January 2014. It has become a symbol of the manufacturer's pioneering spirit and its creator's foresight. But when this world first debuted at the Cologne furniture fair in 1964, it generated all of two orders. Had the Westphalian designer Friedrich Wilhelm Möller done something wrong? Hardly – but with his idea of a holistic upholstered furniture system featuring multi-combinable elements he was simply far ahead of his time. The "chameleon" – to sum up its variability – among sofas is based on the building block principle. Con-sedere (Latin for sit or place together) is a stage direction for both use and design alike. Individual elements such as stools, easy chairs or corner elements can be combined to create two-, three- or multi-seaters. The result is always an entire system which is both aesthetic and functional. Over the decades, COR has developed this principle into a best-seller. Even the more or less convincing knock-offs are evidence of its status as a global star among sofas. And thus one of the most successful symbioses in recent furniture has emerged. In its 50th year the design classic surprises with new attributes such as flat armrests and intermediate elements (tables or tops) which are reminiscent of the initial design. The building block principle has remained unchanged, but further blocks have been added in the form of a low element that can be used as a solo or corner stool and a comfortable sofa bed. Elegant metal skids available in a chrome-plated or lacquered finish are available for sofa configurations that appear light, almost as if they were floating.
The man who made fast horses go faster
Friedrich-Wilhelm Möller (1931- 1996) came to furniture design via the cabinet-maker's trade and the study of interior design. But it was as a sales representative for COR that he decided to develop new furniture. What appealed to him was "the additive element that adapts to people's constantly changing requirements due to its high variability". This was a market waiting to be developed, and the radically simple design of his idea prompted new perspectives in the waning era of the kidney-shaped table. The gamble paid off; not least because Möller – ever with a sketch-pad under his arm – worked tirelessly on the further development of his furniture, which was never fashionable. From the very outset, it stood above time.In 1994, he wrote to the then managing director Helmut Lübke that the furniture was more than a design; it was "a primal idea for sitting on sofas which has been constantly rethought, removed and reincluded for 30 years." COR continues to develop the CONSETA principle. Its creator's aspiration to "make fast horses go faster" is valid to this day, as can be seen in the latest model "Ur-CONSETA" (primal CONSETA) in 2014.
Anniversary tour with an exhibition
New since 1964 – this is the motto under which the classic with the many faces and lively future will be travelling as a touring exhibition from the beginning of January, at first through Germany, to get closer to present and future CONSETA enthusiasts. Eleven variable model scenarios illustrate the idea: composed on the basis of firmly held principles and unbridled imagination. And dealers and consumers can let their imaginations run free. The range of textiles alone embraces 430 fabrics, the leather covers are available in 113 variants, and a large spectrum of upholstery materials, seat heights and depths is waiting to be discovered. Whether a sofa, a seating landscape, an easy chair, a high-backed chair, stools or sofa beds will emerge as a result is something we cannot predict. But one thing is certain: You could also call this sofa a milestone. For the past fifty years, the upholstered furniture range has been taking over private and public rooms; it is to be found in apartments, houses, hotels, companies, museums and embassies all over the world. Some 800,000 individual elements have been produced to date. Much more important, however, are its beauty and longevity – in some cases, the original owners' children or grandchildren are living with Möller's future design today. The furniture often finds its way back to the factory to be recovered or upholstered. And in the COR COLLECTION, a small museum in the COR und interlübke Haus, witnesses of different eras document the development of CONSETA from the original model to the design classic.CONSETA is still on the move and will soon be stopping off near you. We cordially invite you to come and experience the comfortable variety of our design classic for yourself. Discover your favourite model!Roadshow CONSETA. NEW SINCE 1964 (starting January 2014)Participating dealers at www.cor.de/conseta1964
For more information, please contact
COR Sitzmöbel Helmut Lübke GmbH & Co. KG
Berthold Strüve, Marketing Manager
Nonenstraße 12, 33378 Rheda-Wiedenbrück, Germany
t +49.(0)5242.4102-240
f +49.(0)5242.4102-940
b.strueve@cor.de
