Interstuhl
Interstuhl is a German family-owned manufacturer of ergonomic office seating and workspace furniture, serving enterprise customers, planners, and architects through a global dealer network and ten company-owned showrooms across Europe and the US.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1970
- HeadquartersMeßstetten, Germany
- Headcount501–1,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Interstuhl does
Interstuhl is a German family-owned manufacturer of ergonomic office seating and workspace furniture, headquartered in Meßstetten-Tieringen on the Swabian Alb. Founded in 1961, the company has supplied more than 30 million chairs to customers worldwide under the "Interstuhl chairs made in Germany" promise and operates through a combination of a specialist dealer network, direct enterprise field sales, and ten company-owned showrooms across Germany, the UK, France, Austria, the Netherlands, Denmark, and the United States. Its customer base spans enterprise corporates (Microsoft, Nestlé, PepsiCo, Daimler, FC Bayern München), professional planners and architects, mid-market businesses via the EVERYis1 entry-level collection, and home-office end users, with revenue generated primarily through one-time hardware sales and secondarily through workspace planning services delivered via the Splaces, Goconut, and Intensor group brands.
The product portfolio covers a tiered range of task and executive seating (Silver, VINTAGEis5, JOYCEIS3, PUREIS3, AirPad), entry-level chairs (EVERYis1), stools and standing aids (UPis1, STAND UPis1), and modern workplace furniture (QOMFORT, CHECK, HEJ, SHUFFLE LOUNGE, HUB). Underlying technology centers on proprietary kinematic mechanisms that promote active sitting, including FLEXTECH (three-dimensional synchronous movement), Smart Motion (dynamic seat tilt with 110-degree opening angle), Body-Float (auto-adjusted balanced sitting), Smart Spring (weight-adaptive suspension in PURE), and the Bionic Effect lumbar support in membrane backrests. The S 4.0 seat sensor, developed in cooperation with Garmin, integrates vital-signs capture with behavioral feedback, extending the hardware proposition into digital health tooling.
The revenue model is overwhelmingly hardware-led, with seats, stools, and accessories as the primary streams and room-solution professional services as a smaller secondary stream. Pricing is quote-based, configured per dealer or enterprise project rather than sold through e-commerce, and is supported by a 10-year warranty, TÜV Rheinland LEVEL 3 sustainability certification across all product families, BIFMA e3 Platinum, Blue Angel, and 98% end-of-life material recyclability. Group structure includes wholly-owned subsidiaries Bimos (industrial seating), Backforce (gaming chairs), Intensor (3D space scanning), Goconut (workplace booking software), and GESA (in-house joinery). Revenue is not publicly disclosed, and the company has remained family-owned with no external funding rounds, consistent with an independent mid-sized European premium seating manufacturer.
Interstuhl firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Interstuhl
- Legal name
- Interstuhl Büromöbel GmbH & Co. KG
- Website
- https://interstuhl.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1970
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 501–1,000 employees
- Short description
- Interstuhl is a German family-owned manufacturer of ergonomic office seating and workspace furniture, serving enterprise customers, planners, and architects through a global dealer network and ten company-owned showrooms across Europe and the US.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Interstuhl is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Meßstetten
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices10 records
Markets served
Interstuhl business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Office Chairs and Seating: Primary revenue from manufacturing and selling ergonomic office chairs, swivel chairs, executive chairs, conference chairs, and visitor chairs under Interstuhl brand. One-time purchase model with long product lifecycle.
- Stools and Standing Aids: UPis1 multifunctional stools and standing aids for active sitting and flexible workspace environments.
- Accessories and Sensors: S 4.0 seat sensors and accessories, including Active Sitting Software, ANT Stick for PC/Mac, and other ergonomic accessories.
- Room Solutions and Services: Splaces room solutions including space planning, product furnishing, and implementation services for modern working environments. Goconut workplace booking tool. Intensor 3D laser scanning services.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
Interstuhl product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Interstuhl designs, develops, and manufactures ergonomic office seating furniture made in Germany, including premium designer collections (Silver), executive chairs (VINTAGEis5), innovative membrane backrests (AirPad), active-sitting swivel chairs (PUREis3), flexible office chairs (JOYCEis3), entry-level seating (EVERYis1), multifunctional stools (UPis1), and lounge/collaborative furniture (HUB, QOMFORT, CHECK, HEJ, SHUFFLE LOUNGE). The company complements its chair portfolio with the S 4.0 Active Sitting sensor (developed with Garmin), modular room solutions under the Splaces sub-brand, and digital workplace tools via group brands Goconut and Intensor.
