One of Peter Saville’s recent projects with perhaps less cult appeal than his seminal record covers, but definitely no less verve for anyone with an eye for design, is his consultancy for Danish textile giants Kvadrat. Over the last five years he’s tweaked the graphic identity of the family-run company, gently and always appropriately updating the brand for a new generation of fabric fanatics.
Now though there’s a more concrete expression, quite literally, of Saville’s involvement – a collaborative effort with the architect David Adjaye - in the shape of a new London showroom.
The two-storey space is quite an extraordinary creation. Though essentially a raised ground floor and basement, Saville and Adjaye have managed to flood the concrete space with natural light. Upstairs is Kvadrat’s HQ whilst downstairs is the showroom space, which has been kept bare with ‘cells’ that pull out from the walls displaying the Kvadrat catalogue of fabrics. The only furniture is a long concrete table with benches and stools, intended to be a meeting and dining place for clients.
It’s the staircase though that is the main feature, running the entire length of the space. Deep steps (slightly long for one step and maybe a bit short for two) are framed by panels of coloured glass like a 3-dimensional realisation of Saville’s design for the New Order single Blue Monday. More than just a gimmick, the surprisingly subtle feature saves the space from being overwhelmingly industrial, refracting – in sunlight – vivid splashes of changing colour onto the concrete walls.
Kvadrat CEO Anders Byriel said of the project: ‘a Kvadrat showroom is like a public institution where art works are presented and discussed’. This showroom is certainly an artwork worthy of discussion in itself.
ADDRESS
10 Shepherdess Walk
London N1 7LB
-
Head out to new frontiers in the pocket-sized Project Safari off-road supercarProject Safari is the first venture from Get Lost Automotive and represents a radical reworking of the original 1990s-era Lotus Elise
-
Kapwani Kiwanga transforms Kvadrat’s Milan showroom with a prismatic textile made from ocean wasteThe Canada-born artist draws on iridescence in nature to create a dual-toned textile made from ocean-bound plastic
-
This new Vondom outdoor furniture is a breath of fresh airDesigned by architect Jean-Marie Massaud, the ‘Pasadena’ collection takes elegance and comfort outdoors
-
Kvadrat’s flagship New York showrooms encompass colourful design codesIndustrial designer Jonathan Olivares and architect Vincent Van Duysen have worked with Danish textile brand Kvadrat on the vast new space, also featuring furniture by Moroso
-
‘A journey from the pastoral to the cultural landscape’: Peter Saville’s textiles for KvadratTechnicolour, a new textile collaboration between Kvadrat and British designer Peter Saville, brings together field and factory, contrasting natural wool tones with pops of colour inspired by the spray-painted markings found on flocks throughout the country
-
Mae Engelgeer and Savoir Beds’s totemic huggable installation -
Raf Simons creates dystopian neighbourhood with Kvadrat in Milan -
For his Salone del Mobile launch with Kvadrat, Jonathan Olivares goes back to nature -
Material worldKvadrat and Really launch the second iteration of its ‘Circular by Design’ initiative at Salone del Mobile
-
Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec create an adaptable environment for Kvadrat -
Simple statement: Kvadrat proves a blank canvas is often the best inspiration
