How we live is changing. The kitchen in particular has undergone a fundamental change of use in recent years. It has gone from being a functional room to the centre of the home. And this has consequences for the furniture and concepts of the furnishing industry. The new top address for home and living in Switzerland, the Swiss Interior expo trade fair, from 5 to 7 November, is dedicating a special show to this topic. The kitchen will become part of an overall 'lebensraum' concept – and products from various manufacturers will show how the interior can meaningfully accompany the evolution of the kitchen.
Many things come together in Switzerland: Languages, cultures, a love of craftsmanship and proverbial precision. The Swiss Interior Expo brings all of this together for the furnishing industry – and offers a perfect presentation platform for companies to showcase their products to the Swiss public. The new industry event is aimed exclusively at trade visitors – and thus enables a concentrated, targeted meeting of the industry with decision-makers and movers and shakers from the kitchen, furnishing and household appliance trade, architects, interior designers, general contractors, specialist planners and other interior specialists.
The industry is excited: 'We expect the premiere of Swiss Interior Expo in autumn 2024 in Bern to bring us high-quality new contacts and are looking forward to relaxed discussions with our partners from the region,' says Frank Bäumer, Head of Sales at Alfons Venjakob, for example. Despite the attractiveness of the Swiss market, trade events for the furnishing industry are rare.
Sven Breitenmoser, Managing Director of Quooker Switzerland, agrees: 'A trade fair – geared towards the industry – in a familiar feel-good atmosphere represents an absolute and necessary added value on the Swiss market. For Quooker, participation is a given.'
The high-calibre exhibitor list, which is already full to bursting, shows that the concept of the new trade fair is convincing the industry: International industry giants such as Haier, the global No. 1 for large domestic appliances, are represented, as is the Swiss family-run company Artanova.
Bauformat, Carat, DAN-Form, Dinger Stone, Häcker Küchen, Hera, KH System, LAUFEN, Leu, Lieb-herr, Morath, Orea, Rolf Benz, SABAG, Sachsenküchen, Schüller, SHD, SieMatic, Steinform Kistler, STRASSER, V-ZUG, Venkajob, Werther, Wimmer Wohnkollektionen – the list of exhibitors reads like a who's who of the industry.
'Lebensraum' instead of kitchen, dining, living
For the initiators of the new industry event, however, Swiss Interior Expo is not just about bringing the industry together in Switzerland – they also want to provide inspiration for manufacturers and visitors in Bern. The focus here is on the overall concept of 'interior design', which has undergone a rapid revaluation in recent years. In the past, the areas were clearly separated: people cooked in the kitchen, ate at the dining table and lived in the living room. Today, kitchens are warmer and cosier, quieter and odour-free. Dining areas are worlds of communication, work and play. And living areas have also become more multifaceted: Sofas and lounge chairs are no longer made exclusively for sitting and sleeping; they create new retreats and become relaxation zones. The living room cupboard is getting smaller or disappearing. The display cabinet is growing and is there for everyone.
Preparing, cooking, storing, cleaning, communicating, working smart, doing homework, celebrating, crafting. Eating, playing, reading, surfing, relaxing, sleeping, streaming – all of this takes place in the centre of the entire living space. But what does it mean for the interior when the living zones merge? The answer at Swiss Interior Expo is the special show 'living space', where exhibitors and their products are part of an overall concept.
In lebensraum, the 'kitchen, dining and living' rooms merge into a harmonised overall presentation. The live experience, the immersion in real living worlds, takes centre stage. In addition to creative input for the trade, lebensraum also offers exhibitors enormous possibilities and additional sales opportunities. The exhibitors' products are brought together by a renowned design studio and several interior designers. This creates inspiration – not only for architects and interior designers, but also for retailers, who receive concrete ideas on how to present the transformation of living at the POS.
More information:
Swiss Interior Expo
www.swiss-interior-expo.ch