Project name: Design and production of furniture for the identity of Croatian tourist facilities
Project holder: Dvije boje d.o.o.
Project implementation period: December 2021 – April 2023
Total value of the Project: HRK 1,540,097.50
Amount co-financed by the European Union: HRK 1,109,801.25
Call Name: Strengthening the business of social entrepreneurs – phase I
Information, contact person: Ivan Janković-Miloš, dvije.boje.design@gmail.com
About the Project:
According to the announcement of the State Statistical Office of the Republic of Croatia, dated May 24, 2019, in the data on the goods exchange of the Republic of Croatia with foreign countries in 2018, an increase in the import of furniture compared to 2017 by 1,123 times is visible, which continued the trend of the previous period – index 2017/2016: 110.8. At the same time, the European Commission (EC) singles out the challenges of structural problems and competition affecting the furniture production sector. Structurally, the problem is attracting new staff – young workers to work in the industry. In terms of competition, the biggest threat is the low price of furniture production in China, which results in a high penetration of Chinese furniture in the EU, which accounts for more than 50% of the total imported furniture in the EU. In the same document, the EC states the potential of the furniture industry in improving quality, design and innovation. Such changes would include the restructuring of the production process, the inclusion of technological innovations and new business models. The product of such an approach is sustainable production and synergy with other economic branches that operate in the direction of sustainability, such as tourism. As it was concluded at the conference “Challenges and perspectives of sustainable tourism in Croatia”, held in 2017 under the auspices of the United Nations, sustainable tourism rests on economic sustainability, social responsibility and environmental protection.
Many changes brought by modern life are also reflected in tourism. New tourism is experience tourism, where the guest, the so-called A “new guest”, in addition to the sun and the sea, also expects the specificity of the destination he is visiting, which can be offered through the interior design, the choice of furniture, autochthonous, harmonized with the climate and with nature. The current tourist offer of the Republic of Croatia does not correspond to the mentioned trends. At the same time, there is experience and tradition in the production of furniture that has been declining for years, and one of the reasons is the non-cooperation of manufacturers and designers, and thus the absence of a domestic offer of competitive furniture. The creative potential of young designers is not recognized enough, and hotel and hospitality furniture is mostly imported.
The applicant noticed that design is not used enough as a driver of development and recognition on the market and that there is no cooperation with young designers and engineers of the wood industry, which means that their practical education in the real sector is missing. Due to the above, the Applicant decided to direct the business towards the sustainable development of furniture signed by local designers. The idea is to initiate cooperation between designers and manufacturers through this project to create new products intended for the tourism sector, for those who want to create additional value for their offer with interior design, which represents additional value for the new guest.
With this project, the Applicant is introduced to new dimensions in product preparation, production processes and the interdependencies of individual parts of the concept when developing new products, and designers at the same time get the opportunity to express themselves creatively, collaborate with the real sector, especially with furniture manufacturers, and show the general public their works. The production of domestic furniture for furnishing Croatian hotels, from domestic raw materials, based on domestic product design, is the goal of the Applicant’s future business. The training of the Applicant’s personnel will raise the level of understanding and communication between the Applicant’s employees, as producers, and Croatian young designers, based on whose ideas future production is planned. The main/general goal of the project is to strengthen the company’s capacity through employee education, creating new jobs and strengthening the applicant’s business, while the specific goal of the project is manifested through the improvement of employees’ knowledge and skills through specialized programs (on the topic of design, new product development, negotiation and presentation). , the creation of new jobs (employing two new people who are in a disadvantageous position) and the development and improvement of the Applicant’s business by making four new prototypes that will be presented to representatives of the tourism industry at the specialized fair “District Design” in Rovinj.
The stated objectives are in line with the general objective of the Call. The purpose of the project is to bring together young designers and furniture manufacturers who will jointly create innovative furniture for tourist facilities, with an emphasis on environmentally friendly materials and the specifics of the destination. As a result of the mentioned project, three employees were trained and perfected, two additional people were employed, four prototypes were made, one conference and one fair were organized, at least 20 works of young designers were exhibited.
The expected duration of the proposed project is 16 months. Within the mentioned period, the activities mentioned in the specific goal are planned, and will be carried out in the area of Zagreb, Brod-Posavina and Istria counties. The target groups of this project are the Applicant’s employees, young designers, wood industry engineers, furniture manufacturers, architects, planners, interior designers and the tourism sector.
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