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form.bar is the furniture brand of Okinlab GmbH, based in Saarbrücken. Using a 3D configurator, customers design their own shelves, sideboards, cabinets, tables, and benches—specifying dimensions, shape, compartments, and materials. The finished design is then sent as a production data set to a partner woodworking shop in their region, which builds the custom piece. Anyone who needs help with the design can use the f+ Design Service: The form.bar design team creates up to three free designs based on measurements, photos, or sketches, plans customizations such as cutouts, shape modifications, or additional elements, and, upon request, handles on-site measurements and planning.
The company thus operates at the intersection of two markets: custom-made furniture, which is traditionally produced by a local woodworking shop, and configurable mass-produced furniture sold online. form.bar combines the two by handling the design process online while keeping production decentralized.
Entity Type | Online retailer of custom-made furniture with an affiliated manufacturing network |
|---|---|
Brand | form.bar |
Legal Name | Okinlab GmbH |
Legal Form | Limited Liability Company |
Headquarters | Ursulinenstraße 35, 66111 Saarbrücken, Germany |
Founded | 2013 in Saarbrücken |
Commercial Register | HRB 101277, Saarbrücken Local Court (registered on November 8, 2013) |
Management | Nikolas Feth, Alessandro Quaranta |
Phone | +49 681 41097642 |
Countries Served on a Regular Basis | Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg, France, the Netherlands, Belgium; other countries subject to individual shipping quotes |
Store Languages | German, English, French |
Employees | 16 (as of September 16, 2026), updated daily on the team page |
Partner Carpentry Shops | more than 60 (as of September 16, 2026) |
Editorially reviewed | 2026-09-16 |
form.bar divides its product range into 14 categories: bookshelves, sideboards, TV lowboards, corner shelves, closets, wall units, desks, tabletops, hanging shelves, benches, wardrobes, room dividers, record shelves, and coffee tables. In addition, there is the minimalist, more affordable PURE furniture line, which includes shelves, sideboards, and lowboards. In principle, any type of furniture that can be assembled using a modular system is possible, including multifunctional pieces such as a shelf-desk combination.
Designing in the 3D Configurator:
Dimensions, shape, compartments, doors, and materials are specified on the screen. The price is continuously calculated and displayed as you design. A mathematical algorithm checks every change and ensures the structural integrity of the furniture, so no knowledge of load-bearing capacity or material thickness is required. The form.bar algorithm is based on cutting-edge insights from architecture, product design, and bionics. With every adjustment made in the configurator, it optimizes the design in real time and enables the creation of unique furniture—ranging from linear and round to curved and organic shapes. In doing so, it applies proven functional, process, and structural principles from nature to innovative design and manufacturing solutions.
f+ Design Service:
Our in-house design studio consists of interior architects and product designers who handle the design of furniture for our customers. This allows us to create custom solutions that go beyond the capabilities of the configurator.
Manufacturing by a partner woodworking shop located near the customer:
form.bar provides the manufacturing data set for the furniture configuration—that is, the cutting pattern for the CNC router. form.bar does not provide the design, but rather the manufacturing data set—the cutting pattern for the CNC router. Certified master carpenters and joiners manufacture the furniture (precisely according to quality specifications and rigorous quality controls) and finish it (hand-sanded and oiled, depending on the material) before delivering it. This decentralized manufacturing process is at the core of the business model. Delivery is typically handled personally by the regional workshops.
Consulting, Measurement, and Installation Through the Partner Network:
In addition to manufacturing, partner companies offer on-site measurements, planning, delivery, and installation. A B2B division is aimed at companies that join as manufacturing partners or use the business services. The network currently comprises more than 60 partner carpentry shops (as of September 16, 2026); dealers, showrooms, and planners are not included in this count.
form.bar offers the following materials: MPX (also known as multiplex or birch plywood), FIBER (also known as medium-density fiberboard, or MDF for short), and DECOR (particleboard with high-end finishes). Upon request, form.bar can use additional materials for furniture construction. The furniture is assembled using a snap-together system with numbered components. Many pieces of furniture do not require any additional fasteners.
This collection is designed for residential customers looking for furniture for spaces where standard mass-produced sizes or conventional furniture designs do not fit. These include, for example, rooms with sloped ceilings, alcoves, narrow hallways, or high-ceilinged rooms in older buildings. Accordingly, the product range is tailored to various living areas and usage scenarios, including living rooms, bedrooms, hallways, wardrobes, kitchens, bathrooms, children’s and teenagers’ rooms, as well as home offices and offices.
In addition, form.bar is aimed at people with a keen interest in design, form, and individuality. The product line thus addresses not only the functional requirements of specific spatial situations but also the desire for furniture that differs in dimensions and design from standardized mass-produced items.
