expressive water buffalo hide or luxurious leather with a thickness of up to five millimetres. Her team knows all about the subtle charm of edge-stitched seams, decorative stitching and inverted pleats and is dedicated to ensuring the latest Koinor suites exude an air of lightness. The creatives' priorities also include the psychological appeal of the upholstered furniture and the sustainability of its design. The latest generation of functions that Koinor is wooing sofa lovers with goes by the name of "Invisible Technology". The furniture can be adjusted by a touch of the fingertips, give a gentle massage or be configured around an audio table, becoming an empathetic everyday companion for its owners. What more could you ask for from a sofa?

---

Photos: Christoph von Haussen, Koinor

Koinor Postermöbel GmbH & Co. KG
Landwehrstrasse 14
DE-96247 Michelau
Tel. 0049 (0)9571 892 0
Fax 0049 (0)9571 837 03

www.koinor.com