KÖHL IN THE COURSE OF TIME

In 2026, KÖHL will celebrate its 50th anniversary. The company was founded in Rödermark in 1976 by Inge and Günter Köhl. Even in its early years, the brand was characterized by a spirit of innovation and high design standards – including the development of a modular chair system that was presented at the first ORGATEC trade fair in Cologne.

Since then, KÖHL has continued to evolve: from a classic chair manufacturer to a designer of modern, ergonomic working environments.

The anniversary year 2026 will be marked by numerous activities, including regional roadshows, a major anniversary event in September, and the market launch of a new office chair.

Strategically, the anniversary year will focus on the consistent further development of the company, partnership-based cooperation with specialist retailers, the expansion of the product portfolio, and the topic of sustainability. Remanufacturing and refurbishment concepts in particular underline KÖHL's commitment to taking responsibility for durable products and sustainable working environments.

As part of a strategic realignment, KÖHL GmbH is strengthening its management structure. After a successful career, Ingolf Matthée is stepping down from the management board. KÖHL would like to thank him for his significant contribution to the further development of the company and for the valuable impetus he has provided over the past years.

At the same time, KÖHL is gaining Lars Harry Hartwig, a proven industry expert, for its marketing and sales management team. With his many years of experience, Mr. Hartwig will further sharpen KÖHL's market focus and specifically expand its partnership-based cooperation with specialist retailers.

In December 2025, KÖHL GmbH opened its new showroom in Düsseldorf. Together with Renz Solutions, REISS Büromöbel GmbH, and Dataflex, the showroom presents the latest product collections and exciting innovations from the world of contract furniture.

The showroom offers customers, architects, and specialist retail partners the opportunity to experience innovative furnishing solutions and modern working environments up close. With this expansion, KÖHL is underlining its commitment to bringing products, design, and ergonomics to life.

KÖHL presented the following product innovations at ORGATEC in Cologne from 22-25.10.2024:

◽️ KLEAN
◽️ KARISMA CHAIR
◽️ KNOB
◽️ KANSEO
◽️ TEMPEO SOFT
◽️ KOLLEG WITH NEW FRAME VARIANT
◽️ SELLEO

With these new products, KÖHL now offers seating for all areas of the modern office - from fixed workstations and flexible office solutions to dynamic co-working zones and cozy lounge areas. 

The winners of the Benelux Office Products Awards 2024 were announced at the beginning of October at Landgoed de Westerbouwing in Oosterbeek, NL.

Sustainability and innovation remain key points - This year, more than fifty products, solutions and companies competed for the coveted award in ten different categories. The quality of the entries was high, making it difficult for the jury to select the top ten for the award.

The prize in the “Sustainable Products” category went to KÖHL for the KLEAN conference chair.

The employees at the Hainbachtal Werkstätten in Rödermark can look forward to a new lounge area. Peter Wilhelmus, Managing Director of KÖHL, officially presented the high-quality seating area to the management of the Hainbachtal Werkstätten, represented by Thomas Ruff and Alexander Schmidt.

KÖHL is committed to responsibility and passion. This is why KÖHL has been working with the Hainbachtal Werkstätten for over 15 years in the area of preparatory assembly work for the innovative quality products.

Both companies benefit equally from the collaboration between people with and without disabilities and from inclusive cooperation and greatly appreciate working so closely together in close proximity.

No other company from Rödermark has received such a high number of design awards, which is why KÖHL can now call itself the "Design Icon of the City of Rödermark". We are delighted to receive this award from Mayor Jörg Rotter and the business development department.

OUR AWARDS OF THE LAST YEARS
KNOB = Red Dot Award 2024
KONNEX = German Design Awards 2023
KONNEX = Benelux Office Product Awards 2023
TEMPEO = German Design Awards 2020
ARTISO = German Design Award 2019
ARTISO = Red Dot Award 2017

KNOB was honored with the Red Dot Award 2024 in the Office Design segment.

The jury's verdict: KNOB is a simple and elegant piece of seating furniture that encourages active conversations with its movement function.

The takeover of the ONGO series and the introduction of numerous new products such as KNOB, KANSEO, TEMPEO SOFT, KLEAN and KARISMA CHAIR, as well as other products that are yet to follow, are pushing our warehouse to its limits. In order to remedy this situation and to be well positioned for the future, an additional warehouse is being built on the KÖHL site. Construction work is in full swing and completion is planned for July.

With this expansion, KÖHL is sending a clear signal for growth and innovation. The employees are already looking forward to the new opportunities that will arise from the additional storage capacity. 

MORE PRESENCE, MORE COMFORT – THE SELLEO HI FOR DECISION-MAKERS

KÖHL is expanding the SELLEO family with the SELLEO HI, featuring a high backrest and adjustable neck cushion. This expansion of the design classic is aimed at decision-makers who value superior ergonomics, comfort, and a clear posture.

The higher backrest offers additional support and emphasizes the sophisticated character of the chair. Whether in an individual office or the executive suite, the SELLEO HI combines ergonomics, design, and value – and is also available in an exclusive leather version on request.

EXCEPTIONAL ERGONOMICS WITH A MODERN TWIST - A KÖHL CLASSIC REDESIGNED

The successful KÖHL classic has been completely redesigned. After more than 20 years the Klinger-Bordihn design team gave SELLEO generous upholstery fabric surfaces to make it perfect for modern and homely offices.

The exceptional SELLEO seating quality is underlined by new mechanisms and armrests. The ergonomic fully upholstered chair is perfect for individual work, desk sharing and especially for important people.

SITTING COMFORTABLY AND SUSTAINABLY

KLEAN not only offers maximum seating comfort, but also sets a clear signal for environmentally conscious action. Made from PrimaLoft®BioTM fibers, KLEAN combines modern design with ecological responsibility. Ideal for long meetings or creative brainstorming sessions.

FOR MEETINGS WITH STYLE

A new addition to the KARISMA family: KARISMA CHAIR gives every meeting room an elegant and comfortable feel. With its characteristically shaped body and fully upholstered seat shell, it welcomes every guest and ensures that everyone feels comfortable. This means that meetings can last a little longer.

KANSEO: Our new, elegant swivel chair with innovative mechanism and automatic weight adjustment - ideal for changing users. 

COZY STOOL WITH AN ERGONOMIC TWIST

Whether at the desk in the office or in the home office, in the waiting area or as additional seating in a discussion group in the lounge area: KNOB always cuts a fine figure.

SYSTEMATIC SEATING WITH UNIMAGINED POSSIBILITIES - EVEN FOR AREAS WITH HIGH PUBLIC TRAFFIC

For professional use in hotels, large offices, doctors' surgeries or public facilities, special requirements are placed on the fire protection of the entire facility. This also includes lounge furniture in waiting areas and foyers.

A prerequisite for the highest classification of an upholstered composite (DIN 66084: Classification of the burning behavior of upholstered composites) is, for example, that a piece of furniture withstands the burning of 100 g of paper on the seat surface almost unscathed in the so-called "paper cushion test". KONNEX has passed this test.

TEMPEO SOFT - NEW BACKREST VERSION

In addition to the previously (and still) available backrest variants with FRESH (3D mesh) and expressive WAVE, a fully upholstered SOFT version is now available. The new backrest has been technically revised and trimmed for comfort. This means that 10 additional KÖHL cover fabric models can now be used and the range is expanded by several hundred additional options. With the introduction of the TEMPEO SOFT, a new 5D armrest AL 65 is available, which rounds off the AL 62 and 63 series at the top. From June, all TEMPEO models without AIR-SEAT have a newly designed seat cushion with significantly more comfort.