Best of Orgatec

Never mind the fashion catwalks of Milan or Paris, the place to be seen this year was the Orgatec furniture show in Cologne, Germany. Held in October, an estimated 62,000 visitors came to this year's fair – a rise of nine per cent compared to the previous show.

Bringing together leading furniture designers, manufacturers and dealers from around the world, asplanned had the chance to view some new, exciting products for the year ahead…

At the higher end of the market, B&B Italia has joined with British designer David Chipperfield to create the new Posa seating collection. Ideal for reception areas, the soft leather design is focused on providing robust seating while at the same time ensuring a luxury feel. The Posa range is available as a dining chair, easy chair and sofa.

Focusing on innovative design at the show, Bene's new B_Move chair not only wins in the style stakes but it also responds to simple body pressure and will shape with the contours of your body. Instead of having to make your own height, backrest and arm adjustments, Bene's new swivel chair will do it for you.

German/Swiss based company Vitra led the way in original furniture, featuring designs by some of the world's top designers. It showcased, for example, its brand new Playns height-adjustable workstations and Softshell Chair by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec – a colourful addition to any office.

Vitra also featured its new furniture collection designed by Antonio Citterio that focuses on transparency and light. Using homogenous mineral material and quadratic aluminum, the ACE range produces almost a transparent appearance and as a result looks way ahead of its time.

asplanned favourite Frank Gehry's FOG Office 242 range, which he specifically designed for his building on Novartis Campus in Basle, also starred at the show. Looking a bit like the back of a delivery van, the intricate model of wooden boxes and beams is set to be manufactured by Vitra.

Even more on the imaginative side, Vitra's Concept: Basket, designed by Werner Aisslinger, is aimed at creating your very own island retreat without stepping out the office. The swinging basket chair made of textile ribbons would be a very welcome addition to the not so sunny climate of Dundee!

All in all, a very exciting year at Orgatec 2008; we can't wait until 2010's show!