LIVING WITH STYLE. SINCE 1964.
A SUCCESS STORY “MADE IN GERMANY”.
Stylish home décor, top-class seating comfort, pioneering design, innovative functionality and top quality that is “Made in Germany” – Rolf Benz has been synonymous with all this since 1964. In addition to seating furniture, Rolf Benz now also includes dining tables, beds and cabinets in its range. Top-quality furniture that is used anywhere in the world where timeless elegance and premium quality is appreciated. Even though standards may change over time, they will always remain high at Rolf Benz. This is also underlined by the numerous national and international awards the company has won in recent decades. Ready to step back in time?
ADDIFORM 1964.
NEW TIMES. NEW SEATING.
Inspired by the general spirit of optimism in the 1960s, young upholsterer Rolf Benz set up his own company in Nagold in 1964. His mission was to redesign seating furniture. His first sofa and armchair range was a huge success. With “Addiform”, Rolf Benz lends expression and form to the modern zeitgeist, revolutionising what people are used to seeing and how they are used to sitting and breaking with traditional furniture arrangements. The Addiform elements are flexible and can be combined into an individual furniture landscape. Armchairs can be added together, positioned in the corner, used as a standalone armchair or linked with a coffee table to make an intermediate element. You can combine an armchair with a bench and connect a corner coffee table on the side. The sofa itself folds out and turns into a comfortable sleeping area. In brief: Addiform packs plenty of punch – with flexibility, functionality and a straightforward clarity that is still fascinating today.
The 1970s
LIFE AT ITS MOST BEAUTIFUL.
Buoyed by the first moon walks, the 1970s are marked by a belief in the future and impressive economic growth. Rolf Benz is also growing rapidly – and it is represented at the Cologne Furniture Fair with its own stand for the first time in 1971. Also in attendance is the “Siesta” fluffy bean bag and the generous “Scenery” furniture landscape. One year later, the famous Swedish furniture house with its allen keys opens its first branch in Germany. Rolf Benz remains committed to top quality; it conveys its premium standards with the slogan “Life at its most beautiful” and expands its production capacity by 7,000 m2 by setting up an upholstered furniture plant in Mötzingen near Nagold. In 1974, Germany celebrates the country’s triumph in the World Cup on the “Livingpool” upholstered group. And, of course, in these times of bell-bottoms and Pril flowers at the end of the 1970s, Rolf Benz doesn’t miss out on the rattan trend either.
The 1980s
THE IMAGE OF ETERNITY.
The 1980s love luxury and glamour. Big hair and perms are en vogue. You show off who you are and what you have, such as the 3400 sofa in brilliant white, ideally reflected on white tiled floors. Some owners present themselves on it like Alexis Carrington in Dynasty. Rolf Benz also knows how to show itself off. From the mid-1980s, promotion campaigns are shot in the most unusual locations: theatres, palaces, sea cliffs – nothing is impossible! Unforgettable: the presentation of model 4500 in Barcelona. In Park Güell, the masterpiece communicates and flirts confidently with Gaudí’s sweeping lines. Another image of eternity: model 6500 on Santorini, high above the Aegean Sea. In the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the 6500 becomes a celebrated exhibition piece. Rolf Benz still has the award-winning design classic in its range today.
THE 1990s
GLOBALISATION OF GOOD DESIGN.
Rolf Benz goes international! The German flagship brand is enjoying growing popularity also abroad and is conquering an increasing number of living rooms. The stylish and classic sofas from the Black Forest are in demand especially among design-conscious home living aesthetes in Austria, Switzerland and the Benelux countries. The fact that Rolf Benz Sofas don’t just look good in front of the TV but also on TV is seen for the first time in the ZDF show “Die rote Couch” [The Red Sofa]. The talk show guests sit on a sofa from the “Forum 255” collection. However, the brand also has what it takes for its big début, as demonstrated by Thomas Gottschalk and his cult show “Wetten, dass ...?”. The focal point of the Saturday night show is Germany’s most famous sofa, a Rolf Benz custom product from the Rolf Benz 2000 range. No wonder that Rolf Benz becomes the most famous German brand at the end of the decade.
THE 2000s
THE LOUNGE SCENE.
Between 2000 and 2010, Rolf Benz is taking the definitive leap into the international premier league of the furniture industry. Rolf Benz establishes itself as “the” design brand for “Made in Germany” premium sofas. The DONO model is introduced for its 40th birthday. With its clear and sober look that is influenced by weightlessness, it becomes the most successful sofa of the decade. It is followed by PLURA and MIO. Both embody relaxed luxury instead of obvious status and fit in perfectly with the new era of lounge furniture. EGO, “the custom-made sofa” celebrates individuality and offers a maximum number of design options. The VIDA and ONDA models are also impressive as cleverly designed modular ranges. The modules can be freely combined with each other and flexibly adapt to different living situations. Clear forms, clean lines and creative freedom par excellence. Addiform sends its regards...
THE 2010s
FROM THE BEDROOM TO THE SENATOR LOUNGE.
Tattoos and hipster beards as far as the eye can see. Add to that a world that is becoming increasingly digital. Linear TV becomes obsolescent, as do CDs. They are replaced with never-ending streaming. Even Rolf Benz is breaking new ground, with the freistil Rolf Benz brand, for example, which celebrates creative lifestyles. Also new is the Rolf Benz Contract collection for architecturally demanding commercial properties, such as the “25hours hotel langstraße” in Zurich or the Lufthansa Business Senator Lounge in London Heathrow. And since Rolf Benz is now also making beds, it can now be found among the finest sleeping quarters in the world. Of course, it still maintains its core sofa business. Rolf Benz MERA 2017, for example, is a highly flexible, contemporary functional and relaxing sofa whose small proportions are a hit. The modular luxury sofa system “Nuvola”, on the other hand, was a “winner” at the “German Design Award 2018”.
FROM 2020 TO TODAY
ON COURSE TOWARDS THE FUTURE.
Rolf Benz is keeping its finger on the pulse and continues to thrill with its pioneering interior design. The “LIV” modular living concept, the iconic “JACK” hybrid chair, the extra comfortable “600” dining shell chair, and also “YOKO”, the first Rolf Benz Outdoor collection – the 2020s have started off with some strong new products. Since the company’s fan base in Asia is also continually expanding, the first flagship store opened in Tokyo in the Land of the Rising Sun at the beginning of 2020. Furniture from Germany is enjoying recognition at an international level. To make sure this remains so, the German furniture industry has been awarding the official label “Furniture Made in Germany” since August 2020. Rolf Benz was one of the first manufacturers to be certified. It is a strong selling point for quality-conscious consumers all over the world and a clear commitment to Germany as a business location. The Rolf Benz Haus Hamburg came to Hamburg’s historic Stadthöfe in 2021, followed by Rolf Benz Haus stores in Frankfurt (2022) and Leipzig (2023). To celebrate its 25th anniversary, the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden has been presenting its newly designed Club Lounge – furnished by Rolf Benz – since October 2023. And in 2024, the Rolf Benz SINA anniversary sofa for the company’s 60th anniversary is a forward-looking reprise of the legendary “Addiform” icon from 1964…
… To be continued!
