BoConcept
Denmark
EU
BoConcept is a Danish furniture brand headquartered in Herning in central Denmark. Jens Ærthøj and Tage Mølholm opened a furniture factory in 1952, and the company has designed and produced furniture in...
European Furniture Brands
Cassina
Italy
EU
Non-European Parent Company
Cassina is an Italian furniture maker with its registered office in Meda in Lombardy. Cesare and Umberto Cassina founded the company in 1927. It is known for reissuing modern design classics and...
Fritz Hansen
Denmark
EU
Fritz Hansen is a Danish furniture company founded in 1872 with its headquarters north of Copenhagen, in Allerød. It produces furniture, lighting and accessories and is closely tied to the history of...
HAY
Denmark
EU
Non-European Parent Company
HAY is a Danish design brand for furniture and home accessories, founded in Copenhagen in 2002 by Troels Holch Povlsen and Rolf and Mette Hay. It develops modern, affordable design and sells...
IKEA
Netherlands
EU
IKEA is a home furnishing retailer founded in 1943 by Ingvar Kamprad in Älmhult, Sweden. Today the concept is owned by Inter IKEA Systems B.V. in the Netherlands, which acts as franchisor,...
Kartell
Italy
EU
Kartell is an Italian design company based in Noviglio near Milan. Giulio Castelli founded it in 1949, and in 1988 Claudio Luti, Castelli's son-in-law, took over. Kartell is known for furniture and...
Ligne Roset
France
EU
Ligne Roset is a French furniture maker with its registered office in Briord in the Ain department near Lyon. Antoine Roset founded the family company in 1860, and today the fifth generation...
Molteni&C
Italy
EU
Molteni&C is an Italian furniture maker based in Giussano in the Brianza region, Italy's traditional furniture district. It was founded in 1934, and by 1947 it had grown from the workshop of...
Natuzzi
Italy
EU
Natuzzi is an Italian furniture company based in Santeramo in Colle in Apulia. Pasquale Natuzzi founded it in 1959, and it describes itself as the largest Italian furniture and design company and...
Roche Bobois
France
EU
Roche Bobois is a French furniture company headquartered in Paris. It was formed in 1960 by two Parisian furniture families, the Roches and the Chouchans, and has been listed on Euronext Paris...
USM
Switzerland
USM is a Swiss company from Münsingen near Bern. Ulrich Schärer founded it in 1885 as a metalworking business, and the name combines his initials with the first letter of Münsingen. The...
Vitra
Switzerland
Vitra is a Swiss furniture maker with its headquarters in Birsfelden near Basel. The company was founded in 1950 and is family owned, with Nora Fehlbaum, the third generation, as chairwoman. Vitra...
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Submit SuggestionEuropean furniture brands cover mass-market retailers and design houses. This page lists twelve companies with a headquarters in Europe, from the retailer IKEA to the Swiss makers Vitra and USM, the Italian houses Kartell, Molteni&C and Natuzzi, and the Danish brands Fritz Hansen and BoConcept.
Ownership of the design brands
IKEA is owned through two Dutch foundations. Vitra, USM, Kartell and Molteni&C are family companies, and Fritz Hansen belongs to the Danish Augustinus Foundation. BoConcept is held by the London investor 3i. Two entries carry the non-European parent flag: HAY (majority owned by the US group MillerKnoll) and Cassina (owned by Haworth of Michigan, but designed and produced in Italy).
| Brand | Based in | Founded | Style |
|---|---|---|---|
| IKEA | Netherlands | 1943 | Affordable, self-assembly |
| Vitra | Birsfelden, Switzerland | 1950 | Designer classics |
| USM | Münsingen, Switzerland | 1885 | Modular system Haller |
| Kartell | Noviglio, Italy | 1949 | Plastic design |
| Ligne Roset | Briord, France | 1860 | Sofas and living |
| Roche Bobois | Paris | 1960 | French premium |
| Fritz Hansen | Allerød, Denmark | 1872 | Danish design |
| BoConcept | Herning, Denmark | 1952 | Planned rooms |
| Molteni&C | Giussano, Italy | 1934 | High-end Italian |
| Natuzzi | Santeramo in Colle, Italy | 1959 | Leather sofas |
| HAY | Denmark | 2002 | Modern, affordable design |
| Cassina | Meda, Italy | 1927 | Reissues of classics |
From flat-pack to design classics
IKEA stands for low prices and self-assembly. The design houses sit at much higher prices and are usually sold through own showrooms and selected dealers. Many pieces by Vitra, Cassina and Fritz Hansen are licensed reissues of 20th century designs, and USM sells a modular system that can be rebuilt over time. Check the product page for the owner before buying if the parent company matters to you.