Müller Möbelwerkstätten GmbH

Müller Möbelwerkstätten has been developing and manufacturing high-quality furniture in northern Germany, more precisely in Bockhorn in the district of Friesland, for 150 years.

The medium-sized family business with over 50 highly qualified employees is managed by Jochen Müller, who, together with his wife Katja, is the fifth generation to continue the long tradition of craftsmanship and furniture making.

Gerhard Wilhelm Oetken laid the foundation stone of the traditional company when he founded the cabinetmaker's workshop in Bockhorn in 1869. 30 years later, his son August took over the business and built the main building at Urwaldstr. 8, which still serves as the company headquarters today.

The name was changed in 1936 when Wilma, August Oetken's daughter, married the carpenter Fritz Müller from Neuenburg. At this time, the small manufactory produced individual pieces of furniture such as wardrobes, beds and chests.

It was not until his son Dierk and his wife Erika took over the joinery in 1969 that the company moved into industrial series production of furniture. The company now trades under the name Müller Möbelwerkstätten and from then on develops, produces and sells modern series furniture designed for the company by architects and designers.

One of the first pieces of furniture in the collection is the stackable bed, designed by Hamburg architect Rolf Heide. The stackable bed has since become an icon of German furniture design and embodies the company's understanding of design in a special way.

The design philosophy of Müller Möbelwerkstätten is derived from the German understanding of design and quality. Clear forms, sensible functions and the renunciation of any fashionable ephemerality are essential characteristics of the products. The use of modern, unobtrusive materials, such as plywood, naturally also has an international character, as does the concept of mobile living, for which the Konnex shelving system, designed by Florian Gross and awarded a prize by the German Design Council, stands in a special way.

In 1971, Müller Möbelwerkstätten exhibited for the first time at the renowned furniture fair in Cologne, where it presented innovative furniture that could be dismantled and shipped. Since then, new products have been created year after year in close collaboration with renowned designers such as Rolf Heide, the kaschkasch design studio, Michael Hilgers, Felix Stark and many more.
Many designs have been awarded national and international design prizes, such as the 2012 Design Award of the Federal Republic of Germany for the „Konnex“ shelving unit or the 2003 interior innovation award at imm cologne for the „Stacking Lounger“.

The national and even international ambitions are successful and lead to the company expanding. The company premises are extended, production halls are built and the machinery is modernized.

1979 is the birth year of the emform collection. In collaboration with various designers, a new collection of home and office accessories is created, which is produced on an „extended workbench“ in Germany. The timeless and high-quality products are primarily made of chrome-plated metal and underpin the company's high level of design expertise. In 1984, the emform collection is spun off into an independent company.

In 1994, Müller Möbelwerkstätten GmbH takes the next major step towards expansion: the production area is doubled with the construction of a further production hall and the integration of a modern surface department.

In 2003, son Jochen and his wife Katja join the management of the family business. The expansion of the company's own furniture collection, the intensification of marketing activities, a stronger focus on cooperation with retail partners and, last but not least, increased efforts in e-commerce are the guarantors of the company's sustained success.

In particular, the successful e-commerce strategy in cooperation with specialist retail partners led to the achievement of another milestone in the company's history in 2016: the construction of a modern logistics center with a capacity of one thousand pallet spaces. This important measure has resulted in Müller Möbelwerkstätten being able to deliver the majority of ordered furniture within a few days of receiving the order.

The products are sold worldwide via around 500 specialist furniture retailers as well as selected mail order and online retailers. Every year, Müller Möbelwerkstätten presents innovative new products at the International Furniture Fair in Cologne and at Ambiente in Frankfurt.

Müller Möbelwerkstätten is also active in the contract business and has specialized in the future market „micro-apartment“. In close cooperation with customers and architects, the company creates outstanding interiors such as student residences, hostels and conference hotels.