Design awards for K+N NOOK.SHELL
König + Neurath at the Red Dot Design Award and ICONIC AWARD: Innovative Interior awarded Winner
All in all, there were more than 20,000 submissions from 60 countries that the two prominent juries mentioned above had to decide on this year. Which interior, furniture and product design ideas are the best? Where are design expertise, quality, user comfort and innovation really outstanding? Have product designers really broken new ground in the selection of materials, in terms of sustainability and with their approaches?
In the case of the K+N NOOK.SHELL, the answer was yes. The shell chair from the Hessian office furniture manufacturer was among the winners of both the internationally renowned Red Dot Design Award and the ICONIC AWARDS: Innovative Interior. It convinced in the category 'Product Design' or 'Office and Workplace' with its product characteristics, the choice of materials and its versatile application possibilities. We design our furnishing solutions to be multifunctional," says Cornelius Müller-Schellhorn. The product designer sits down with an interdisciplinary team at the expert for office furniture and room solutions when new developments are pending. "Every input contributes to making our products relevant to the market and useful for our customers. Especially at a time when living and working are increasingly merging and sustainability and responsibility are also becoming more and more important, our accumulated know-how flows into our products."
Red Dot Design Award and ICONIC AWARD for homely shell chair
According to the designer, the award-winning shell chair from König + Neurath can be used as a seat in the home office as well as in conference and meeting areas in the office. "With its seating comfort and homely design, it can be elegantly integrated into the furnishings at home. As a visitor and conference chair, furnishers can configure it to match a company's corporate design." The K+N NOOK.SHELL is designed as a modular system, says Müller-Schellhorn. "Therefore, you can choose from a range of design options. We currently offer it with black and white shells, as well as without backrest upholstery, with upholstery pad or with full upholstery. There are also a variety of frame options." The aesthetic appeal combined with the numerous design options now secured the coveted awards for the versatile shell chair.
Certified sustainable solution with Blue Angel and LEVEL 3
The fact that sustainability expert Johannes Brennig is also involved as early as the development stage stands out: "Our ecological actions include both customer requirements and factors such as resource conservation, material selection, ease of repair, recyclability, longevity and the harmlessness of the materials," adds the sustainability manager. "We are proud that we can point to other certificates in addition to important design awards such as the Red Dot Design Award or the ICONIC AWARD. For example, our K+N NOOK.SHELL is certified with the Blue Angel and with the demanding most important European sustainability seal LEVEL 3. Production processes or supply chains are also analysed for this."
Products with "added value"
Paying just as much attention to quality and durability when furnishing the home office as when furnishing office space is an expression of a noticeable trend reversal. "The fact that more and more people are orienting themselves towards long-term trends and opting for quality made in Germany indicates a change in social thinking. We talk much more about values today," says Marc W. Lorch, Chairman of the Board. "The award by the German Design Council and the jury of the Red Dot Award confirms the sustainable value of our products beyond their individual benefits."
**Product details **K+N NOOK.SHELL at a glance
- two seat shell versions in white and black
- three upholstery versions (without upholstery, with upholstery pad, with full upholstery)
- six frame versions with a wide-ranging K+N fabric collection
- Sustainability facts: Back shell made of up to 80% recycled material, of which 50% is post-industrial and 50% post-consumer material