Silence is Golden

Nowy Styl and Kusch+Co return to ORGATEC 2026 with the theme ‘Playing with silence’, presenting a considered collection of products, materials and initiatives that explore the changing relationship between people, spaces and sound.

Rather than viewing silence simply as the absence of sound, the brands explore it as an active and valuable part of the environment, something that can be shaped, designed and used to support concentration, reduce sensory overload and create space for meaningful interaction. In increasingly busy workplaces and public environments, the ability to control and adapt our acoustic surroundings can have a significant impact on how we focus, collaborate, communicate and recharge.

‘Playing with silence’ therefore becomes an exploration of the spaces between sound: from moments of calm and concentration to environments designed to encourage conversation and connection. Through acoustic solutions, adaptable furniture and thoughtful material choices, Nowy Styl and Kusch+Co demonstrate how design can give people greater control over the sensory experience of a space, while also addressing the wider environmental impact of the products within it.

Every 2 years, leading brands, experts and an international trade audience come together in Cologne to discover the ideas that are rethinking and shaping the world of contract furniture with this year’s edition of Orgatec taking place between 27-30 October.

In Hall 6.1, Stand C-028, the joint showcase of Nowy Styl and Kusch+Co will focus on two key areas shaping the future of workplace and public-space design: acoustic comfort and responsible, circular design. Alongside these themes, the brands will unveil nearly 20 new products, complemented by selected solutions from their existing portfolios.

‘Playing with silence’ explores how carefully designed environments can shape and manage sound to support concentration, communication, collaboration and wellbeing. As workplaces become increasingly flexible and multifunctional, creating the right acoustic balance is more important than ever from spaces for focused individual work and confidential conversations to areas designed for meetings, collaboration and social interaction. Central to this is Nowy Styl’s new ACE family of acoustic pods, creating dedicated spaces where people can choose the level of acoustic separation they need without disconnecting from the wider workplace.

Designing for Acoustic Comfort

Developed in response to the growing demand for alternatives to traditional meeting rooms, ACE is a key expression of Nowy Styl’s approach to acoustic comfort. Combining strong acoustic performance with a contemporary aesthetic, the new family provides dedicated environments for phone calls, focused individual work and small meetings, helping users find moments of calm and concentration within busy, open-plan settings. At the same time, ACE is designed to integrate seamlessly into the wider workplace, offering flexibility without compromising connection. In this way, the pods demonstrate that creating ‘silence’ is not about shutting people away, but about giving them greater choice and control over how they experience sound throughout the working day.

The range comprises Phone Pod 1-person, Phone Pod 1.5-person, Focus Pod 2-person, Meet Pod 4-person and Meet Pod 6-person. A broad choice of colours, textures and equipment allows the pods to be tailored to individual environments and requirements.

Also making its debut is Evida, a new modular seating system from Nowy Styl designed around flexibility, simplicity and comfort. Built from 11 modular units, Evida can be configured in numerous ways, from compact seating arrangements to large-scale installations, and easily adapted as spaces and requirements evolve.

Suitable for offices, airports and other high-traffic environments, Evida is equally at home in reception areas, waiting rooms and shared public spaces. Its modular approach allows individual elements to be combined to create cohesive seating landscapes, providing a versatile solution for environments of every scale.

From Responsible Design to a Product’s Next Life

Alongside acoustics, circularity will be a central theme at ORGATEC 2026, reflecting Nowy Styl’s commitment to keeping products and materials in circulation for as long as possible. From the earliest stages of product development through to what happens when a product reaches the end of its first life, the company is demonstrating how responsible design can be embedded throughout the entire product lifecycle.

As part of this approach, Nowy Styl will present the results of its re-design competition, launched in collaboration with the Fraunhofer Cluster of Excellence Circular Plastics Economy (CCPE). Participants were challenged to develop a soft seating concept using a single base material, or monomaterial, with the aim of creating products that are easier to recycle at the end of their useful life.

The three winning concepts will be presented as prototypes at ORGATEC 2026, highlighting how material choices made at the earliest stages of product development can play an important role in determining a product’s potential for future reuse and recycling.

This design-led approach is complemented by use2, a manufacturer-independent take-back concept that provides used office furniture with a professional route to a second life. Depending on the condition and potential of each product, furniture can be refurbished to a standard comparable to new, upcycled or recycled, helping to extend its useful life while reducing unnecessary waste.

Together, re-design and use2 address two critical points in a product’s journey: how it is designed in the first place, and what happens after its first life has ended.

Another highlight will be Matek™, an innovative composite material created by combining fibrous waste with a binder derived from recycled plastics or biodegradable alternatives.

Materials including coffee husks, sawdust and processed electronic waste can be transformed into durable furniture components, giving otherwise discarded materials a new purpose. Produced using pressing technology, Matek™ is suitable for serial production and has a distinctive aesthetic reminiscent of stone, terrazzo or marble, alongside high durability and moisture resistance.

The latest variants incorporate a biodegradable binder derived from sugar cane, further increasing the material’s environmental potential. Designed with disassembly, repair and recycling in mind, Matek™ demonstrates how waste materials and innovative manufacturing can contribute to a more circular approach to furniture design.

Beyond the headline innovations, visitors to the Nowy Styl and Kusch+Co stand will discover numerous new products, alongside selected solutions from both brands’ existing portfolios. Together, the collection responds to the increasingly diverse requirements of contemporary workspaces and public environments, where flexibility, wellbeing, acoustic comfort and responsible design are becoming fundamental considerations.

The joint presence reflects the wider theme of ORGATEC 2026, ‘From rooms to relationships: designing spaces in an ever-changing world’ - recognising that the environments we inhabit influence how we work, communicate, concentrate and collaborate.

For Nowy Styl and Kusch+Co, ‘Playing with silence’ offers a broader interpretation of this idea: creating spaces that give people the right conditions to think, connect and perform, while designing products with greater consideration for their environmental impact and entire lifecycle.