Product overview
Interstuhl is a German office furniture manufacturer offering a comprehensive portfolio of seating solutions and workplace products. The core product line includes office chairs across multiple tiers: Silver (premium designer collection), VINTAGEis5 (executive/managment), JOYCEIS3 (flexible office), PUREIS3 (active sitting), EVERYis1 (entry-level), AirPad (innovative membrane), and UPis1 (stools/standing aids). Supporting products include the S 4.0 Active Sitting sensor (developed with Garmin), FLEXTECH active sitting mechanisms, and the HUB furniture collection. Workspace solutions encompass QOMFORT relaxation seating, CHECK lounge chairs, HEJ and SHUFFLE LOUNGE furniture for modern flexible environments. The company also offers digital workplace tools including Goconut (workplace booking) and Intensor (3D space scanning) as group brands.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Splaces: Room concepts and workplace solutions division
- Active Sitting Solutions
- FLEXTECH
- QOMFORT
- CHECK
- HEJ
- SHUFFLE LOUNGE
Products and services
- Silver Office Chair Collection Award-winning designer office chair collection by Hadi Teherani featuring an aluminium shell design, including executive chairs, conference chairs, lounge chairs and tables with sophisticated synchronous mechanisms and premium materials. Targeted at premium corporate executive and conference environments.
- VINTAGEis5 Office Chair Range Designer office chair range featuring Smart Motion technology and Bionic Effect lumbar support, encompassing executive swivel chairs, conference chairs and visitor chairs with innovative mechanisms for dynamic sitting. Targeted at management and executive office use.
- AirPad Swivel Armchair Swivel armchair featuring transparent membrane backrest technology and Body-Float synchro mechanism providing an automatic weight-adjusted balanced sitting experience. Targeted at modern office environments seeking innovative seating design.
- PUREis3 Office Swivel Chair Ultra-innovative office swivel chair with Smart Spring technology enabling 360-degree movement and intuitive adaptation to the user's body weight and movements for dynamic active sitting. Targeted at offices that prioritize movement and active sitting.
- JOYCEis3 Office Swivel Chair Flexible office swivel chair with FlexGrid dynamic back support, offering multiple backrest, upholstery and colour combinations for individual customization. Targeted at focused individual and open-plan office use.
- EVERYis1 Office Chair Collection Entry-level office swivel chair collection offering excellent price-performance ratio with mesh, chillback and upholstery backrests, lumbar support and FLEXTECH active sitting option. Targeted at small and mid-market businesses as well as budget-conscious enterprise buyers.
- UPis1 Multifunctional Stool Multifunctional height-adjustable stool and standing aid promoting active sitting with convex floor design that keeps the user's centre of gravity slightly unstable and activates core muscles. Targeted at dynamic work environments, workshops and brainstorming spaces.
- S 4.0 Active Sitting Sensor Active Sitting Solution seat sensor developed with Garmin technology that monitors vital signs, provides feedback on personal sitting habits and offers automated posture reminders and office workouts. Targeted at office workers and corporate wellness programs.
- HUB Furniture Collection Furniture collection including office swings, lounge chairs, sofas and poufs for relaxed conversation situations and collaborative spaces. Targeted at modern collaborative office environments.
- Goconut Workplace Booking Tool Intelligent workplace management platform providing a workplace booking system for meeting rooms and workstations. A brand of the Interstuhl Group. Targeted at enterprises managing flexible office occupancy.
- Intensor 3D Laser Scanning Service 3D laser scanning service for precise space measurement, a brand of the Interstuhl Group used as part of room-planning services. Targeted at architects, planners and customers implementing workspace redesigns.
- Splaces Room Solutions Modular room concepts and workplace solutions division providing space planning, product furnishing and implementation services for modern working environments. Targeted at enterprises executing office redesigns.
Quantifiable outcome
- 98% of materials can be reused after the office chair has reached the end of its useful life
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Interstuhl
Customer profileNamed customers18 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Interstuhl technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
AI capability2 records
Feature10 records
Interstuhl partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.
- GarmincoreCooperation with Garmin to develop S 4.0 seat sensor - integrated sensor technology that determines body's vital signs, provides feedback on optimum sitting behaviour, and increases movement through personalized sitting habit analysis, office workouts, and posture reminders.
- ETH ZurichsupportingAcademic research partnership for FLEXTECH mechanism development. Tests conducted by ETH Zurich confirmed significantly greater range of motion compared to conventional synchronous mechanisms.
- Werner Sobek AGsupportingInternationally renowned architectural firm that designed the Interstuhl Arena at headquarters in Meßstetten-Tieringen in 2009. Architecture features large glass surfaces and communication-focused design.
