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ZOW 2009: More exciting than ever before!
More than 600 supplier companies at Bad Salzuflen

This year, ZOW in Germany has a little something to celebrate. The 15th ZOW Zuliefermesse Ost-Westfalen is taking place at the Bad Salzuflen trade fair centre from 9 to 12 February. During the fair, more than 600 supplier companies from 35 countries will be presenting their new products and concept solutions for the furniture industry and interior design, trade fair construction and retail design, architecture and design on a surface area of 40 000m². About 16 000 visitors are expected to attend.

The majority of ZOW exhibitors traditionally come from Germany and just under half of them come from the region of East Westphalia. Traditionally, most foreign manufacturers hail from Italy, but a whole host of exhibitors also come from Spain, Austria, Holland and Poland. We also have some real ZOW newcomers from the growth markets of eastern Europe, like Romania, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary. In total, this year’s exhibitor list covers more than 35 countries and four continents, thereby showing the fair’s great appeal to exhibitors all over the globe. Visitors to ZOW can look forward to a whole host of innovative design ideas.

As always, the suppliers and their product innovations form the focal point of the event, but this year, ZOW is offering its visitors even more with exciting special shows on the industry’s very latest topics. The architectural lounge – which will be bigger and more informative than ever before in 2009 – offers architects, interior designers and designers an attractive point to start discovering the diverse ZOW product range in Hall 22.2. Guided tours around the fair start here, the universal design product highlights are presented here, and special talks run in cooperation with selected partners take place here. Not far from the architectural lounge, the “igel” community of interests presents a lightweight construction show that’s in a class of its own. Here, covering an area of around 500 m², the 26 igel member companies showcase the latest solutions in lightweight construction, which will revolutionise the furniture and interior world.

It’s showtime in Bad Salzuflen!

Materialz invites visitors to discover the exciting world of materials. Right at the southern entrance in Hall 23.2, the show opens up an emotionally appealing design world to visitors, inviting them to feel and examine the materials on show. Another ZOW highlight is Mediapoint in Hall 19. This exclusive presentation uses real room setups to show how living rooms, work rooms, kitchens and bathrooms can be designed and equipped in a media-compatible manner and how they can be networked with one another. Last but not least, the RFID factory and the logistics campus show visitors how to save time and money in business using modern radio technology and optimised processes. Meanwhile, the ifurn community, the online portal for designers and planners, is celebrating its first birthday at the ifurn stand in Hall 21.     

ZOW identifies trends and reproduces them for visitors year after year.
The fittings sector can offer impressive and technically perfected solutions with a high level of design quality for drawers, covers and doors. Zero-wear materials, hygienic coatings, space-saving widths and variable adjustment mechanisms for the most diverse areas of application come as standard. The easy-to-assemble systems are suited to first-time installations as well as retrofitting. The trend in ornamental fittings is for puristic simplicity. Angular, clear shapes are synonymous with a design trend which perfectly underpins the new practicality of the home and fittings world. The materials used here are chrome and stainless steel with a glossy look. Mixing materials like glass, wood and leather is still very much a hot topic. With its clear, puristic line, the fitting is now more of a trendsetting design object than ever before, particularly in the living room and bedroom.

Surfaces range from natural to contrasting

Value and quality characterise the surfaces and fronts product division. Authentic wood looks are the hot topic for private living areas. Fruitwoods, where the wood features a large proportion of sapwood, knots or bud marks, fit this trend and such characteristics can be found in cherry, apple, pear or plum woods. Warm red and brown tones with a matt look typify the range of colours used here. A leading trendsetter is walnut, a surprising wood with a brown-grey shade which fades into olive, creating a particularly natural effect. It makes a punchy statement when combined with a white high gloss look, but it also looks good with apple green and violet.  

Light as a design element is more topical than ever before. Different sources of illumination can be used to create an interesting mix of light. The trend amongst all lighting is for small products with high lighting levels, appealing light colours, as little heat radiation at possible and an extremely long service life. LEDs, halogen spotlights or luminous textiles for example, which are used in many areas of interior design, allow designers a very free hand. Using light is also becoming more important for fittings manufacturers. Integrated LEDs in wardrobes give users a clearer view of the interior and light in door hinges paves the way for very different furniture presentations.