Thonet at ORGATEC 2018
For the historic furniture manufacturer Thonet, PLY Atelier designed the trade fair stand for ORGATEC 2018 in Cologne. The concept addresses the transformation of modern work environments—towards homely, communicative spaces that are less traditional workplaces and more places for exchange, encounter, and inspiration.Thonet, originally known for furniture in private and hospitality settings, is reinterpreted in this context. Modern classics—from café chairs to tubular steel furniture—gain new relevance in work environments where communication and atmosphere take center stage. The trade fair stand embodies this idea through two guiding principles:
“Offices are the new cafes”
“It’s all about communication.”
Just as people once gathered in turn-of-the-century cafés to exchange ideas, conduct business, and inspire one another, today’s modern offices serve as spaces for informal interaction and collaboration.
Daniel Schöning translates this principle into a spatial experience emphasizing rawness and material honesty. Reflective aluminum panels and semi-transparent expanded-metal walls create a layered, almost spherical atmosphere. Through reflections and permeability, the space itself becomes a medium for communication—open, adaptable, and interpretable.
The furniture is not presented in simulated office scenarios but in an abstracted, atmospheric setting that highlights form, materiality, and history. Two tall tubular steel shelving units at the narrow ends of the stand reference the Bauhaus era, when Thonet made design history with its introduction of tubular steel furniture.
The design bridges past and present: the idea of the café as a place of exchange and inspiration is translated into the contemporary world of work, creating a spatial concept that makes communication visible and tangible.
Project Info
Client: Thonet GmbH, Michael-Thonet-Straße 1, D-35066 Frankenberg
Project: Design of trade fair stand ORGATEC 2018
Authorship: PLY atelier GmbH – implemented under the direction of Daniel Schöning
www.thonet.de
www.stylepark.com
“Offices are the new cafes”
“It’s all about communication.”
Just as people once gathered in turn-of-the-century cafés to exchange ideas, conduct business, and inspire one another, today’s modern offices serve as spaces for informal interaction and collaboration.
Daniel Schöning translates this principle into a spatial experience emphasizing rawness and material honesty. Reflective aluminum panels and semi-transparent expanded-metal walls create a layered, almost spherical atmosphere. Through reflections and permeability, the space itself becomes a medium for communication—open, adaptable, and interpretable.
The furniture is not presented in simulated office scenarios but in an abstracted, atmospheric setting that highlights form, materiality, and history. Two tall tubular steel shelving units at the narrow ends of the stand reference the Bauhaus era, when Thonet made design history with its introduction of tubular steel furniture.
The design bridges past and present: the idea of the café as a place of exchange and inspiration is translated into the contemporary world of work, creating a spatial concept that makes communication visible and tangible.
Project Info
Client: Thonet GmbH, Michael-Thonet-Straße 1, D-35066 Frankenberg
Project: Design of trade fair stand ORGATEC 2018
Authorship: PLY atelier GmbH – implemented under the direction of Daniel Schöning
www.thonet.de
www.stylepark.com