Like many companies, the history of the Polish company Meblomar began with the hobby of creating pieces of furniture in a garage at home, but as the years passed, the company expanded. We talk with Barbara Grześniak, sales specialist at Meblomar, to learn more about the current market in Poland and their exhibit at Meble Polska which starts today!
The Meblomar team
Can you tell us more about the history of Meblomar and how it was founded?
'The company was founded in 1997 in Słupia near Kępno, by my parents, but they had been involved with furniture making for an earlier time. My dad had experience in furniture sales and my mum in fabric cutting. Currently, our company has two branches - a smaller one, which houses the cutting room and sewing room, where the first stages of production take place, and a second branch established in 2014 which is a production hall, office and company showroom.
A shared love of furniture making has accompanied me from a young age quickly becoming simply a family hobby. My parents taught me that passion can be an integral part of professional life and we have been creating furniture with passion together for 5 years now.'
In what markets is the brand most active?
'We produce many types of upholstered furniture, from small pouffes and armchairs to sofas, corner units and spacious modular furniture. The largest selection from our range is available to customers in Poland and the Czech Republic, where they can test our goods in partner showrooms and order online. In addition, our products are also available in Germany, the UK, Ireland, France, Slovakia, Latvia and Lithuania, but mainly through online sales.'
How is the market right now? Are there any challenges currently in the Polish market?
'2024 was a very tough year for the furniture industry in Poland. Despite a challenging last year, we managed to maintain our employment levels, which I consider a success in view of the decrease in production volumes relative to 2023. We are aware that upholstered furniture is not a first-choice product, and the ever-rising cost of living and the dramatic cost of home loans are not conducive to an increase in orders. Nonetheless, we spent a lot of time last year developing the quality of the products we offer, because we want our furniture to be a purchase that lasts for years, not just until the end of the guarantee period. Despite a good end to 2024 and a strong start to 2025, we are looking ahead with caution as the situation in our domestic market is not improving. Therefore, in order to meet our customers, we make sure that the quality of our products is at the highest level, because there is nothing more satisfying than a phone call from a customer who returns to us years later still satisfied with a piece of furniture of our production.'
You'll be at Meble Polska! What are your expectations for the fair?
'We are very much looking forward to this year's edition of the Meble Polska fair! We can't wait, as we are returning to the fair with our latest collections and bestsellers after a break of 5 years. We feel excited for the opportunity to meet our customers face to face and present our furniture to them. We hope to bring a breath of freshness and inspiration with our stand, as there will certainly be no colour monotony with us... I won't reveal more, feel free to see for yourself (hall 8, stand 11)!
We hope that in addition to meeting our regular customers again, we will have the opportunity to expand our customer base and talk to them expanding our knowledge of the expectations and needs of the furniture market and end customers.'
What will be on show at your stand?
'As I mentioned, things will not be monotonous at our stand. We have prepared a wide cross-section of furniture of various shapes, sizes and functions. Modular furniture will reign supreme, of course, but with modern and practical additions. There will also be classic models for compact rooms, which so many people need. What more can you expect? Come and meet us and follow us on social media to see the trade fair exhibition.'
What are some of the trends you're expecting to see this year?
'I expect to see furniture in light and muted colours with touches of the Mocha Mousse colour scheme. I think bouclé will still appear a lot, but it will slowly be displaced by fabrics with a non-uniform shade or an iridescent effect.
Also with World Earth Day approaching, I would like to focus on the trend of sustainability and introduce you to the topic of upcycling. Four years ago, our company was going through a change in its distribution network and we were left with a lot of old upholstery fabric patterns that we could no longer use, and it was a shame to throw them away. We managed to team up with some creative people with whom we are jointly supporting and developing this topic of upholstery fabric post-production waste in Poland, which is a problematic waste. So I thought of upcycling, which is the process of transforming too small scraps of fabric for furniture or cushions into other, smaller products, such as textile accessories. In the intervening years, the circle of upcycling enthusiasts has expanded to include art studios for children, local schools and charitable initiatives to sew animal beds for shelters. Together, over the last year alone, we have managed to save 615,50 kg of fabric waste from disposal by giving it a new life.
Visit Meblomar at Meble Polska at hall 8, stand 11.
More information:
Meblomar
[email protected]
www.meblomar.com
Poland