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.

https://www.deepl.com/it/translatorFormaldeide: new limits for emissions from products including wood-based panels and furniture

On 14 July 2023, with the publication of Regulation 2023/1464, the European Commission adopted significant new measures to reduce formaldehyde emissions from a wide range of products, including wood-based panels and furniture.

As of 6 August 2026, as indicated by the Reich restriction, furniture and wood-based articles with formaldehyde emissions exceeding 0.062 mg/m3 (50 per cent of E1) will no longer be permitted to be placed on the market in EU countries. It is important to emphasise that the provision establishes as the new limit a value that is exactly half of the limit indicated at the time by the World Health Organisation (0.124 mg/m3), on which the well-known and well-established E1 classification is based, until now the standard recognised and legally adopted by many European countries, including Italy.

A limit of 0.08 mg/m3 will instead apply to other items such as textiles, leather, plastics, building materials and electronic products.

 

Three years to comply

For the first time, the sector has a precise 'guideline' from the European authorities which, unlike the E1 classification, will have to be compulsorily applied by all European countries, and will obviously also apply to imports.

Businesses in the sector will have three years to adapt, which is the time needed for the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) to define, with the involvement of the associations and European companies involved, guidelines on test methods.

 

Uniformity at European level

This important change was the focus of a webinar, entitled 'Formaldehyde Emission from Products - New Limits in Europe from 2026', organised on 26 July by FederlegnoArredo and Catas for companies and operators in the sector. There were many questions from the more than 300 participants about how companies are ready to face this new challenge.

Omar Degoli, head of FederlegnoArredo's Environment and Circular Economy Office, explained how "the restriction on formaldehyde certainly has the merit of bringing uniformity back to the European level: companies already have compliant solutions available on the market for most products. It will be necessary to assess the time required for adaptation and stock rotation, so as not to arrive unprepared for the deadline".

"We hope," he added, "that equal rigour will be placed on surveillance and adequate controls so that products and semi-finished products imported into Europe from other countries also respect the new limits.

 

Concern for the healthiness of products

As always, Catas is strongly committed to informing and involving the entire industry in the important effects that this and other measures may have.

"We are already ready to measure product compliance with the new limits," commented Franco Bulian, director of Catas. "The guidelines that the authorities will define will soon allow us to also use so-called 'derived' methods, simplifying and facilitating companies in the necessary controls. One aspect that I would like to emphasise is that Europe has in fact defined such strict limits that the previous situation has been overturned: if before we were 'at fault' with respect to the more stringent American directives on the subject, now it is Europe that is imposing a new standard. Not only that: this new regulation shows how decisively Europe is moving in the direction of an ever more concrete focus on product healthiness. If we consider the recent provisions to reduce the use of de-cyanates in products such as adhesives and paints or what is being done about melamine, Europe's strong focus on safety issues that also involve our sector is evident'.

Catas: a new online service for immediate verification of the authenticity of Catas test reports

The online procedure protects the interests of contractors and companies working in full compliance with international standards and rules
Category: Economy, News and Fairs
Publication date: 02/08/2024

FederlegnoArredo: Preliminary figures 2023, the sector closes at 52.6 billion, down 8.1%

The Salone del Mobile.Milano will play a decisive role for the future of Made in Italy design
Category: Economy and marketing
Publication date: 19/02/2024

Catas: excellent results in 2023 and major projects for 2024

Catas continues on its successful path, says President Lucia Cristina Piu commenting on the 2023 results
Category: Economy, News and Fairs
Publication date: 09/02/2024

FederlegnoArredo: negative sign for the wood-furniture sector in the third quarter of 2023

FederlegnoArredo Monitor shows -7.8% compared to the same period in 2022; signs of recovery for 2024
Category: Economy and marketing
Publication date: 15/12/2023

Catas Point Pesaro: new headquarters inaugurated with a first workshop

The focus was on "Formaldehyde and volatile organic substances: the rules of the furniture market", a very topical subject addressed by Catas experts
Category: Economy, News and Fairs
Publication date: 07/04/2023

Salone del Mobile.Milano: sustainability at the center of the 60th edition

From 7 to 12 June, at Fiera Milano Rho, the event is back in attendance with over 2,000 exhibitors
Category: Fairs
Publication date: 17/03/2022

Acrystone acrylic finishes by Verinlegno: effective on the surfaces of any domestic environment

They make the most of the wood essence, highlighting its nature, structure and pores
Category: Paints for furniture
Publication date: 14/02/2022

Catas Academy: technical webinars in May

Among the topics covered are formaldehyde, the reaction to fire of upholstered furniture, decorative laminates CPL
Category: Industry news
Publication date: 03/05/2020

Assopannelli's commitment to defending the Italian production of panels

Poplar-growing represents for Italy the most significant internal source of wood for industry
Category: Economy and marketing
Publication date: 25/10/2019

Counterfeiting: new copyright protection in the sector

Copy protection through watermarked information
Category: Printed Decorative Papers
Publication date: 04/06/2019
Company: Schattdecor s.r.l.