apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Stragely, this same company is called "Cairo" in Germany-- ie. ORIAC spelled backwards! (Many of the catalog pictures have German magazines in them and I was curious . . . and found www.cairo.de) Did they fear that Cairo would get our nationalist hackles up? Truly bizarre! But wonderful stuff and occasionally they sell (or used to on ebay).

We purchased the Oriac Willy sleep-sofa in Orange about 5 years ago. It's a very sturdy piece of furniture,holding up well and still comfortable to sleep on. The sleeping surface is firm so if you like a mattress to sink into, you might want to use a feather bed on it.
It is quite heavy.(a lot of metal in the construction) It took four men to bring it up to our 2nd floor apartment.

Re: Order number 2005022422071005
Customer number: 76127

I am still waiting for the Carry-Max multipurpose cart, pls tell me when I can expect it.

I also have a credit for a returned item of $82.00 that should be applied to the Carry-Max.
Pls. inform me of the status of this order.
Erika Schafer 303-333-5558

Looking for oriacdesign Medina Fruit Bowl #H 103760

Please help, thanks

what happened to oriac???? where did they go???? are they out of business???? absorbed by another company????

I had major problems with Oriac Design a few months back. I returned a product to its warehouse and I had nothing but headaches trying to get a refund and/or merchandise credit. After six weeks of not hearing anything, I called the company, and it called back a week later to tell me that the product was damaged when it received it back. They told me that it was UPS's fault. Finally, after months of trying to resolve the issue, I got the media involved and it only took a few days from that point to get a full refund. I think it went out of business, but it doesn't matter none to me. I would have never ordered from them again anyway.

Unfortunately Oraic may be out of business. There phone is disconnected and their website does not respond. We had some stacking boxes on back order for about 6 months... and now we are looking for an alternate supplier... Does anyone know where Oriac went...? I checked the German supplier "Cairo" (Oriac spelled backwards) and found the boxes we want but how do I order from them...? my German is not very good. Any Suggestions... ?

We did go out of business...sad and disappointing...good business, but bad management. I apologize for any inconveninece, and assure that we were a good business. Like those waiting for backorders, I was left ot on the street as well...With minimum funds and support, we tried or best.

So sorry to hear that they have gone out of business! What wonderful products they have had, and for me, very good service. I will try the German site now.

Thanks for confirming that Oriac is gone. We are really sorry to see them go...Are there any other places in the US that carry the same type of products? Design with in Reach is good but they don't have what I want.
I have tried the German site (http://www.cairo.de/) and found what I need but I can't seem to submit an order... not being literate in German is somewhat of a problem. If any one has a clue how to send Cario and order and get it shipped to the US, please let me know.

Bob MacLean, Murphy NC

Hi Bob, Unfortunately, our product line was quite unique, and Cairo will not ship to the US, hence starting Oriac. Topdeq.com is a little similar, but I do not believe they carry the stacking boxes and are much more office-oriented. The manufacturer is Wasa...I beleve it is www.wasa.de. Maybe they can help you. They are a beautiful product, my former co-worker owns quite a few and am jealous I never picked up some. There is a rumor Cairo may try to start a new US brand in late spring, but I don't have any details yet. If you write to the info address for Cairo, you may get a response. Most employees are quite fluent,

it is really wasamoebel.de...sorry

Nooooooooo! I just called Oriac to ask where my backordered item was (was supposed to arrive weeks ago) and got the disconnected message. I am so upset, I had ordered two items to qualify for a free shipping special, and the item I REALLY wanted was the one on backorder. Since they only sent the second item, they mistakenly charged me the shipping anyway, and now I see I'm out of luck. I used to get their catalogs in 2001, and they were so well produced I never would imagine the company was unstable. What a waste of my money and effort, grrrrr. OK well at least I got that off my chest. To Fode: I wish you good luck on finding a new job.

I am also disappointed that Oriac has closed, but am glad to finally know what has happened after repeatedly trying to access the web site. The last time I looked at the web site I really liked the new match-like oil “candle”. I can’t find it anywhere. Does anyone know what I am taking about, who makes it or who else might sell it? It looked just like a burning match. Thanks.

Hi Terri, I believe you can find it at www.unicahome.com. The designer is JULIA THESENFITZ, and the vendor is www.anthologiequartett.de. It is quite a bit pricier at Unica. What were you looking for, Amanda? Thanks for your good wishes. This job search is proving to be quite difficult!!!!

Thanks, fode for your quick and helpful reply. You are right; it is significantly more expensive at Unica. Should have bought it (and much more) at Oriac. I hope you find employment at a location that you enjoy (and is stable!). Your quick and detailed responses to our questions leads me to believe you excel at customer service.