- IntensorsupportingBrand of the Interstuhl Group providing 3D laser scanning of buildings for precise space measurement as part of room planning services.
- GoconutsupportingIntelligent workplace management tool and brand of the Interstuhl Group providing workplace booking system for meeting rooms and workstations.
- BimoscoreSister company within Interstuhl Group specializing in industrial seating and workplace solutions.
- BackforcecoreGaming chair brand under Interstuhl Group. Products represented in Frankfurt showroom and targeted at gaming room market.
- GESAsupportingIn-house joinery of Interstuhl Group that carries out carpentry work for showroom installations and custom furniture solutions.
- StilwerksupportingPremium furniture retail locations where Interstuhl maintains showrooms in Hamburg, positioning products alongside other high-end design brands.
- OFML/PConsupportingIntegration of Interstuhl product data in OFML/Concept Office/PCon planning software for dealers and workspace planners.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Interstuhl competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Kinnarps: Swedish family-owned office furniture group with comprehensive ergonomic seating and interior solutions portfolio. Comparable in European family-owned structure, sustainability credentials, and broad workplace offering.
- Steelcase: Largest global office furniture manufacturer, directly competing with Interstuhl in premium ergonomic seating and workplace solutions for enterprises. Closest comparable in scale, enterprise customer profile, and dealer-led distribution model.
- Haworth: Privately held, family-influenced office furniture manufacturer with strong ergonomic seating portfolio and deep dealer network. Highly comparable to Interstuhl in ownership structure, premium positioning, and product breadth across task seating and architectural interiors.
- MillerKnoll (Herman Miller): Premium US office furniture group (Herman Miller, Knoll, Colebrook Bosson Saunders) competing directly with Interstuhl in designer task chairs, ergonomic seating, and workplace solutions for enterprise clients globally.
- Sedus Stoll: German premium office seating and furniture manufacturer. Closest German-headquartered direct competitor, overlapping strongly in ergonomic task chairs, conference seating, and DACH-market enterprise customers.
- Wilkhahn: German family-owned office seating manufacturer with strong design heritage and global B2B reach. Directly comparable in product focus (ergonomic task/conference chairs), German manufacturing base, and mid-sized family-owned ownership structure.
- Vitra: Swiss premium designer furniture maker with iconic designer collaborations (Eames, Girard) and a strong office seating portfolio. Comparable in premium positioning, design-led product strategy, and architectural/specifier channel.
- Bene: Austrian premium office furniture and office-space specialist with strong presence in DACH region. Directly comparable in task seating, conference solutions, and enterprise B2B channel overlap with Interstuhl.
- Teknion: Canadian office furniture manufacturer with designer-led seating portfolio and global dealer network. Directly comparable in ergonomic seating, workplace systems, and enterprise specification channel.
- USM: Swiss premium modular furniture maker with strong presence in office workstations and storage. Comparable in design-led premium positioning, family-influenced ownership, and architect/specifier-driven sales channel.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Interstuhl social profiles
Digital presenceInterstuhl compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance10 records
Interstuhl financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Interstuhl leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Interstuhl subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries5 records
Interstuhl funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Interstuhl M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Interstuhl
What does Interstuhl do?
Interstuhl designs, develops, and manufactures ergonomic office seating furniture made in Germany, including premium designer collections (Silver), executive chairs (VINTAGEis5), innovative membrane backrests (AirPad), active-sitting swivel chairs (PUREis3), flexible office chairs (JOYCEis3), entry-level seating (EVERYis1), multifunctional stools (UPis1), and lounge/collaborative furniture (HUB, QOMFORT, CHECK, HEJ, SHUFFLE LOUNGE). The company complements its chair portfolio with the S 4.0 Active Sitting sensor (developed with Garmin), modular room solutions under the Splaces sub-brand, and digital workplace tools via group brands Goconut and Intensor.
Is Interstuhl a public or private company?
Interstuhl is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Interstuhl founded?
Interstuhl was founded in 1970. It employs 501 to 1,000 people.
Where is Interstuhl based?
Interstuhl is headquartered in Meßstetten, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does Interstuhl make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Office Chairs and Seating is the primary driver. The others are stools and Standing Aids, accessories and Sensors and room Solutions and Services.
Who are Interstuhl's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Kinnarps, Steelcase, Haworth, MillerKnoll (Herman Miller), Sedus Stoll, Wilkhahn, Vitra, Bene, Teknion and USM.
Does Interstuhl have an API?
No public API is recorded for Interstuhl.