Clicky Cobra have been opening doors for 30 years – an interview with Kristina Boda

The thirtieth anniversary of a company's existence is always a good reason to recap the past and plan for the coming years. In the case of successful companies, interviews are easy to conduct – they have stood the test of time and look towards their future with a wholly positive outlook. We talked about the history and outlook for the next years of the company Cobra with its director – Kristina Boda.

This year your company celebrates thirty years since its founding. How did the idea of founding Cobra come about, and who was behind the creation of the company?
Cobra was founded by my parents back in 1990 – they realized the huge difference between the offer of interior fittings in Czechoslovakia and Western countries. In the first years, the company relied on my parents' work, who managed everything directly from their apartment, and the first warehouse was in the garage. In today's perspective, it is amusing, but it was the common reality of that time. We are still a family business, and I am proud of what my parents managed to build.


How have you progressed over the past thirty years? Can you characterize your long-term activities in any way?
In the segment of door fittings and accessories, Cobra was at the starting line in the 1990s as the first. The market was hungry for novelties, and a lot of construction and renovation began. On the other hand, there was no distribution as we know it today. Without e-shops and DIY stores, everything depended on intense contact with retailers and builders. The efforts of my parents and their colleagues from that time still bear fruit today – we know our business partners personally, we trust them, and we can build future plans on solid foundations.

I believe that the essence of our DNA is the ability to offer customers the solutions they truly need. We enjoy collaborating with top designers and architects on prestigious projects, but we still insist that even ordinary projects or retail customers deserve a choice of handles in a design and price that suits them. Customer segmentation and the ability to provide the ideal solution has always been our strong point.


You took over the management of the company two years ago. What is it like to take over a family business that your father built for over thirty years?
Taking on the responsibility for Cobra and essentially for my father's life's work is incredibly daunting. A regular management position brings responsibility mainly for one's own performance, while in a family business, we are placing the efforts of the previous generation and family relationships on the line. I cannot allow for the possibility of failure.

Even after two years, I am searching for balance for myself and our company. We have great relationships with our business partners and colleagues; that is a "tradition" I respect. On the other hand, the market is visibly changing; we need to respond more quickly. Our whole business runs on solid foundations, and we have ample space and strength to push us further.

Isn't a handle primarily an elementary technical element rather than a design interior item?
In general, I see no reason why even elementary technical elements could not meet aesthetic expectations. Door fittings must, of course, fulfill their basic functions, but – and this is important – it is an element that often lasts longer than most regular interior fittings. Therefore, it is essential to consider quality, technical aspects, and design.


Let’s regard quality as a given; the differences between handles are dictated by design. The grip of a handle is physical; it must fit well in the hand while also being in harmony with the character of the entire interior. Therefore, I perceive good door fittings as a lasting jewel.

How often do new collections of door fittings emerge?
Collections emerge continuously; for practical reasons, we have always tried to present novelties either at ForArch in the autumn or in our annual product catalog in the spring. The development of our collection is always a long-term endeavor; it took two years from the initial idea to market introduction for our flagship Cobra Q collection.

It is important to say that at Cobra we do not only address design innovations. The criteria for some novelties are not just design-related, but also functional – the demands on fittings for public spaces such as hotels, restaurants, and offices are much more complicated than those in regular interiors – I mean, for example, bearing or antibacterial fittings, where we are dominant in our market offering.


The success of your Cobra Q collection (triple RedDot, GermanDesignAward, etc.) in the design field is well known. Do you think it is important for products to receive design awards?
We wanted to verify our position in comparison to both Czech and international competitors, and Red Dot confirms the competitiveness and uniqueness of the Cobra brand. We developed the Q collections – Infinity, Spectra, and Ultima – with designer Petr Novague over two years, successfully incorporating the original brief into each handle – ergonomics, solidity, modern elegance. The resulting design awards from Red Dot to the Iconic Award confirm the correctness of our current path while also declaring the value of the final products to customers themselves.

How often and on what occasions do you collaborate with architects who are, for instance, in the preparatory phase of designing an interior for their project? Do you offer architects and designers any special services, consultations, or materials?
Collaboration with architects and developers works very well for us. While we have our favorite collections of handles, our mission is rather to accommodate the intentions of architects and creators. Thanks to the breadth of our range, we have the opportunity to find truly good design and functional solutions for new projects. Cooperation on specific projects is understandably ideal, and we are glad to work with several architects in this manner.

There are many opportunities – new buildings offer various possible solutions and styles, so we perceive the concept and brief, on the other hand, we work with architects on the renovations of old buildings, where we provide fittings in variations approved even by heritage specialists. Public buildings make for a separate chapter, where we gladly provide professional collaboration – this includes panic or object fittings, for example.


What does collaboration with architects bring you?
For our future development, we need further insight into the needs of architects. Collaboration with them allows us to advance in terms of product range, deepening our knowledge. Many of our products are sold through the e-shop, but our development and quality enhancement is stimulated only by real collaboration and communication with architects, designers, or partners.

What are the current trends in the development of door fittings?
Architecture and design today ride the wave of minimalism, which, of course, we accommodate. From ornate elements or avant-garde shapes, even designer handles are shifting towards simplicity of direct lines and restrained elegance.

However, let’s divide door fittings into groups according to consumer demands, and we will see new trends and characters – the main group of fittings for ordinary apartments and houses is certainly the largest and still draws from traditional designs and materials. The focus here is mainly on the price/performance ratio; however, customers are better informed and pay more attention to ergonomics and quality surfaces – a typical representative is the Giussy handle. The second group consists of above-standard door fittings, where besides the expectation of total quality, we note a significant emphasis on minimalism and experimentation, supplemented, for example, with dark color solutions.


In the segment of public buildings and offices, we have so far noticed the willingness of investors and architects to bring projects to functional optimization, including the use of quality door fittings that correspond to the method of use. In this respect, we will see what the current COVID situation brings us - whether investors will save or, conversely, utilize, for example, antibacterial handles as a necessary added value in public spaces.

Technologically, we are naturally exploring the possibilities of new forms of door opening, including fingerprint readers, but at this moment, we see more interest from partners and architects in expanding our offer of designer handles.

The motto of the entire company is "you have a handle." Do you personally – have a handle?
I do. And if I happen to feel that there aren't enough handles, I can go to the warehouse and start counting them.