ORGATEC 2026 Ķelnē

09.11.2026.

At the end of October our team at Salons Arka travelled to Cologne to visit ORGATEC 2026, one of the world's leading fairs for office furniture and working environments. We have been manufacturing and supplying office furniture since 1998, so trips like this matter to us: you can only feel a fabric, sit on a sofa and understand where the industry is heading in person.
We came home with plenty of notes and ideas. In this article: the big picture of the fair, and what stood out to us personally.

The fair at a glance
ORGATEC is held every two years at the Koelnmesse exhibition centre in Cologne, and this year it ran from 27 to 30 October. According to the organisers:
-550 exhibiting companies from 39 countries took part, 78% of them international;
-over 40,000 trade visitors from 121 countries attended (roughly 56% from abroad).

For the first time the fair had an overarching theme: "From rooms to relationships: designing spaces in an ever-changing world". It describes well what we saw: the office is less and less just a place to put desks, and more and more an environment that supports collaboration, focus and wellbeing.
The programme went beyond the stands. It included the Wherever Whenever work culture festival, a special exhibition on the Eames Pavilion System (Kettal, in collaboration with the Eames Office), and an innovation award for office architecture. In parallel, Cologne hosted the interior design week idd cologne, with Design Post Köln showing more than 40 international brands. Stylepark notes that there were fewer exhibitors than two years ago (550 versus 729) and that some well-known manufacturers chose their own separate events — but that also made the fair feel more focused and business-oriented.

Conference tables and table legs
In meeting areas we increasingly saw taller conference tables (around 1000 mm) paired with matching chairs, which encourage shorter, more dynamic meetings.
Table legs were far more expressive this year: in many colours, angled and straight, as well as height-adjustable desk legs. Interestingly, Stylepark specifically highlights the comeback of height-adjustable tables in a new, surprisingly elegant form — mechanisms and cables are now hidden in the frame or legs rather than left exposed under the top. Many designs also used felt on table legs and shelf backs, which softens the look and absorbs sound at the same time.

Tabletops
MDF in various thicknesses with a negative profile is popular for tabletops, with a straight edge finished with edge banding. For meeting tables, pronounced wood texture combined with artificial stone stood out: natural warmth and a durable, modern material in one surface. More broadly, the fair showed a return of wood and warm tones.

Sofas: softer, thicker, richer in texture
Soft furniture had a clear message of its own:
-new, modern fabrics with deep textures;
-checked fabrics;
-thick fabrics and fabrics made from recycled material;
-more heavily padded, softer sofas.

Beside sofas we often saw stylish small metal coffee tables. Lounge areas were dominated by simple but contemporary rounded shapes, with round rugs under the chairs. This is part of a bigger shift: office furniture increasingly looks like residential design, with dynamic shapes and rounded edges. Stylepark also notes modular systems — sofas, shelving and chairs that can be reconfigured or extended as needs change.

Quiet is the new luxury
Open-plan offices only work when people can also concentrate. That is why silent booths remain highly relevant — sound insulation matters in today's working environment. At the fair we also saw new shapes of silent booths, and Stylepark likewise notes a large number of acoustic cubicles.
Acoustics were handled in other ways too: felt panels on the back of shelves for sound absorption, various hanging felt panels above workstations, and sound-absorbing fabrics and modular panels.

Biophilic design and practical shelving systems
Greenery is no longer just decoration. Shelving systems around workstations are becoming zoning elements: practical shelves with boards, felt panels and plants. The biophilic approach — lots of greenery on shelves around workstations — is one of the strongest trends.
Workstations are increasingly separated by shelving systems and light curtains, creating a sense of privacy without closing the space in with walls. This fits the fair's core idea: a space that allows both collaboration and retreat.

Colours: from white and black to bright orange
The colour palette was very broad — from white and black to bright orange, blue and green tones, on both surfaces and lounge chairs. The office is no longer just grey and neutral; colour is used deliberately to mark zones and set a mood.

Sustainability: not only in products, but in the stands themselves
Sustainability was visible not only in materials (recycled fabrics, FSC-certified timber) but in how the fair itself was built: several exhibitors made their stands from cardboard, paper and reused materials. We see this as an important signal for buyers, too — a sustainable office starts with conscious choices.

What this means for Latvian offices
Our takeaways after ORGATEC:
1.    Rethink acoustics — silent booths, felt panels and soft surfaces are an investment in focus.
2.    Zone, don't wall off — shelves, plants and curtains give privacy while keeping the space light.
3.    Design for wellbeing — biophilic design, natural textures and softer sofas help attract and keep a team.
4.    Choose flexibility — height-adjustable desks and modular furniture let you adapt the office to changing needs.
5.    Don't be afraid of colour — even one expressive lounge chair can change the character of a whole room.
The next ORGATEC takes place 10–13 October 2028, marking the fair's 75th anniversary.

Want these ideas in your office?
Salons Arka helps create office environments — from desks and chairs to silent booths and soft seating areas. Browse our office furniture collections or get in touch, and we will choose the right solution for your space together.
Prepared by the Salons Arka team after visiting ORGATEC 2026 in Cologne.
Sources
•    ORGATEC 2026 press release (30.10.2026)
•    Stylepark: Orgatec 2026 — A summary in retrospect
•    ORGATEC official website