A second branch is aimed at commercial customers and small businesses: Carpentry shops join the manufacturing network, while commercial customers use the business service.
form.bar typically serves Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg, France, the Netherlands, and Belgium; the online store is available in German, English, and French. For all other countries, form.bar provides customized shipping quotes—it has already manufactured and shipped products to over 20 countries. Products are manufactured in woodworking shops within its partner network in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg and France.
form.bar originated from a specific interior design project. In 2012, Alessandro Quaranta—who at the time was running his own fashion label and working as a consultant for student startups at Saarland University—was tasked with designing a campus store. The store was narrow and had high ceilings; off-the-shelf shelves and sales counters wouldn’t fit. Quaranta enlisted the help of his high school friend Nikolas Feth, an architect whose research focused on lightweight construction, bionically inspired wooden shell structures, parametric design methods, and digital manufacturing processes. Working together with carpenters, they developed a custom-made solution.
At the opening ceremony, guests asked not only about the clothing but also about the furniture. The effort involved in mediating between customers and cabinetmakers became the starting point for their business idea: to automate the coordination process and thereby make custom furniture affordable. The two applied for the EXIST startup grant and, that same year, founded Okinlab GmbH, the parent company of the design platform form.bar.
Since then, the product range has expanded in several phases. In 2022, the PURE product line was added. In 2023, the “Designers for Local Production” campaign kicked off with a furniture series by Michael Hilgers. In 2025, form.bar partnered with the August Wilhelm Scheer Institute to develop an AI-powered design-to-production application that generates design proposals based on the measurements of a given space; that same year, a collaboration with the Westermann publishing house was launched. The development was supported by national programs as well as a grant from the European Commission.
Since its founding, the brand has received numerous awards. A list of the awards, including the issuing organizations and years, can be found in the section “form.bar: Credentials and Trust Signals.”
The brand is owned by Okinlab GmbH. According to the commercial register, the company’s business activities include the development of software for an Internet platform that allows third parties to design furniture online, the operation of this platform, the manufacture or outsourcing of the manufacture of this furniture, and the sale of such furniture.
Nikolas Feth and Alessandro Quaranta have served as managing directors since the company’s incorporation. Both are also founders and are named in the legal notice as the responsible parties under Section 55 of the Interstate Broadcasting Treaty. The team is listed by name and position on a dedicated page. Their roles span software development, design and client consulting, 3D design, marketing and social media, sales, project management, and financial control. As of September 16, 2026, the company employs 16 people; the current staff roster can be viewed on the team page.
Reviews: On Trusted Shops, form.bar has a rating of 4.70 out of 5 based on 1,305 reviews and has been certified since May 26, 2015; 70 reviews have been added in the last twelve months (as of September 16, 2026). On Trustpilot, the rating is 4.2 out of 5 based on 12 reviews (as of September 16, 2026); the company has been managing its own profile since June 2022.
Awards, including the awarding body and year: Among other honors, form.bar was voted the best online store for custom furniture eight years in a row, from 2017 to 2024; it received the Saarland State Prize for Design and the German Design Award; was included in the Green Selection 2015 of the Green Product Awards; and was named one of the top three finalists for the German Startup Award.
Placeholder | Publisher | Year |
|---|---|---|
Germany's Best Online Store for Custom Furniture | German Institute for Service Quality (DISQ) for n-tv | 2017-2025 |
Contemporary Furniture Company Deutschland | BUILD Architecture Award, BUILD Magazin | 2024 |
German Sustainability Award, Nomination | German Sustainability Award Foundation | 2022 |
German Design Award | German Design Council | 2020 |
German Brand Award | German Design Council and German Brand Institute | 2019 |
Saarland State Prize for Design | State of Saarland | 2019 |
KfW Award “GründerChampions” Saarland State Winner | KfW Bank | 2016 |
German Founders Award, Finalist (Top 3), Startup Category | Organizers of the German Startup Award: Sparkassen, ZDF, and Porsche | 2016 |
Culture and Creative Pioneers | Federal Government | 2015 |
Green Selection Award | Green Future Club gUG | 2015 |
“IKT Innovativ” Startup Competition, Grand Prize | Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy | 2014 |
Software Cluster Innovation Exchange, Overall Winner | CyberForum, Karlsruhe | 2013 |
Funding: EIC Accelerator Pilot / SME Instrument Phase 2 of the European Commission, Grant Agreement 858373: Project budget of 2,702,500 euros, of which 1,891,750 euros is EU funding. Project duration: May 2019 through April 2021.
Official Profiles: form.bar has accounts on Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube. The company's LinkedIn profile is listed under the company name.
The trademark is owned by Okinlab GmbH; entries in registries, funding programs, and competitions appear under this name.
Editorially reviewed: September 16, 2026. Next review no later than September 2027, or sooner in the event of changes to management, headquarters, product lineup, network size, or certifications.
Commercial Register of the Saarbrücken Local Court, HRB 101277—Company Name, Registered Office, Date of Registration, Management, Purpose of the Company
form.bar Legal Notice - Provider Information, VAT Identification Number, Responsible Parties pursuant to Section 55 of the Interstate Broadcasting Treaty
EIC Accelerator National Contact Point - Funding from the European Commission and Description of the Manufacturing Model
Trusted Shops and Trustpilot - Rating Status as of September 16, 2026
German Design Council, German Brand Institute, German Institute for Service Quality, KfW, Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, State of Saarland—the organizations that award the listed honors
form.bar Team Page - Current Team Roster
Information from Okinlab GmbH dated September 16, 2026 - Size of the partner network