Custom-made furniture

“Show a wise person a mistake and he will thank you. Show a foolish person a mistake and he will insult you.” This piece of wisdom from the Chinese philosopher Lao Tse hangs on a piece of paper right opposite a natural wood bookshelf with wavy shelves. This piece of furniture is one of the bestsellers at Okinlab GmbH in Saarbrücken, the start-up behind the form.bar software.

Alessandro Quaranta, one of the two managing directors, explains the form.bar principle: “Customers can use our online software to design their furniture individually from home. We then send the production data to a carpenter located close to the customer.” The company specialises in moving from the digital world back to the physical product for the living room at home.

However, the start-up does not seem to need reminders like Lao Tse’s – on the contrary: although it has only been online for just over five years, the design platform form.bar has already won many awards. Certificates line the hallway of the administrative floor: for the KfW Entrepreneurs’ Award Saarland, the German Start-up Award, the State Prize for Design, the German Design Award, no fewer than four awards with the title “Germany’s best online shop” and other awards.

“Many people want to express their individuality, but this is often difficult to put into practice. form.bar enables its customers to transform their ideas into real furniture – it can hardly be more personal,” says Christian Buhr, Managing Director for Corporate Finance, Start-Ups and Education at KfW and member of the jury of the KfW Entrepreneurs’ Award.

Even the shop’s opening party was an instant success: Quaranta and Feth unexpectedly received enquiries from the guests – not about the fashion but about their furniture. The two began to negotiate orders. “But this back and forth between carpenter and customer with us in the middle was far too complicated,” says Nikolas Feth.

However, the idea of harnessing the potential of local carpenters to make customised furniture – and to make it affordable for the average earner – never left their minds. It seemed that there was a market for personalised furniture, the only thing that needed to be optimised was the time-consuming and thus expensive coordination process between customer requirements and production.

When the friends met up again with their families at Feth’s a little later – “actually just for a cosy evening”, as Feth says – their heads were spinning. Until well into the night they talked over beer about empty corners in rooms, expensive custom-made products and the same Ikea shelves in their circle of friends.

As easy-going as they seem, the pressure on them is enormous: as managing directors, they not only have responsibility for their company and the employees, they also have to provide for families with small children.

Is it risky to go into business with a friend? “On the contrary,” says Quaranta. “We already knew each other very well and were well aware of what we were getting into. You can accomplish a lot with a strong team!”