Designers and Architects about Schattdecor Trend Forum for Interzum Trends Confirmed for Southern Europe Claudia Küchen, Head of Design: "Exchanging information with designers and architects on current trends and developments is extremely important to us. This is the only way we can filter out what we have to develop for this market." Andreas Bruckbauer, Head of Sales Southeast Europe: "For us the designers represent an interface between furniture design and surfaces. Together we can analyze current trends and adjust our products to the Iberian market. This will also help us in terms of future product developments." Dorothy Vreven, Sales Manager Iberian Peninsula. "Our long-standing collaboration with Spanish designers is clearly having an impact on the market. The trends in Spain have shifted dramatically over the past few years and are becoming increasingly in line with European tendencies. Together, we can capture and understand the current trend themes in the Spanish market. " Thansau (17/07/2015): In the framework of a Trend Forum at its headquarters in Thansau, Schattdecor developed the trend themes for the Iberian market for 2015/16 together with renowned designers and architects from Spain. Nine renowned designers and architects from Spain worked hand in hand with Claudia Küchen, Head of Design, and Dorothy Vreven, Sales Manager, to create mood boards and an adjusted trend guide. "There will be a gradual phase in for casual BLACK, our principal theme at this year s Interzum, says Vreven. "At the moment, light and medium colors are still predominant on the Spanish market; it will be a while before dark decors and the color black prevail." Riviera Oak, which was presented in Smartfoil EVO as the prominent design element at the trade fair booth in Cologne, is a popular decor in Spain and Portugal, albeit in different colors. Page 1 of 6
"In the past, Spain had totally different preferences. Designers used to be very cautious and setting new accents was very difficult", says Claudia Küchen. Since the Spanish economy is now picking up momentum, the specific needs of the Spanish people are being recognized again and there is a clear longing for authenticity and individuality. Trends are slowly but surely synergistically converging with the current European tendencies says Küchen, and she is convinced that this newfound self-perception is also going to have an impact on the way furniture is presented on the Iberian Peninsula. While, at the moment, complete solutions for living spaces are being presented, there is an increasing demand for solitary furniture and unique pieces that allow individual living solutions including for customers with a smaller budget. According to Vreven, this workshop is an important platform for an exchange of experience and information between all participants and serves as an interface. Together we identify the right trend themes and the matching decors to go with them. We receive detailed information on our current decors and have a chance to develop the right color-schemes for the Iberian market together with the designers. Andreas Bruckbauer, Sales manager for Southeast Europe, emphasizes the importance of this collaboration in terms of market policy: The designers assessment is of great strategic value to us. The results often produce the first ideas for the development of new decors later on. This was the third edition of the Trend Forum and once again, Schattdecor put a strong emphasis on personal exchange. Late in the evening, after a hike in the mountains, the participants chatted over a typical Bavarian meal at lofty heights and shared experiences from their daily lives. Captions: 1) Alberto Torras and Miguel Andreu 2) Ignasi Senén and Manolo Duran 3) Dorothy Vreven and Claudia Küchen (both Schattdecor) 4) Conchin Terranegra and Vincente Gallega 5) Jordi Vidal, Mireia Escribano and Javier Lledó 6) Group picture with Andreas Bruckbauer, Head of Sales Southeast Europe (2 nd from left) Page 2 of 6
Page 3 of 6
Page 4 of 6
Page 5 of 6
Text and pictures released for use Schattdecor AG, 07.17.2015 About Schattdecor From a decor gravure printing specialist to a surface specialist For the past 30 years, Schattdecor has been supplying the leading players of the wood-based panel and furniture industries with printed decor paper, foils and melamine films. The family-run business based in Thansau (Germany) processes over two billion square meters of paper per year. Although the focus still lies on decor printing, the areas of foil, melamine film and digital printing have gained considerable significance over the past few years due to new technologies and processing possibilities. In the last financial year, the business group was able to generate a total turnover of almost 600 million Euro with over 2,000 employees at 13 locations. For further information, please visit www.schattdecor.en. Contact: Schattdecor AG Evelyn Gorgos Corporate Communications Walter-Schatt-Allee 1-3 D-83101 Thansau Phone: +49 (0) 8031-275 2786 Cell: +49 (0) 151 55 876 555 e.gorgos@schattdecor.de Page 6 of 6