it's clear that the origin of most products relies on a working

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It’s clear that the origin of most products relies on a working partnership between designers and manufacturers. For this issue, DAMN° rolled out the multicoloured carpet for flooring systems, and went vertical here and there to touch on wall coverings and textiles. As a warm-up exercise, we’ve asked a few producers to take the floor and debate the matter.

TOUCHING GROUND

DAMN°36 magazine / FLOOR & WALL COVERINGS

BOTTLE CARPET, 2012 A carpet made of plastic bottles by WE MAkE CARpEtS.thanks to taragalte Festival, M’hamid, Morocco.

ON FLOOR AND WALL COVERINGSINêS REVéS

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BITS, design: Anya Sebton for Abstracta

OKTAV, design: Christian Halleröd for Kinnarps

It’s nothing new, designers and big companies have always collaborated – think of the historical part-nership between the Eames’ and Herman Miller. Designers bring fresh ideas, new insights, and push companies forward. But aside from the obvious revenue it brings in, what is the outcome of these collaborations for the designers? What do designers learn from these partnerships? How does it influence their creative process? And what do designers bring to companies as design professionals? Zooming-in on the flooring, wall coverings and textiles areas, we managed to discover how designers and companies get along with one another.

The connection with the ‘real world’ is often a plus for designers when collaborating with big compa-nies. Design duo Raw Edges recently launched Tex, their second collection of tiles for ceramics producer Mutina. They firmly acknowledge the positive as-pects resulting from the collaboration with the Ital-ian brand. “The great side is that Mutina have the re-sources to invest in new ideas and to take risks when developing experimental products that are a little bit off the main trends current”, say Yael Mer and Shay Alkalay from Raw Edges. They find that communi-cation with the company has always been excellent and they are often invited to visit the production facilities, which helps them to understand how the processes of production and machinery work. “Our studio can be a bit of a dreamland, so it is a fantastic excuse to leave for a few days and see how things are being made in the real world”, the duo continues.

The opportunity to experiment is seen as positive, also from Mutina’s side, and is actually a very im-portant aspect when choosing the designers to col-laborate with. “We want them to explore new areas of material research. What all our project partners for the new collections have in common is that they have never worked in ceramics before”, says Mas-simo Orsini, Mutina’s president. This emphasises the need for exploration and fresh ideas, a gap filled by bringing in designers. Erwan and Ronan Bouroullec also share a good chemistry with Mutina and are al-ready preparing their second collection of tiles.

The exploration of the material, from an outsider’s perspective, is also seen as an advantage for Bisazza, producer of glass mosaics for the luxury market, who recently invited Nendo to design a collection. ”It’s always fascinating to see how mosaics can be flexible and surprising when seen through the eyes of a designer who approaches this material from his own point of view, and for the first time. Nendo’s delicate interpretation of the mosaic is visible in the new patterns, Hana-Flower and Kumo-Cloud, that will be introduced in the 2013 Bisazza Mosaic Col-lection”, says a spokesperson at Bisazza.

For Bolon, a specialist producer of vinyl flooring, strategic partnerships with designers are vital to exploring their materials, in order to move things around a bit and escape the obvious. “For us it’s im-portant to constantly be one step ahead, and inter-esting partnerships are a challenge that drives the business forward. We always aim at being at the forefront. By working closely with creative and ar-tistic personalities we can assemble new influences and interpretations. From a personal perspective, the collaborations are a great source of inspiration, energy, and joy for both of us”, says Marie and Anni-ca Eklund, creative and managing director at Bolon.

The opportunity to develop new technologies and materials is also worth mentioning, as was the case with Christian Halleröd. When developing Oktav, a sound absorber for Swedish brand Kinnarps, the de-signer came up with a new material made from the recycled waste of Kinnarps’s own production. “I love to visit factories and suppliers and talk with design engineers, production staff, and in-house buyers. Of-ten this is where you find new ideas and approaches”, says Halleröd. Coincidentally, Abstracta is another Swedish brand that specialises in acoustic products, and since working with them, designer Anya Sebton shares the idea of an exciting partnership. “My col-laboration with Abstracta created an interesting ex-change and brought me information about new tech-nologies and environmentally conscious materials.” The result is Bits, a soundproof panel. “From these collaborations with designers we learned to value their work, as it is the key difference between a good product and a great product,” says Thomas Samuels-son, managing director at Abstracta.