I had ordered four of the Wilhahn Stitz Stools in September and was told they would arrive in 16 weeks. I called to check the status of the stools and found out they were out of business. I paid for the stools and shipping, will I receive a refund? Why didn't anyone
notify me of this? Fode can you answer my question? This is so strange I thought Oriac was rock solid! Also Fode can you tell me
where I might be able to find these stools, they are difficult to locate. Thanks for your help, Sid

Hi Sid, Sorry about that. The US distributer is www.vecta.com. They are difficult to find though, and probably will be much more $$$. We did have periods of being rock solid, but the past year wasn't so great, and there were other factors that contributed to our closing. Are you sure you paid???? If people prepaid via check, I believe refunds went out in Nov. If you gave us a credit card, it wouldn't be charged till after the item shipped. There is a possibility you paid shipping if we sent a partial shipment prior. Unfortunately, management did not contact customers, not sure why, but we closed within an hour of finding out.

Hi Fode, Thank you for your prompt reply. You are right, I just checked with our accountant and we were not charged. So I guess that part worked out. Tell me, what month did Oriac close? It must have been bizarre for all of the employees to find out just an hour before the doors closed! So sorry. Thanks again and good luck in your job search.

Hi Sid, Glad to hear about the $...that made me quite nervous!

It was quite odd. Because of my position, I had an inkling 2 days before, but still was quite surprised we had no notice! It was the beginning of Nov, not a fun time to be laid off!

I am looking for a pair of ladies chairs by Zanuso made by Arflex in the 1950's.

Dear fode, you are a font of great source information. But I am very sorry about the abrupt end to your job. Do you happen to know the source for a clear fireplace screen that I saw in the Oriac catalogue?

Hi Diana, I believe it is the Bebop, manufactured by Blomus USA. I believe that www.chiasso.com carries it.

Greetings folks, and especially fode. My name is Greg, and I actually ended up with all of Oriac Design's remaining inventory at the end of December when it was auctioned off in Boston. There's quite a lot of it, and I'd like to sell it off. The prices will definitely beat Chiasso, DWR, or Topdeq.

Feel free to contact me at eccere@gmail.com

PS - fode, I'd really appreciate it if you would contact me. Maybe you can tell me the source of a few things that aren't in any of the catalogs, like the aluminum director's chairs.

Fode,
You have been so helpful to so many! By any chance do you know where we might find the Moonlight Lamp for a client of ours?
We are saddened to learn that Oriac closed its doors. I wish you speedy success in finding your perfect next endeavor!
Greg, do you have these in stock and if so, please contact me at your earliest convenience.
caroline@jerrikunz.com

I am looking for the stainless steel coat hangers I saw in the oriac catalogue a couple years ago. Does anyone remember? I have no recall of the maker etc. Just remember the exquisit design. Haven't found anything to compare. "contemporary coat hanger" suggestions are welcomed.

calandrajoan@aol.com

Greetings folks:

For those of you hunting for some particular Oriac items, here's some information:

Stacking boxes (Bob Maclean) - we have some left
Leave the Light On oil candle (Terri) - we have some of them as well
Stitz stools (Sid) - sorry none in the inventory
Bebop fireplace set (Diana) - one remaining

stainless steel coat hangers (Joan) - they came from a German firm, whose website is pieperconcept.de Unfortunately, we claimed all but a few for home use. Not sure who's selling them in the US.

If you're looking for any of the above or other items from Oriac, feel free to contact us at:

eccere@gmail.com

Thanks

Hi All,

I was wondering if anybody knew where else i can find oriacs torch candle, it is polished stainless torch with aluminum it went for $102,besides cairo or unicahome, if so please email or post it would be very helpful!Thanks!Sorry about oriacs lost! I loved that store!

Regarding Torch Candle
blueeyedgirl120@yahoo.com
email if found another website
THANKS

Hi all,
Thanks for your comments -- helpful to know the disappointing news about Oriac, and that folks are out there still trying to help.

I had ordered revolving CD towers from Oriac, that were stainless steel. I believe there were options for single or double width. I have seen somewhat similar products in TopDeq, but the design was better in Oriac.

Any info on where I could find these? I love the idea of a clean solution to my messy pile of CDs.

THANKS!!!

Oriac Design offered a "Kitchen Organizer" cart....designed by Jan Hoekstra...does anyone know of another source where this product is available?

The Kitchen Organizer cart that Oriac used to sell is made by Golden Sun Home Products Ltd., a Hong Kong company. It can be seen on the manufacturer's website, www.gs-home.jp I'm not sure if there are any current US retailers, but you might try e-mailing them.

We bought the remaining Oriac inventory, but unfortunately there are none of the Kitchen Organizers. We do have some of the Moving Kitchen and Travel Office carts by Melanie Weisweiler.

Greg
eccere@gmail.com

Does anyone know who makes the ceiling fan "blow" or where I may find it. I only saw it in oriac.

Hi Patty, It was made by Luceplan. Most fine lighting retailers should carry it. Also, I think that their website may have a list of retailers. Good luck! It is really nice.

fode

Patty, there was one of the LucePlan "Blow" fans left over from the Oriac inventory. Strangely, we inherited three sets of blades for it. The fan is unboxed, but I believe all the working parts are present, and we would test it before selling it. We could give you a VERY good deal on it. If you're interested, please e-mail us at eccere@gmail.com

Greg

I loved the oriac catalogue. Are they reopening under a different name??? Does anyone know of a similar catalogue? (besides topdeq and dwr)? Where can I find similar unique products?
Thanks,
Mary

if you want to translate the german to english try http://babelfish.altavista.com/tr

I am trying to order some of the Moonlight lamps for outdoors. Are these available anywhere? Thanks to anyone who can redirect me to another source for these great lights1

I saw the Moonlight lamps at www.luxuryhome products.com. You have to look around some, but they are there.

