In 1954, the Kunstwerkstede acquired an exclusive license in the Benelux for the production and sale of modern American furniture by Knoll. Industrial methods of production, already used in the pre-war period for making plywood, radio cabinets and temporary shelters, were now brought to bear on making furniture as well. Quality of finish remained central, however. In order to guarantee this quality and make the modernist vision their own, the company established its own study and design bureau in 1956. In the construction division, specialization in prefab building systems continued. The engineers went to great lengths to perfect the production of laminated wooden trusses. These innovations were the firm’s calling card at the 1958 World Exhibition in Brussels. The Kunstwerkstede was omnipresent at the expo, collaborating on some 30 different projects, including dozens of pavilions, the Expo-mast, the main entrances and the pedestrian walkways.  

From that moment on the company was once more at the top, because the new batch of engineers, architects, designers, decorators and production leaders worked together with the same vision. Only the older Arthur Deleu, who was nevertheless convinced by the new American lifestyle, found it difficult to let go of the pre-war vision of unity in the making of De Coene furniture. Although the manner of production had changed, the spirit of the Arts and Crafts movement, directed at the total integration of furniture, decoration and architecture, remained
latently present. Now, however, resolutely functional, modernist applications were chosen. Designers and/or decorators like Jimmy Corneille, Jérôme Dervichian, Philippe Neerman, Willy Nel, Fred Sandra; architects of prefab buildings: Frans Vuye, André Goddeeris and Roland Deleu; pioneers in truss construction: Joris De Hulsters and Jules Boone – together they returned De Coene to a position of international leadership in the wood industry. The company’s growth was so great that in 1966 the family business N.V. De Kortrijkse Kunstwerkstede Gebroeders De Coene was transformed into the industrial group N.V. Houtindustrie De Coene & Co.

The coming on board of the Generale Bank Maatschappij made further expansion possible. Various businesses were taken over and integrated in short order:

1966  
S.A. d'Exploitation des Ateliers Stéphane Jasinski, Brussel
Fineerbedrijf Heinsch

1967  
Novopan, Wilrijk

1968  
Fibrocit

De Coene was also able to participate in the exploitation of forests in central
Africa at this time.

The company was bursting at the seams. A new office complex and factory buildings rose from the ground in Kortrijk. Nevertheless, as a result of a number of poor strategic decisions, the company was finally disbanded in 1976. Its activities were divided among various autonomous limited companies, such as De Coene Products, De Coene Decor N.V. (specialized in interior decoration), De Coene Construct N.V. and De Coene Bexom. The final dissolution and liquidation took place on January 1, 1977.

1954  
Xth Triennial, Milan, wooden truss, designed by architect De Poerck
'honorable mention'
1955
Feria Internacional de Bogota, Belgian Pavilon, arch. Jacques Dupuis
'Gold Medal'.

1958  
International World Exposition Brussels :  
'grand prize' in the area of ‘Wood Industries’
'honorable mention' in the group ‘Buildings and Homes’

During this period, the firm also developed a number of new products and processes, and continued to install custom interiors on an institutional scale:

• Production of furniture for Knoll International, EFAC, Continent and Decoplan,  
  among others
• Industrial products like Decowall, fire-resistant doors, bakelite-coated panels,
 particle board
• Prefabricated buildings: pavilions, schools, homes, Club des jeunes (French
 youth clubs)
• Truss construction: European Parliament, churches, gymnasiums, exposition
  halls, silos
• Interior decor: UNESCO Paris, UNO Geneva, Bijenkorf Rotterdam, city halls,
  auditoria, concert halls (Rotterdam), Royal Library Albert I (Brussels), etc.