Futonwerk company history

The history of the company

The history of FUTONWERK goes back to the founding of FORM IN FORM FUTON. In 1986, Dietmar Wagner and two partners founded the Form in Form Futon store in Dortmund, which became Form in Form Futon GmbH in 1988. The company soon established itself as a leading provider of quality futons.

From the beginning, the company pursued an approach based on ecological, social and fair work. Back in 1995, Form in Form Futon was one of the pioneers with one of the first websites in the furniture industry, which was primarily known for its aesthetics.

In the 1990s, the company supplied around 200 Futon stores during the boom, including several of its own branches in Dortmund, Bochum, Essen, Duisburg, Düsseldorf, Cologne, Frankfurt, Aachen, Wuppertal, Erfurt, Berlin, Gelsenkirchen, Recklinghausen, Hanover and Hamburg.

Today, most of these stores no longer exist. Some were operated solely as student projects, while others became traditional retailers offering standard products such as memory foam mattresses because these products are easier to market than honest natural mattresses.

Although customers still have the opportunity to order futons from FUTONWERK (formerly Form in Form) in specialist stores, this rarely happens as many approach the company directly. FUTONWERK has extensive specialist knowledge, offers detailed advice without the pressure to sell and can offer the best prices. In addition, free delivery is carried out using company-owned vehicles - because the company attaches great importance to offering its services of the highest quality.

FUTONWERK currently only has a showroom for all products in Dortmund, which corresponds to a high-quality futon specialist store. However, due to increased demand, the company plans to expand this offering.

Futon by FUTONWERK

During this time, products such as the DX collection were developed - DX FUTON, which were top class and very well received. They are still very popular today and have a loyal customer base simply because they are of high quality. The FUTON DX 4, for example, was recognized as the clear price-performance winner by Stiftung Warentest (natural mattresses) in 1996, but only received a “GOOD” rating and ultimately ended up in second place because there were no reversible handles on futons at the time were attached.

Other product lines such as JAP-FUTON also developed successfully, as did the resulting, highly sought-after futons from Möbelum and RS-Möbel. RS-Möbel (also known as R&S Möbel), Möbelum, YELLOW Möbel and BLUE had one of the most successful futon collections ever, namely the LFX (also C) futons like today's FUTON DX 4 or Biofuton DW 2.0 and the Futons LFX8 (also D) like today's Biofuton DW 5.0 or FUTON DX 5.

The LFX and LFX8 futon models were particularly successful in the branches in Munich, Nuremberg, Freiburg, Heidelberg, Stuttgart, Münster, Bremen and Hamburg. Since high-quality futons are no longer available in these stores, customers who want to regain this quality can contact FUTONWERK directly. The FUTON DX2 and DX4 futons are essentially identical and, if desired, original Möbelum futons or RS futons can also be made in a traditional style.

 

The history of the Form in Form factory

In the FORMINFORM factory, manufacturing was optimized using specially developed machines in order to produce large quantities of high-quality DX futons that are robust and durable. Despite the modernization, the craftsmanship aspect was retained and integrated into the manufacturing process. In a mixture of traditional craftsmanship and the latest technology, the work was effective and people-oriented in a friendly atmosphere.

Towards the end of the 1990s, the market for natural mattresses began to shift away from futons and towards natural latex mattresses, and form within form adapted accordingly. In 1998, Form in Form (then market leader in the futon sector) merged with Sembella (market leader in natural latex mattresses and member of the Recticel group, which also includes Schlaraffia, Sembella, Swissflex and Superba). The merger was sought because it was believed that the future of natural mattresses would lie in shared strength. However, it turned out that the idea of producing expensive ecological products in a purely profit-oriented environment was not sustainable.

FUTONWERK

At the original location in Dortmund, a small workshop for the production of futons remained, in which custom-made products and small series were manufactured that did not fit into the larger factory. This small workshop has now grown into a factory where FUTONWERK futons are manufactured. High-quality materials are still used, but some improvements have been made. The production still takes place with the same loving and intelligent approach as before.

Due to the decline of the inspiring culture of the loving futon shops of the 90s and the separation of the group that had once acquired the know-how, Futonwerk.de was launched in 2008. The aim was to maintain the quality promise and continue to offer first-class futons at fair prices.

It is pleasing to see that more and more quality-conscious customers are coming in, which is due to both increased environmental awareness and negative experiences with inferior industrial mattresses.

 

Quality

FUTONWERK always stands for the highest quality, because that is our top priority: best quality at the best price. Our materials and products are strictly tested for harmful substances and are certified by the ECO Institute in Cologne. We only use natural materials, including 100% natural rubber latex and cotton from certified organic farming according to GOTS. We are a member of the International Association of Natural Textiles (IVN).

In addition to the quality of our products, we attach great importance to first-class service. We advise our customers individually to find the right product without increasing the sales pressure. Most of our delivery is carried out using our own vehicles in Germany, free of charge, and to Austria, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg for a small fee.

At FUTONWERK there is no deception, but always transparent information about our products. We have been working with our raw material suppliers for many years and subject our products to regular inspections by the ECO Institute in Cologne to ensure the highest quality.