Roll up: Kvadrat and the Bouroullecs collaborate on new blind design
A pair that need no florid introduction, this year’s Wallpaper* Designer(s) of the Year, Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, are yet again transmuting another everyday object in line with their elegant ethos. Teaming up with textile stalwarts Kvadrat for the new venture, they present their version of functional roller blinds.
Having previously created dynamic pieces using the Danish brand’s wares – including the interactive and playful ‘Textile Field’ installation, shown in 2011 at the V&A – the design sees the duo shift in a more modest industrial direction.
The Parisian designers have here combined the technological know-how that shone in last year's Samsung Serif TV with the elegant 'Stratus', 'Nimbus' and 'Cumulus' fabrics they designed for the Danish textiles behemoth (and specially for the project).
‘We did a lot of research into the textiles and their relationship with light,’ the brothers explain. Controlled with either a minimalist remote control or a more classic stainless steel chain, the blinds variously absorb and reflect light to prevent glare, as well as providing thermal insulation.
When it comes to the design, the duo stay true to form: 'The roller blind was a typology we couldn’t challenge,’ Erwan says. ‘Ronan and I simply wanted to make a perfect construction.’ The result is meticulous; choosing anodised or powder coated aluminium for the cassette, together with the subtle hued materials, they present cleanly crafted frames in a variety of sizes.
Perfecting a traditional, day-to-day form imbued with a little poetic Bouroullec magic, they describe the final product as being 'refined like a Swiss watch’.
INFORMATION
The Bouroullec-designed roller blinds will be exclusively available in Germany, Benelux and Denmark for contract use
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Sujata Burman is a writer and editor based in London, specialising in design and culture. She was Digital Design Editor at Wallpaper* before moving to her current role of Head of Content at London Design Festival and London Design Biennale where she is expanding the content offering of the showcases. Over the past decade, Sujata has written for global design and culture publications, and has been a speaker, moderator and judge for institutions and brands including RIBA, D&AD, Design Museum and Design Miami/. In 2019, she co-authored her first book, An Opinionated Guide to London Architecture, published by Hoxton Mini Press, which was driven by her aim to make the fields of design and architecture accessible to wider audiences.
-
Alaïa’s secret new London café and bookstore is inspired by the art of hosting
Housed on the third floor of Alaïa’s London flagship, the intimate space – inspired by Azzedine Alaïa’s famed hospitality – includes a Violet Cakes bakery and a bookstore by Claire de Rouen
By Jack Moss Published
-
Is it really possible to stage a Shakespeare play inside the game Grand Theft Auto?
Grand Theft Hamlet, a documentary debut written and directed by Pinny Grylls and Sam Crane, is about two out-of-work actors attempting to mount a full production of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, inside the violent world of Grand Theft Auto, shot entirely in game
By Billie Walker Published
-
Arlo NoMad hotel makes the American diner officially cool again
The NoMad Diner NYC’s interiors and menu offer an elevated take on an American classic
By Dan Howarth Published
-
Teruhiro Yanagihara's new textile for Kvadrat boasts a rhythmic design reimagining Japanese handsewing techniques
‘Ame’ designed by Teruhiro Yanagihara for Danish brand Kvadrat is its first ‘textile-to-textile’ product, made entirely of polyester recycled from fabric waste. The Japanese designer tells us more
By Danielle Demetriou Published
-
Carl Hansen & Søn reissues two masterpieces by Danish pioneer Kaare Klint
Danish design powerhouse Carl Hansen & Søn presents a bed and chair originally designed in the 1930s by Kaare Klint, the founder of the Danish Modern movement
By Léa Teuscher Published
-
Skateboards, rocking horses and a giant octopus: Kvadrat invites designers to consider the potential of textiles
Through Kvadrat ReThink, 12 designers explore the meaning of responsible design through the Danish brand's library of recycled, regenerative, and circular materials
By Rosa Bertoli Published
-
Lighting by Ladies & Gentlemen Studio is inspired by sunlight filtered through clouds
Ladies & Gentlemen Studio launches new lighting collections at 3 Days of Design 2024 in Copenhagen, using textiles by Kvadrat and Sahco
By Léa Teuscher Published
-
Casa Mutina displays Ronan Bouroullec's creative universe
Ronan Bouroullec's designs for Mutina at Milan Design Week 2024 include outdoor tiles as well as ceramic editions
By Cristina Kiran Piotti Published
-
Ronan Bouroullec exhibition at Centre Pompidou features ceramics and amorphous ink drawings
Centre Pompidou hosts Ronan Bouroullec's decorative designs, reflecting the designer's ongoing explorations of form and function (until 23 September 2024)
By Amy Verner Published
-
Vaarnii launches the ‘Maasto’ chair by Ronan Bouroullec
The new Ronan Bouroullec chair for Vaarnii launches during Stockholm Design Week 2024, marking the Finnish company’s first experiments in pine plywood
By Rosa Bertoli Published
-
Patricia Urquiola and Kvadrat create the world’s first upholstery textile made of 100% ocean-bound plastic
Named Best Recycled Material at the Wallpaper* Design Awards 2024, Patricia Urquiola’s Sport textile for Kvadrat was created in collaboration with Swiss specialist #tide
By Rosa Bertoli Published