Working with producers that are perceived by de-signers as a reference in their area of expertise is frequently an exciting factor, as well. In the case of Marloes Jongen and her collaboration with Kvadrat in producing the Eno rug for Danskina, there is the fulfilment of working with a brand that stands as a reference for quality products. “Kvadrat has al-ways set an example in the industry”, Jongen says. “To me there is so much to discover and create with the different textile materials, both the conventional and non-conventional types, as well as seeing the techniques that are utilised. Kvadrat embodies that. They show how far textiles can reach.” The well-es-tablished company also recognises the added value of these collaborations. “The recognised designers, who work more broadly with design, can sometimes help us push the boundaries in respect of technol-ogy and aesthetics” says CEO Anders Byriel. Companies offer designers a perfect platform for experimentation and delve into a specialised field, allowing and inciting them to take risks and think outside the box. For companies, it’s always inter-esting to have new and refreshing interpretations brought within their field of expertise. The collabo-rations between designers and companies seem to please both sides, making them a safe bet and creat-ing a winning experience for the two. As Marloes Jongen puts it: “Collaborations are about sharing knowledge, fascinations, inspirations and sources, and about persuasion. Designers and the industry both complement each other. With experience, I have come to realise that the industry has so much to offer and there is so much knowledge there for us. Sharing is the way you create new dimensions, and with these collaborations you create new visions and new ideas, rediscovering the possibilities for fulfill-ing the needs of society.”

Part 1/ General PatternsExperimentation, research, technological advances, craftiness, peculiar insights, bravery, and a fair amount of wit all feature in the development of new and unusual surfaces. It is indeed a challenge to make something that is otherwise very ordinary into something extraordinary. DAMN° walks you through it.

TEX, design: Raw Edges for Mutina

KUMO-CLOUd, design: Nendo for Bisazza

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JAN KATHDesigner and Founder of Jan Kath Jan Kath finds that combining the traditional and the modern is a natural process. He grew up in the carpet trade environment. Even though the production proc-esses and methods are all very traditional, including the search for materials, the spinning and the dying, he aims to bring carpets into the 21st century. “It’s always a long process from design to production. The weaving itself can take up to four months for a single rug. Before that, we work from nine months to a year on each new de-sign. We do not stock any carpets, all that we produce is based on client orders.” “I see a bright future. You know, rugs were not fash-ionable when we started almost 20 years ago. We have developed a very refined product and there are only a handful of people who have the ability to make such a special item. We have the know-how and will continue to invest in it. It’s kind of a dying art, on the one hand, but on the other, demand is growing. I think carpets are definitely back.”www.jan-kath.de

tAGGED, design: Jan kath

BOLONMarie and Annica EklundCreative and Managing Directors Marie and Annica Eklund find that flooring is much more in focus today. “Our impression is that the general use of vinyl is growing; however, woven vinyl flooring has always been a small niche and still is, even though the market has developed over the years and thus brings a stronger focus on design and advanced technical char-acteristics. We can now produce much more technically improved vinyl flooring compared to a few years back, and, for example, can use patterns and 3D effects.” “For us it’s important to constantly be one step ahead, and interesting partnerships are a challenge that drives the business forward. We always aim at being at the forefront. By working closely with creative and ar-tistic personalities we can assemble new influences and interpretations. From a personal perspective, the col-laborations are a great source of inspiration, energy, and joy for both of us.” In 2013, two big happenings are taking place at Bo-lon: “It will be 10 years since we took-over as the third generation and transformed Bolon into an international design brand; and will be 20 years since we started to produce flooring in the form it is today. This will be cel-ebrated in a very spectacular way and there is a book involved, but it’s too early to reveal the details. I can promise you it will be something filled with passion and inspiration!” www.bolon.com

BOLON by Missoni

to find out just what makes floor surfaces, wall surfaces, and assorted textiles all that interesting, DAMN° spoke with a slew of owners, designers, artists, presidents, founders, chairmen, CEOs, and managing directors in sole pursuit of getting to the bottom of things. Having thereby covered all possible angles, we have surmised that everyone involved is entirely devoted to the perfecting of this everyday item, each in his own (often) peculiar way.


