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Experience, technology and culture: the Kvadrat case
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Estimated reading time
4 Minutes

Experience, technology and culture: the Kvadrat case

You can’t not recognise them once you’ve seen them: touch-friendly textures, eye catching patterns, colours that blend seamlessly together but that have been carefully planned nonetheless.

We’re talking about the distinctive fabrics by Kvadrat, the Danish firm that in fifty years has revolutionised the business approach in the textile industry, becoming a model for the business world as a whole and in particular for design-led firms.

It’s not just a question of aesthetics. In fact Kvadrat owes its success to a solid passion for technological innovation, safeguarding the environment and celebrating culture.

quote-divider
Good design is at the heart of all we do.
Kvadrat
Raf Simons National Academy by Brian W. FerryRaf Simons National Academy by Brian W. Ferry

Oslo Bluetooth Speaker
Rodolfo modular seat/bed - Kvadrat
Oslo Bluetooth Speaker
Kate Kvadrat Steelcut Trio 2 515 two-seater sofa
Kate Kvadrat Coda two-seater sofa

Kvadrat: fabrics, but this is just the start

Kvadrat’s history begins in 1968, a year that symbolically stands for renewal and looking towards the future. So, it isn’t by chance that this firm should choose to be defined as progressive.

Using the qualities of the fabric to its advantage, Kvadrat has never shied away from a challenge, embracing a wide range of traditional as well as unconventional uses: ranging from sofa covers to art installations, and from carpets to soundproof panels.

Working with some of the most famous designers in the world has helped the company to expand its horizons and use wide-ranging colour palettes, adding pieces to an intricate puzzle – while staying coherent in its approach.

Kvadrat ShowroomKvadrat Showroom
Kvadrat ShowroomKvadrat Showroom

Kvadrat and Vifa: fabrics to be heard

Needless to say, when these two Danish firms came together, the first specialising in textiles and the second in speakers, their approach was design-led. The level of technological expertise both at Vifa and at Kvadrat is extremely high, however the outcome of this fruitful partnership is anything but pedantic and complex.

quote-divider
Creating authentic sound is a matter of orchestration.
Vifa

Their first consideration is the respect for materials, details and the customer’s experience and the final objective is to rely on shared values, so the two companies have collaborated to create a coherent, captivating and extremely clever line of speakers – in true Scandinavian style.

Vifa’s refined cutting-edge sound technology is protected and enhanced by an integral fabric cover designed by Kvadrat, providing the collection with a distinctive and uniform identity.

Speaker Helsinki by Vifa Speaker Helsinki by Vifa
Helsinki Bluetooth Speaker
Oslo Bluetooth Speaker
Reykjavik Bluetooth Speaker

The home of the future: small spaces and modular furniture

But Kvadrat focuses above all on fabric upholstery. And a designer in this field has to go well beyond interpreting the latest trends.

You need to be able to predict how the home will change in the future. What’s the key? Finding a delicate balance between satisfying current needs and projecting future uses.

The Memory capsule collection by Kvadrat and Patricia Urquiola, chosen for the Rodolfo modular sofa, represents a striking example of such a balance.

The fabric upholstery is consistent with the nature of the product, as is Kvadrat ‘s partnership with Vifa. Sophisticated colours and abstract patterns create, both visually and to the touch, the sense of an irregular and unique type of weave. This suggests the design’s predisposition towards constant change and rearrangement, a feature which is intrinsic to modular furniture.

Designed to adapt to the space requirements of small apartments and to the new and unpredictable ways in which a room might evolve – or to constant house-moves and to friends who decide to stay over one night too many: this is an art form and Kvadrat helps to celebrate it.

Capsule Collection Kvadrat x RodolfoCapsule Collection Kvadrat x Rodolfo
Rodolfo modular seat/bed - Kvadrat
Rodolfo modular frame
Rodolfo modular seat/bed - Kvadrat
Rodolfo modular ottoman/backrest - Kvadrat
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