Turnhout, Belgium—i4F has partnered with Brooklyn, N.Y.-based Hoek Home to bring the company’s patented furniture-connection technologies to market through its global licensing program. The agreement gives i4F exclusive licensing rights to Hoek Home’s furniture-connection system. It also marks i4F’s expansion beyond the flooring industry into the furniture category.
The partnership gives Hoek Home access to i4F’s global network of licensing partners and intellectual property protection infrastructure. This allows Hoek Home to focus on advancing its design and engineering innovations.
“We set out to make beautifully designed furniture radically easier to assemble in order to meet consumers’ demand for simplicity,” said Conor Coghlan, founder of Hoek Home. “This is exactly where the synergy with i4F lies, with its focus on easy and intuitive technologies and systems. Its global reach and strong IP protection give us the platform to scale, improving how furniture is manufactured, moved and ultimately experienced in the home.”
John Rietveldt, CEO of i4F Technologies, added: “Hoek’s vision fits perfectly with our strategy to deliver smart and easy-to-use technologies that solve real problems for manufacturers, retailers and consumers. Its intuitive connection system can also support more efficient manufacturing, while offering furniture that can be assembled or disassembled in seconds, making the value obvious from the first use.”
Applications include indoor dining tables, outdoor tables, benches and modular dorm room desks. A second patented system extends the technology to seating, allowing manufacturers to create coordinated table and chair collections with tool-free assembly.
For manufacturers, the technologies can reduce the number of components needed while providing a repeatable, scalable connection system. Retailers can offer consumers furniture that is easier to assemble, move and store. Expanded flat-pack options can also support more efficient shipping and logistics.