Technological innovations, sustainable materials and visionary product ideas are the focus of the interzum award, which is organised every two years by interzum for the furniture supply industry.
In 2025, the international jury assessed 146 submissions from 23 countries in the 13th edition of the competition – and awarded 66 of them. Twelve entries were honoured with the highest award, the “Best of the Best”, for outstanding innovative achievements.
The award winners were formally honoured on 19 May 2025 as part of a reception. The award-winning products, materials and concepts will be presented in a special exhibition on Koelnmesse’s Boulevard Nord for the entire duration of the trade fair from 20 to 23 May. They will also be on permanent display from 20 May in an online exhibition at www.interzum.com/en/events/interzum-award/.
Key theme and new category “Rethinking Resources” – sustainability as a driver of innovation
The central theme of this year’s interzum award is the new category “Rethinking Resources”. It focuses on products and concepts that rethink resources – through recyclability, durability or the use of renewable raw materials. The category reflects the official theme of the trade fair, “Rethinking Resources: Circular and Biobased Solutions”.
“The award-winning products of the interzum award 2025 impressively demonstrate the strong innovative potential of our industry and how consistently sustainable thinking has now become part of it. Many of the award-winning solutions pick up on the guiding theme of ‘Rethinking Resources’ and clearly show how creative and future-oriented our exhibitors are today. This commitment is an important source of momentum and direction for the industry’s future success,” says Maik Fischer, Director of interzum.
The award-winning products demonstrate that sustainability can be combined with good design, as Managing Director of Red Dot and interzum award jury member Vito Oražem, adds: “For this year’s interzum award, we were specifically looking for innovations that combine good design with functional added value. Our aim was to give the furniture industry new impetus – for products and services that are better designed, easier to use and more competitive internationally.”
Sustainable excellence: The “Best of the Best” in Rethinking Resources
The range of submissions for the new “Rethinking Resources” category ranged from recyclable wood-based materials and bio-based surfaces to digital tools for resource-saving product design. What the award-winning solutions have in common is the intelligent use of renewable raw materials, material-efficient designs and the integration of circular principles along the entire value chain.
Three projects in this category were honoured with the highest award, the “Best of the Best”, impressively demonstrating how ecological thinking becomes the driving force behind functional innovations:
Häfele SE & Co KG impressed the jury with its Dynamic Living residential module, which enables flexible use of space in a very small area thanks to movable walls, modular furnishings and integrated lighting solutions. The concept combines compact building with reversible construction and specifically addresses urban living space needs – from redensification to the use of vacant existing space. Dynamic Living pursues a holistic, sustainable approach: compact construction, reduced material consumption, reversible designs and CO₂-efficient lighting systems are just as much a part of the system as the option to separate the buildings by type when dismantling.
The Vita Group was honoured for the Vita Advanced mattress, which achieves a new level of circular product design through the use of mass-balanced, recycled and bio-circular raw materials. The mattress already fulfils the requirements of future eco-design guidelines and combines sustainable materials with premium comfort and industrial scalability.
Forbo Flooring B.V. was honoured for Furniture Linoleum – a surface solution based entirely on natural raw materials: Linseed oil, recycled wood flour, paper backing and limestone form the basis for a durable, robust and at the same time CO₂-binding linoleum. With the new Pure Linoleum decor, Forbo also completely dispenses with colour pigments and brings out the natural colouring of the linseed oil. Each surface is unique – and an example of how aesthetics, material intelligence and climate protection can be combined.
The awarded products represent a new generation of solutions in which sustainability is not seen as an additional option, but as a natural requirement for design, production and use.
The best of the best: pioneering materials and product solutions
In the Function & Components category, two submissions impressed with their design and functional excellence: Julius Blum GmbH received the award for PLICOBOX, a high-quality box system for living areas. With its innovative folding base, tool-free assembly and modern design, it combines functionality, packaging efficiency and industrial scalability. ARTURO SALICE SPA was awarded for the Exedra2 motorised slide-in door system, in which doors disappear silently into the furniture body. The self-supporting mechanism has no visible guide rails and is flexibly suitable for numerous interior design applications.
Alvic FR Mobiliario, S.L. impressed in the Materials & Nature category with Zenit 3.0, a super-matt, UV-lacquered decorative panel with exceptional scratch resistance, an anti-fingerprint surface and an easy-to-regenerate coating. Tabu Spa received the award for the ReFIGURED Veneers Collection – a series of coloured veneers made from five types of wood that combine aesthetic sophistication with high functionality thanks to innovative fibre orientation. With the ZEUS model from the STEREO collection, MIA SRL demonstrates how three-dimensionally embossed plywood can set new design accents in furniture and interior design – optionally also with recycled materials. Another award went to OWI GmbH for OWI-FiberFlex. OWI relies on innovative materials in the production of moulded parts. While classic moulded plywood parts made from beech veneer can only be shaped in three dimensions to a limited extent, a newly used wood fibre material offers extended design options.
In the Textile & Machinery category, the jury honoured products that combine textile innovation with functionality and sustainability. Spinks was honoured for Microlution™, a pocket spring core system with a two-stage spring structure that adapts individually to the shape of the body and offers both comfort and targeted support. Innofa impressed with Snö: Snöphyte & Snöphene, two textile cooling technologies that combine bio-based phase change materials, polyethylene yarns and graphene to create a triple cooling concept. Love Home Fabrics was also honoured – the company received the award for Moreganic Natural Latex, a latex component for mattresses and upholstery that comes from agroforestry production and is certified according to the Moreganic standard. The material stands for a holistic, sustainable approach that combines ecological responsibility with social impact and economic viability.