Part 2/ Mixed Opinions

ANYA SEBTONDesigner In Bits for Abstracta, Anya Sebton wanted to create a sound-absorber module that could involve the users in the creative process. “The inspiration for the triangular shape came from the paving pattern designed by archi-tect David Helldén for Sergel’s Square in Stockholm. Us-ing a triangular shape is not only an aesthetically attrac-tive look, but also, and effectively, a sound diffuser.” “Most of the companies I work with are based in Sweden. I regularly go to the factories; I feel that it is important to have close contact with the development team. Design is based as much on cooperation with the companies as on the work you do at your desk. Working with big companies gives you access to better resources, an example being specially developed tools for mould-ing. The collaboration with Abstracta created an inter-esting exchange and brought me information about new technologies and environmentally conscious materials.” And she feels it is absolutely possible to innovate in this field. “There are always new materials and new tech-nologies that encourage innovation. The need for sound absorbers is huge, and is really the biggest problem you have in the open office landscape. It is often a designer’s task to look at a problem and try to find a solution to it.”www.sebton.com

BItSWALL, design: Anya Sebton, manufacturer: Abstracta

KVADRATAnders Byriel, CEO Kvadrat work together with emerging talent and also with recognised designers. “The latter, who work more broadly with design, can sometimes help us push the boundaries in respect of technology and aesthetics. Over the past years, we have built-up an internal product de-velopment team in which technology and know-how play a bigger role. We have more textile engineers now, so our idea is to collect knowledge and work in a more systematic way. This should help us in our dialogue with the designers.” Quite some innovation has been introduced in the textiles area. “For ex-ample: the luminous textile technology developed together with Philips, the A-class acoustic solutions in our new com-pany Kvadrat Soft Cells, and also a new way of working with natural materials, as per the products we have just intro-duced that contain 50% hemp and 50% wool.” “Kvadrat textiles will continue to reinterpret our core wool story. One of the next major projects is a quite mas-sive collection that we will be launching in Milan with a new and very interesting collaborator.”www.kvadrat.dk

REMIx 2, design: Giulio Ridolfo

Remix 2Giulio Ridolfo

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CONFINDUSTRIA CERAMICAFranco Manfredini, Chairman ConfindustriaCeramicaistheItalianceramicmanufactur-ersassociation,anorganisationthatrepresentsthelegitimatedemands and requests of the sector, from local to interna-tionallevel. “The Sassuolo-Scandiano ceramic district, the birth-place of modern industrial ceramic tile production, is also the place where all product and process innovations came into existence. The innovation developed here is subsequently exported worldwide, contributing to the global growth in ceramic production. Today, alongside thin sheet technology, Italy continues to play a lead role in the environmental area, as the companies with the best green performance are Italian.” In terms of the main advances and technological de-velopments of recent years, Manfredini finds that eco-friendly technologies and ceramic materials are the most important growth factors. “After entirely eliminating toxic raw materials, we proceeded to rationalise and optimise the production process. As a result, we are now able to recycle not just our own production waste but also the waste from other sectors. The technology of thin ceramic sheets derives from the Italian capacity for innovation. This technology is ideally suited to residential applica-tions and external façades. Last, but not least, inkjet dec-oration allows us to achieve surface effects and faithful reproductions of highly valued natural materials, as well as ceramic tiles with trendsetting designs and colours.” Regarding Italian ceramics, “the future is ours to build by making the most of our competitive abilities, namely, innovation, excellent relations with the distri-bution system, identification of new applications for ceramic products, continued investments in upgrading our machinery and technology, and our determination to promote the ‘Ceramics of Italy’ trademark as a label. These are complex times in which the Italian ceramic industry’s clear goals and world-leading role continue to be important competitive factors.”www.confindustriaceramica.it


ROYAL MOSAMireille Meijs, Product designer In recent years Royal Mosa have seen an evolution. “More and more tiles made with inkjet. With this tech-nique you can print any picture or photo onto a tile. Most companies use marble and stone as inspiration; the result can be beautiful but it will still be a copy of natural stone. We always try to develop tiles with a very strong ceramic identity.” “One of our most famous products is Terra Maes-tricht. This floor tile collection has a natural sense of movement achieved by combining different colour-mix-tures, which makes every tile unique. The result is a very natural-looking and vivid floor. In addition, we have just launched Mosa Murals. With this wall tile collection it is possible to create a ceramic wall with authenticity. By using different sizes, tones, colours and surfaces, the ar-chitect can design walls with an individual signature and a strong identity that relates to the space. For example, a subtle mix with tones out of one colour family, or an expressive wall in a combination of brighter colours.” For Mireille Meijs, as a product designer, the big-gest challenge is in bringing something new to this field. “I always try to work on new innovations. This works best by combining the strengths of different people and working in multidisciplinary teams. Our goal is to meet the needs of architects.” www.mosa.nl

