The office nest No, not many surprises are on offer at Orgatec 2008 in Cologne but naturally this depends on your point of view. In any event, on some stands, with their ergonomically tested recliners, it felt more like we had been transported into a modern torture chamber than a comfortable, open-plan working environment. Despite this, there are some happy exceptions.

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Swiss Speciality Every other year the small town of Langenthal near Bern becomes a Mecca for the international design scene. On November 8 and 9 it is time for Designers' Saturday 2008 to open its doors again.

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The time is rife - digitalization first made open-plan offices possible. "Net 'n' Nest" is the name of Vitra's office concept - which loosely means being linked in a relaxed way. No other manufacturer at Orgatec displayed such a wide range of models for communicative working in the office. In Cologne Claudia Beckmann and Thomas Wagner spoke to Hanns-Peter Cohn, CEO of Vitra, about the idea of collage, the significance of the digital office, globalization and CO2 reduction.

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Tour d' Europe Anyone who missed Light + Building in Frankfurt this year now has an opportunity to familiarize themselves with the new Zumtobel products - thanks to a European Highlight Tour.

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Flemish sports enthusiasts and Mediterranean digital Baroque The Interieur Biennale in the Belgian town of Kortrijk dares to question the future of design. And they are finding answers. A Flemish recipe for success.

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A cowboy has to be able to sit on it without looking stupid It could well be the sensation at Orgatec: For Wilkhahn the designer Stefan Diez has designed a stackable chair featuring technology from the automobile industry that cuts a fine figure not only in the office.

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Welcome Lenin! Moscow celebrates Italian design in the middle of a global financial crisis. An autumnal digression.

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Amsterdam plays host to Portugal Droog Design has responded to the fact that ExperimentaDesign Lisbon has suddenly lost the roof over its head by inviting the Portuguese biennial to move to Amsterdam. About a guest seeking accommodation.

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Lightweight Now e-books are coming, or, as Amazon describes its product "Kindle", wireless reading devices. It calls for a revolution and I have to admit, with the Kindle I would have more space on my bookshelves and my holdall would also be somewhat lighter.

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Allez les Belges! On Friday October 17, the design biennale Interieur 08 opens its doors in the small Belgian town of Kortrijk. The event is one of the best and most concentrated design fairs of our time.

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Guest of honour Jaime Hayon and Gallery 113 With the 21st International Biennale Interieur08 Jaime Hayon presents a sprightly show with the best of his work. Right around the corner in Kortrijk Xpo, Quinze&Milan opens its gallery to the public. They show an overview of new products, materials and furniture collections, designed by Studio Arne Quinze and guest designers.

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Fundstücke: Up a mountain in the early morning... The superb Birkhäuser book "New Alpine Architecture" contains architectural surprises and unimagined qualities.

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Selected Exhibitors at Orgatec 2008 The Comeback - The Orgatec office furniture fair, which had almost been written off, is celebrating an unexpected revival. The event is due to take place at the Cologne Fair & Exhibition Centre from 21 to 25 October.

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Welcome to Design Wonderland Helsinki Design Week - Kari Korkman, who initiated and organizes the event, describes it as "an annual festival for creativity", and a visit indeed confirms that it is easy to be swept along by the Finns' enthusiasm for design.

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Systems as a matter of principle He was an architect, designer, author and teacher all at once. A visit to the Vitra Design Museum in Weil am Rhein, which pays homage to George Nelson, who would have been a hundred this year, with a huge retrospective exhibition.

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Research into green matters Sustainable materials are becoming ever more numerous and varied and the demands for ecological quality ever greater: a snapshot of the state of play.

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Selected Exhibitors at Interieur08 After a successful commemorative edition in 2006 - 98,000 visitors and 300 international exhibitors - project coordinator Dieter Van Den Storm will steer Interieur 08 in the right direction once again. An exhibitor schedule presents the most important manufacturers.

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News about the local matadors From among the large number of outstanding participants at Interiors, we are showcasing some companies who presented new products and developments in Kortrijk, including local champions Quinze&Milan and Modular Lighting, as well as Belgium's Dark and Extremis and UMS Pastoe, not to mention Holland's Cascando and Royal Mosa.

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