From October 27 to 31, 2026, the Designers Tower exhibition format will present the curated comprehensive exhibition DT26 on the grounds of the historic Weißhaus moated castle in Cologne.

As part of Design Season Cologne and idd cologne, DT26 brings together three furniture design exhibitions, each featuring designers from Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, and across Germany. NIRUK is part of the “Cologne Calling” exhibition at the Poolhaus—an old bungalow on the grounds that has been gutted and is awaiting a new interior design.

11 studios are participating in the “Cologne Calling” exhibition at the Poolhaus
Maximilian Beck
Pia Bonnen
Formvolte
Christoph Hauf
JBNG
Marvin Kasper
Pablo Octavio
Elisabeth Seidel
Studio Niruk
Alexander von Dombois
Peter Vosding

Visitors can explore designs ranging from emerging talents to established designers along a trail that winds through the entire grounds. The exhibitions bring together designs ranging from object, furniture, product, and interior design to spatial, lighting, and material design. In total, DT26 presents well over 100 pieces of furniture and home furnishings by selected designers.

NIRUK presents the “large” STAMMTISCH—brand-new in a 60-cm diameter—which can be secured anywhere to vertical poles, streetlights, or trees using a tension strap for social gatherings. Thanks to a new, additional mounting option, it is now also suitable for walls both indoors and outdoors. In addition, the FOLD folding mirror is being showcased once again. It’s far too good to be left gathering dust in a drawer or the studio’s archives. Another mirror called POD, from the manufacturer “red collection,” is just as colorful as FOLD—and it can even provide heat. The “Heating Objects” are a series of objects and pieces of furniture that not only design spaces but also provide warmth through modern infrared technology. Among them is the POINT bar table—on display in the center of the venue’s gym. There are even more pieces of furniture and lighting in the ONE collection, which you’ll soon be able to discover on the new red collection website. Last but not least, the ILO chair and ILO stool are balanced outside on the terrace in front of the fireplace room, perched on the designated woodpile, and symbolize the joy and fun of designing with form, materiality, and function.

The Weißhaus: A Stage for Design and a Flagship for Cologne

The history of the Weißhaus in Cologne-Sülz dates back to the 14th century. The current manor house was built in the 17th century as the summer residence of the Benedictine Abbey of St. Pantaleon; the complex also includes a moat, a park, and a chapel. For decades, the Weißhaus was largely inaccessible and is now considered one of Cologne’s most special, hidden historical sites. DT26 uses the historic site as a spatial stage—the castle, the park landscape, and the raw surroundings of a gutted building on the grounds create diverse contexts for the exhibited works. The three exhibitions will be connected via a walking route.

With this major comprehensive exhibition and the choice of this unique venue, DT26 aims to highlight Cologne as a location rich in tradition for craftsmanship and design, as well as an internationally significant venue for furniture exhibitions. Building on this history, the format supports initiatives such as Design Season Cologne (DSC) and the trade show format idd cologne.

“Especially during these challenging times for the furniture industry and the design scene, we want to draw maximum attention to strong interior design voices and innovative designs in Cologne in the fall of 2026,” says DT26 curator Christian Heufelder. “The extraordinary setting of the Weißhaus provides a spectacular backdrop for this.” (Christian Heufelder, Curator)