LINES, in bright white

HELLA JONGERIUS Designer Hella Jongerius has had a successful relationship with Maharam for many years, mainly because they both share the same values -- beauty and quality above economy. “Sometimes the design process starts with a con-struction, but normally it’s about a topic that interests me at that moment, and I start by making lots of draw-ings and paintings in order to figure out what of this topic I want to express. It is also a ‘ping pong’ process between me, my assistant Edith van Berkel, and Mary Murphy, the art director at Maharam.” “When we all agree, Maharam find the right mill and start weaving samples. Then there is a lot of back-and-forth with the samples to come to an end product. The last thing we do is the colour selection of the new fabric. Normally, from design to the first production samples, it takes about half-a-year. But if the construction or meth-od is new, we may need several years.” “I’m currently making three or four furniture fabrics for Maharam every year. The ones that were launched recently are Hours, Vases and Colourwheel. But there are more hot buns in the oven.”www.jongeriuslab.com

HOURS for Maharam

HELLA JONGERIUS, photo: Rob Overmeer

VASES for Maharam

NANIMARQUINANani Marquina, Director and Founder Nani Marquina studied product design and in her early work she designed patterns for weaving. “When I started in the 1980s, I realised that there were no rugs being designed in accordance with the time. Spain be-gan to excel in design and I noticed I had not covered a part of the market: quality carpets with an innovative and contemporary design. Also, I’ve always liked rugs as objects, because they transmit the history and culture of places through the materials and manufacturing tech-niques employed, and you can learn a little about the societies from which they come. They also have great significance as a meeting place and point of communica-tion between people. And they say a lot about the per-sonality of those who have them.” “At Nanimarquina, craftsmanship is the essence of our creation. We transform the traditional into the con-temporary. After 25 years, it is very important that the editorial vision is in continuous evolution, so we will keep on working with designers, creating ideas and turning them into rugs. We are now working with dif-ferent collections but it’s still to early to confirm which collection we will launch in Milan in 2013.”www.nanimarquina.com

CHILLIDA COLLECtION: Figura humana, 1948, by Eduardo Chillida

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HEIMTEXTILOlaf Schmidt, Vice President of Textiles & Textile Technologies at Messe Frankfurt Heimtextilisaninternationaltradefairforhomeandcontracttextileswithmorethan2600exhibitors,happeningfrom9to12January2013inFrankfurtamMain,Germa-ny.Thisyear’seditionwillseethelaunchofthefirstYoungCreations Award: Upcycling, specially targeted at youngpeopleandfocusingontheprincipleofsustainability. Olaf Schmidt finds that much has happened with regard to technical textile innovations since the 1980s. “Initially we presented technical textiles at Heimtextil, before launching a separate trade fair, Techtextil, in 1986, to provide an appropriate forum for the huge, innovative potential in this field. Today, Techtextil is the world’s leading trade fair for technical and unwo-ven textiles, and is supplemented by five other interna-tional trade fairs in the segment.” The biggest technological advances in this area, ac-cording to Schmidt, involve the functional qualities. “There is a great advantage offered by technical textiles, especially when it comes to furnishing and equipping public areas. In hotels, for example, textiles with new, intelligent fibres are gaining popularity, and decisive breakthroughs have been achieved in this area over re-cent years with innovative material properties such as greater durability, improved UV resistance, fire protec-tion and allergy neutrality.” “We are currently experiencing a take-off in de-mand for sustainable textiles – and we consider there to be a great potential in the coming years. We firmly believe that the future belongs to these green textiles.”heimtextil.messefrankfurt.com


KINNARPS ABPaulina LundströmMarketing & Communications Director Kinnarps was founded in 1942 by Jarl and Evy An-dersson and is still in the family, owned by their chil-dren and grandchildren. “We are now in an exciting phase, with a partly new executive management board. We have a new design philosophy and share a posi-tive outlook towards the future, and we are anticipating great things ahead. It is extremely important for them to collaborate with designers. “It keeps us innovative. We have a pas-sion for detail and produce furniture that is authentic and expressive. Right now we are developing a tool that enables our designers to get to know Kinnarps’ design philosophy. We always like to have personal meetings and invite our designers to visit our factories and meet the team. Chemistry is the key.” Designers have taught Kinnarps that a collaboration is like yin and yang. “We balance each other as comple-mentary forces, and create greatness.” www.kinnarps.com