Anyone know where I can find the curly board (plastic bulletin board with curls)? Sad to hear the oriac is gone.

Crate and Barrel sold the curly board a couple of years ago and I have one, I wanted another because my doggie chewed it up. This was designed by Katja Horst at Reisenthel (I love her designs and wish I could afford them all). If you need to translate the web page you can do it through the altavista link above.
http://www.reisenthel-shop.de/product_info.php?produktnummer=015-CW0001

We still have a few of the Reisenthel Curly Hanging Note Holders that Oriac Design used to sell. They are the Reisenthel article #CW0001. Please contact us at eccere@gmail.com if you are interested. Thanks.

I was just browsing through some older catalogues and thought I would order the claro screen from Oriac only to find out they are closed.
So disappointing. Hopefully their staff has found other stable employment.
If anyone has a line on the claro screen please contact me at wedidit_2000@yahoo.com

I'm looking for the Otl Aicher designed ss numbers that were in the catalogue. Any ideas? Also a wall clock with black face and multicolored hands designed by Barbiere and Marianelli.
So sorry you're out of business, our architect recommended your products a lot. Thanks for any help, Scrap

Hi scrapmetal, the numbers were made by FSB. They do have an office in Brooklyn though most of their US distribution is door hardware. I believe the clock was a Rexite product. Not too sure where you get that one, though there are a lot of companies that carry their products in the US. I think you'd have to go to FSB directly though. You could check with Greg. I think we had some in stock when we closed our doors. Hope this helps!

Greetings:

Fode, thanks for the mention! We still have some of the FSB numbers and letters (a-d) remaining, though we are out of 5's, 6's, and 9's. Feel free to contact us at eccere@gmail.com if you would like a list of the remaining Oriac inventory.

Hi,
I am looking for the source of the Thonet Bentwood Armchairs that Oriac used to carry. Specifically I liked the black finish with woven cane seating. That is the classic Thonet inspired design for that chair. I can't find them anywhere on the internet. Does "Fode" know where I can order them at a price similiar to Oriac? I would greatly appreciate any pertinent advice on how to find these chairs.

Thanks

Does anyone know a source for the Quasimodo coat rack with either 5 or 3 hooks? So unique. So sad that Oriac is gone.

Thanks

Hi All!

Joshua, those will be difficult to find. They were from a small manufacturer in Germany whose name escapes me. DWR carries the other holed version w/o arms, but not in the original black and natural...
Barbara, Quasimodo came from first David Design, but now De Nord. www.denord.com They do little, or no, importing to the US anymore. I would try e-mailing them though because they are very nice and accomadating, and the hooks are easy to airship. The person who runs the company is the designer's brother, Peter Lindvall.

Try Greg though...we may have had some when we closed our doors!

Cheers!

i nearly fell down when i heard this company was gone! i saved a product clipping for soooo long waiting for the right time to buy it, only to be out of luck!!
greg or fode, do either of you have or know where to get the "HAPPY B" perpetual calendar?? (wooden board with holes for parchment paper notes) or who may sell a similar product? sooo BUMMED!!!

i just found the "HAPPY B" item i posted on CAIRO's site (as many others suggested). did someone say they don't ship to the U.S.?

I am so impressed with this discussion. Fode, you are amazing. Do you happen to know anything about the Fresco Towel Rack series? Many thanks!

Hi Diann, the Fresco Bath series came from Zack, which is distributed in the US by Roden Intl. www.zackusa.com. Greg may have some hanging around too.

I have no clue on the Happy B. I think Axel Weinbrecht distributed it, but I am not positive. You can try searching for the designer Alexander Schnell-Waltenberger. Sorry...

Wow. This has been quite a thread spanning over the past 11-12 months since Oriac blipped off the map. Fode, thank you so much for filling in the blanks for the fans of this unique design retailer. So, I'm dying to know what have you done with yourself, besides just answering questions here... Have you opened your own store yet? I think the store should be called Fode :-)

Will somebody please give Fode financing to open another Oriac-type retailer? Obviously, there's a devoted market out there with few competitive options in the US for these hard-to-find goods, and Fode's shown a great knowledge in sourcing them. Just let the rest of us know when it's up and running.

Well now i feel like a member of an elite club. I also waited too long to order and now i'm s___out of luck! Can you tell me where to find the doorbells?-Delight and squareby Tom Gordon and the other guy.-Thanks so much Shelley

Hi Rose, Thanks for the compliment. Anyone??? Shelley, you can find the doorbells at www.sporeinc.com.

We still have round and square Spore doorbell push buttons, Zack and David Design items, and other goods from Oriac Design. Sorry, no Happy Bs.

For an inventory list with discounted pricing, please send a request to eccere@gmail.com THANKS