Hardware for furniture, upholstery, kitchen, coatings and furnishing systems.

Furnishing Idea is the portal dedicated to the furniture and furnishing industry, designed to bring together different professionals such as architects, designers, carpenters, furniture makers and manufacturers active in the furniture market who represent the reference point in terms of innovation and quality of the product offered. On the other hand, the portal aims to provide a valid information service focused on products, projects, events and fairs and everything that revolves around the world of components, semi-finished products and accessories for the furniture industry.

 

The portal is divided into different sections where you can explore the different products according to different categories, get in touch with manufacturers, download catalogues to keep up with industry trends and watch videos of interviews with the best professionals and manufacturers.

 

In the articles section you can find all the information about the most innovative product technologies, such as furniture materials, furniture accessories and systems, furniture machinery, furniture hardware, manufactured by manufacturers with a solid experience in the field. In the companies section there is an overview of the manufacturers registered on our portal, divided by product category, where you can contact us for any request. Our portal also has a special catalogues section to allow professionals and operators in the sector to view in a practical way all the catalogues relating to the various products (furniture hardware, upholstery materials, furniture paints, etc.). In addition, to allow easy consultation of the products, our portal has reserved a product section, organized by categories, where you can find out about the technical characteristics, materials and functionality of each product. The video section, on the other hand, presents numerous video interviews given by professionals and manufacturers that report news, insights and informative content on the best technologies in the sector.

 

In addition, to keep you constantly informed you can also consult our Journal section which contains all the Furnishing Idea magazines dedicated to the furniture and furnishing industry, such as the edition dedicated to Sicam or Interzum, two of the most important trade fairs in the sector. The magazines can be consulted from the portal or easily downloadable in pdf format.

 

Thanks to the trust placed in us by many manufacturers, our portal is now recognized both nationally and internationally. In fact, there are already many internationally recognized and established companies in the sector, including the AIPEF group (Italian Flexible Expanded Polyurethanes Companies) which promotes scientific information on the use of flexible polyurethane foam in the sectors in which it is used.

CQA-Catas Quality Award celebrates 30 years of certification

On 21 September, the Catas headquarters in San Giovanni al Natisone hosted the celebrations for the 30th anniversary of the CQA-Catas Quality Award, the product certification issued by the laboratory.

Thirty years of success of a certification that has a threefold value, as Catas director Franco Bulian emphasised: technical, because it is based on tests; objective, because the requirements are described by certification regulations and national and international standards; and finally, distinctive, because it immediately places the certified product in a prominent position compared to others.

To date there are 200 products certified by Catas, on the basis of specific and very strict criteria, in terms of formaldehyde emissions, paints, window and door profiles and 'Made in Italy' furniture.

"Catas has always been able to respond proactively and effectively to the needs of the Friulian, Italian and international manufacturing world," said Lucia Cristina Piu, President of Catas.

 

A QR code to track product quality

About fifty companies, both Italian and foreign, have chosen to certify their products with CQA, and many of them took part in the meeting at Catas not only to celebrate the anniversary, but also to learn more about the issues and qualities of CQA certification.

Lorena Riul, head of the CQA certification body, after retracing the most significant stages and emphasising the now globally recognised value of the mark, announced an important novelty that will be launched in the coming months: the possibility of accompanying the certified product with a QR code that will enable the user or end consumer to trace the quality of the product they are purchasing.

 

CQA-Catas Quality Award certification in the various sectors

The certification managers of the various sectors for which the institute issues certification, i.e. formaldehyde, paints, window profiles and 'Made in Italy' certification, then took the floor at the meeting.

Sandro Ciroi, contact person for certification activities related to formaldehyde emissions, emphasised how this subject is undergoing continuous evolution, with increasingly strict limits.

From paints for exteriors, in collaboration with the prestigious German institute WKI-Fraunhofer Institute for Wood Research, to paints for interiors, up to antibacterial paints: this is the path that Alessia Matellon, contact person for paint product certification, spoke about.

Simone Poletto, lamellar profiles certification referent, explained how the CQA-Catas Quality Award certification for lamellar profiles is a stimulus for "research" linked to experience, thus allowing companies in the sector to have concrete answers to their daily problems.

Finally, Marco Indovina, 'Italian origin of furniture by Catas' certification referent, pointed out that certifying the finished product is undoubtedly complex. Thanks to Catas' fifty years of experience, however, it was possible to arrive at the 'Made in Italy by Catas' certification scheme by fine-tuning a protocol that, for the first time, allows a direct relationship with the end consumer.

 

The future of certification

What can be the future of certification? This question was answered by Daniele Bergamasco, Catas deputy director, head of the chemical analysis department and CQA inspector, predicting that the new focus will be increasingly linked to the great theme of sustainability. "It is no coincidence that Catas is committed to LCA-Lyfe Cycle Assessment and volatile component emissions. So an increasingly 'green' context that is not just a façade, but supported by incontrovertible tests and values'.

Fulgor Milano: Italian brand, ambassador of quality, expertise and craftsmanship

Established worldwide as a luxury brand in the built-in appliance sector, it recently celebrated 75 years in business
Category: Kitchen
Publication date: 23/09/2024
Company: Fulgor Milano

LG Electronics unveils the smart home of the future at IFA 2024

LG ThinQ ON is the innovative smart home hub equipped with Affectionate Artificial Intelligence for a comfortable and functional home
Category: Economy, News and Fairs
Publication date: 13/09/2024

Firefighter fire-retardant coatings by Verinlegno: safety and high performance

The new coatings, which are certified as class 1, minimize the reaction to fire of the wooden substrate on which they are applied
Category: Paints for furniture
Publication date: 07/10/2021

Catas Academy: two interesting seminars in September

An opportunity to learn about current issues
Category: Industry news
Publication date: 11/09/2018

The innovative X-MATT paints by ICA Group: anti-scratch, anti-fingerprint and self-repairing

They have been awarded with the Xia-Xylexpo Innovation Awards in the Finishing category
Category: Paints for furniture
Publication date: 12/06/2018
Company: Ica Group

In the USA a new norm for the formaldehyde emissions

Catas certification authority recognized by CARB
Category: Industry news
Publication date: 10/02/2017