About us

In 2023 the smow online shop celebrated its 15th birthday – an opportunity to look back on 15 successful business years. On a path that was not always easy; however, the smow managing directors - Michael Petersen, Jörg Meinel, David Dimitrow and Andreas Bobek - continually invested in new ideas and new locations and dared to experiment. Whereby one constant over all these years has been the strong manufacturer relationships, without which smow would not have become what it is today: a successful, stable and trustworthy omnichannel retailer in the premium segment. The origins lie with Vitra, Thonet, Richard Lampert and USM. Over the years, smow has grown together with its manufacturers. The four managing directors explain in a personal conversation how this occurred, what connections they have to the “manufacturers of the first hour”, and also what defines smow for them personally.

A guiding objective at smow is the long-term promotion and support of culture and talent in the field of furniture design. Through initiating awards such as the smow Design Prize and supporting events such as the Grassimesse smow are committed to encouraging young talent to develop and implement their creative ideas. Our focus is on promoting a sustainable design philosophy and supporting innovative approaches to using materials, in which context it is important to us to create inspiring platforms that enable designers to fully exploit their potential and make a positive contribution to the development of the design industry.

Since its founding, smow has been committed to the cultural sector, working closely with local museums and event series, curating exhibitions and sponsoring talent competitions. In the past, for example, we supported a Germany-wide competition for architecture students at the Anhalt University of Applied Sciences in Dessau in context of which ideas were sought for a mobile smow showroom in order to make creative and cultural use of Leipzig's unused areas, with the prizes being awarded by a jury under the chairmanship of Ulrich Müther. In addition, we have a long association with the renowned International Marianne Brandt Competition, which honours the memory of the important German designer and promotes young design talent.

Our most recent cultural commitment is reflected in the initiation in 2023 of the smow Design Prize. Awarded in context of the annual Grassimesse the prize recognizes outstanding achievements in the field of interior design. With the award and the associated €2,500 prize money we are sending a strong signal for innovation and creative excellence in the design industry.

With our synergy of stationary retail, innovative online shop and strong focus on tailor-made project solutions we have set a new standard in the furniture trade. A groundbreaking combination that has been recognised with the 2024 German Retail Award in the "Medium-sized Business" category.

The jury particularly praised smow's "unique digital-stationary concept, future-oriented expansion and exceptional customer orientation." It is precisely through close on-site customer support that the company creates strong and sustainable customer relationships, according to the President of the German Retail Association. Whether individual living dreams or future-proof working environments - smow creates sustainable solutions with its omnichannel strategy and remains a pioneer in the design trade.