The focus of the display this year lies on emphasising the independence of the collection and effectively staging the different possibilities for individual furnishing. Six different scenarios were developed for this purpose, and are clearly differentiated in terms of colour palette and material aesthetic. Within the open sequence of spaces, these rooms flow into each other and are experienced in this fluid progression by visitors to the stand.
A very special product is presented on a large podium facing the aisle, close to the reception area: the FK bucket chair by JØrgen Kastholm and Preben Fabricius from 1967, which celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2017. The spatial geometry of the rest of the stand is determined by an open succession of different colour spaces that are zoned by means of free-standing wall elements that appear as abstract room corners. The areas of wall are executed in intense colour fields. They are overlaid by softly falling, colourful drapery, which gives the rooms a delicate, textile character.
Large artworks made from loosely overlaid textile fibres were designed for the stand. The tracework of fibres in the frames creates quality, abstract artworks that reflect the vibrancy of the material and give the rooms a luxurious yet inviting, lived-in atmosphere. Complementing the respective spatial scenarios, frames with colour transparencies were developed, which set colourful contrasts akin to abstract images. These offer an antithesis to the matt surfaces of the painted walls and different textiles. A specially developed accessories concept rounds off the colour scenarios in detail: colour-tinted acrylic glass blocks serve as stages for formally reduced vases, bowls and selected succulents.
A show workshop with an atelier-like character brings the precise craftsmanship at Walter Knoll to life. Here visitors can hold the raw, unprocessed materials in their own hands, and experience the process of upholstering in the flesh. A cafeteria opens up into the space as a communicative centrepiece that is visible from afar, inviting visitors to stay awhile and join in the discussion about the latest products and the fascinating history of the Walter Knoll brand. The exterior façade is decorated with large, meditative, abstract colour motifs, in the same way as the central image walls in the interior, thereby communicating the different facets of individual personalities and possibilities.
With the exhibition stand at IMM 2017, Walter Knoll once again displays the consistent further development of its brand architecture. The overlaid elements and combinations of different materials ensure a great richness in the individual room scenarios, and let the presentation of classic furniture appear modern and luxurious in interplay with an exalted colour palette.