i4F partners with Hoek Home on patented tool-free furniture-connection technologies

– i4F enters new category with Hoek’s intuitive furniture leg assembly system

– Universal joint enables a single connection architecture across multiple product lines

– Exclusively available via an i4F license

TURNHOUT, BELGIUM – i4F^®, a group of companies providing patents and technologies to the global flooring industry, today announced that it has partnered with Hoek Home to bring Hoek’s patented furniture-connection technologies to market via i4F’s global licensing program. As a result of the new partnership, i4F gains exclusive licensing rights to a proven furniture-connection system while broadening its portfolio beyond flooring by entering the furniture category. Hoek gains global access to partners able to scale its patented system, supported by i4F’s licensing and IP-protection infrastructure, enabling it to focus on advancing its design and engineering innovations.

Hoek Home, founded in Brooklyn, New York, is known for its modular, tool-free furniture that assembles in seconds with a focus on smart, intuitive design. The company’s patented mechanical connection system allows furniture legs to be attached or removed in seconds, without tools, screws or loose hardware. Its universal joint works across multiple materials, styles and leg geometries, enabling manufacturers to use one connection architecture across multiple product lines. The technology supports applications including indoor dining tables, outdoor tables and benches, and modular dorm room desks. A second patented system extends the technology into seating, enabling coordinated table and chair collections with similarly fast, tool-free assembly.

For manufacturers, the technologies can reduce the number of separate components and provide a repeatable, scalable connection. Retailers benefit from products that are easier for consumers to assemble, move and store, with expanded flat-pack options that can support more efficient logistics.

Conor Coghlan, Founder of Hoek Home, says, “We set out to make beautifully designed furniture radically easier to assemble in order to meet consumers’ demand for simplicity. This is exactly where the synergy with i4F lies, with its focus on easy and intuitive technologies and systems. Its global reach and strong IP protection give us the platform to scale, improving how furniture is manufactured, moved and ultimately experienced in the home.”

John Rietveldt, i4F’s CEO, adds, “Hoek’s vision fits perfectly with our strategy to deliver smart and easy-to-use technologies that solve real problems for manufacturers, retailers and consumers. Its intuitive connection system can also support more efficient manufacturing, while offering furniture that can be assembled or disassembled in seconds, making the value obvious from the first use.”