Braving the crisis with power and creativity It was tough going for Cologne's furniture fair this year. But not everyone let the crisis get them down. There were some strong showings in connection with the imm cologne, but naturally this overview is incomplete and subjective.

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Once upon a time or coccooning Just holding its own but lacking in innovation. This would be a reasonable description of this year's "imm Cologne" you might say. "The international furniture fair" as the Cologne event officially calls itself is losing glamour and international flair. If it wants to survive it must become innovative especially in the high-end design segment.

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A mobile architectural unit Designer Eric Degenhardt studied architecture, which might be one reason why dealing with space has always been high on his list of priorities. He has also long been interested in parasitic architectures. At the imm in Cologne he presented his mobile unit "Landed" together with Richard Lampert.

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City tour at behest of design What people look for at the fair, but seldom find, is freely available elsewhere. In Ehrenfeld, in the Art Club's exhibition rooms, and in the former Railway Board building, there is plenty going on as part of the "Passagen" - and you'll find more than just young designers there. You'll find improvised kitchens and amusing design.

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Between the worlds "And, have you already been to Isfahan and Shiraz?" After asking how you are and where you come from, this is probably the most frequent question you will be asked when visiting Teheran. Since Shiraz is a city of romantic gardens and thus of spring, the winter trip goes to Isfahan, the old capital of the Safawid Empire, a pearl of Islamic architecture and a Persian delight. Indeed, the city's very name has a poetic ring to it: "Oh Is-fa-haaan, oh Is-fa-haaan"

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Art, design and good food – a promising trio Postmodern architecture is not having an easy time of it at the moment. It is the unloved child which everyone resents, but which is still part of the family. In Frankfurt, too, there is currently a great deal of controversy and divided opinion on what would be the best approach to the architectural relics.

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Loungeseat looking for Lightness There is a legendary furniture scene in Jacques Tati's 1958 film classic Mon Oncle. The lady of the house gives the neighbor a tour of her modern home and stops in front of a paltry composition of wire chairs. "This is our seating area," she says proudly, and the spectator smiles. For let's be honest, wire furniture is a strenuous contemporary. It inevitably has the dreaded ‘rolled roast effect' on the sitter's derrière.

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Stories of the harlequin and his colorful, child-like dream world Jaime Hayon's new monograph in Gestalten Verlag

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Selected Exhibitors at imm cologne 2009 Each year, every year: Cologne invites everyone to attend imm cologne. For all the recent debate on the future of furniture trade fairs, many will take up the invitation. Simply consult the list of selected manufacturers to found out which exhibitors they are, and where you can find them.

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Where to go at imm 2009 Tips for design lovers at the Cologne Furniture Fair

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No January without Cologne The old year has gone, and the Cologne furniture fair is about to come. Even if everything that glitters is not gold - we cannot do without Cologne. And so we take the imm in the best sense as an event typified by that Cologne casualness: It always somehow functioned, so it will function this time.

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Fundstücke: Instructions on the appropriate handling of construction defects The "defects set" provided by karhard architektur + design is a valuable tool for building inspections, offering with practical advice for dealing with botched-up work - including working off frustration with fun and games.

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An industrial revolution We spoke to the Managing Director of furnishing and decorating fabric manufacturer Backhausen at "Nutec", the first Cradle to Cradle fair congress in Frankfurt. We discussed how easy or difficult it is to manage sustainability.

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Let there be energy-saving light Two luminaires. The one soft in terms of material properties, yet cubic and linear as regards the design. The other by contrast with a delicate design but made of firm materials. One by One and Disk by Belux.

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What’s does the number 9 hold in store for us? The number nine is heading straight for us with the inevitability of the calendar. For an entire year, it will be our constant companion behind a two and two noughts. But what kind of a number is nine? What's it made of?

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Live like a German Chancellor Sep Ruf's international breakthrough came with the German Pavilion at the 1958 World Exhibition in Brussels, co-designed jointly by the architect and Egon Eiermann. For a long time, Ruf's fame was confined to the professional world. Now, a major publication of his work has been published to celebrate the centenary of his birth.

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Out and about Vacation in Iran. The most frequent reaction to this is the question: "Isn't that rather dangerous?" The simple answer is: No it isn't. In fact, you will most probably meet exceptionally friendly and open-minded people. And be overwhelmed by beautiful mosques and palaces, bazaars and teahouses, gardens, deserts and mountains. A picture story from Iran, starting in Teheran.

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On small bits of happiness Mosaics have been enjoying a renaissance for the past twenty years at least. The beginning of the digital age also marked the start of the triumphal march of the mosaic stone, the smallest element in a complex picture.

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