OktAV, design: Christian Hallerod

LUCA NICHETTODesigner Luca Nichetto has been invited to design Das HouseatimmColognethisyear.Hisprojectaimstore-thinktheconceptof thehome,redefiningandblending interiorandexteriorspaces toofferacloserdialoguewith thenaturalsurroundings. “The idea behind Das Haus 2013 is to experiment on what living with nature might look like. It excludes almost every wall, only to emphasise the concept of merging the inside and the outside. The entire central living area of the house is surrounded by nature, the presence of which delimits the space without a physical dividing wall. In order to change our living culture, we have to find small-scale solutions that are transferable – to different countries, to a different climate, and to structures with different degrees of urbanisation. Even in a small apartment, integrating nature and plants can enrich the way we live.” In designing the interior, Luca Nichetto tried to combine colours and materials to achieve a cosy, warm, and natural feeling overall. “For the floor I chose a high quality oak veneer with a matte oil-brushed finish, from the Italian company Alps, while for the curtains I kept the same warm tones of the walls, adding transparency to avoid encumbering the space, and to let the light pass through. I would like visitors to forget the fact that Das Haus is situated in an international fair, and to give them the feeling of a real, habitable home.” “As a designer I believe you can help people change the world by using good products, giving them a reason to smile. But it isn’t the products that change the world. In its current form, our civilisation, which defines itself via consumption, is gradually nearing its end. The solution can only be to produce fewer and better things, and to not lose sight of the bigger picture.”

www.lucanichetto.com

LUCA NICHEttO, photo: Markus Moström

DAS HAUS, imm Cologne 2013

VORWERK CARPETSJohannes Schulte, Managing Director “The elementary principles at Vorwerk Carpets are: high quality, innovative concepts, constant technologi-cal advances, long-range vision – both economically and ecologically – as well as people’s well-being. Es-sential for accomplishing these guidelines are years of business know-how, intelligent and sustainable pro-duction, and selected and certified materials that are also suitable for those suffering from allergies. Further to this, collaborations with internationally renowned architects, designers and artists in the ‘Art collection’ add a new aesthetic approach to flooring and form the cultural essence of the brand.” Vorwerk Carpets continuously work on innovat-ing and on improving the carpet sector. “Therefore the brand is going to push the boundaries of flooring by working on a new project that blends carpets and inte-rior design to form a highly sophisticated extension. In 2013, Vorwerk Carpets is going to present its new de-sign line RE/COVER green, in cooperation with highly respected architect Hadi Teherani. Extraordinary de-sign meets eco-friendly material: 90% of the materials used are renewable, added-to by natural extenders and rounded-off with a variety of fascinating colours, pat-terns and prints.” “Vorwerk Carpets encompasses a versatile portfo-lio – from high-grade models oriented towards diver-sity, all the way to luxury collections that can also be custom-made individually on request. The brand offers a wide-ranging product assortment – woven and tufted – for the home and contract carpet sectors.”vorwerk-carpets.com

FREESCALE MESH FORMA

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RUCKSTUHLPeter Ruckstuhl, Director “Working with external designers can be very en-riching because they bring their inspiration from foreign countries or different professions, and also their inde-pendent point of view. They provide us with new ideas, refreshing thoughts, and stimulating dialogues. This can lift the design process to another level, and finally leads to a successful collaboration.” Ruckstuhl’s 2013 Edition brings together designs by internationally famous designers whose signatures could not be more different from one another. “All of them were asked to come up with a contemporary inter-pretation of the patterned carpet. They have created fas-cinating designs, each reflecting an individual approach. The carpets do not have many common features, but rather represent an impressive mixture of multicultural currents and ideas.” “Following our family tradition, we are committed to the highest quality standards, an aesthetic approach to materials, and a rigorous adherence to ecological re-quirements. A Ruckstuhl carpet offers a mode of floor design that makes a timeless impression, and is based on understatement. The raw ingredients of our products are first-class yarns made of renewable textile fibres. These materials create a pleasant domestic atmosphere, con-tributing warmth and comfort. Our carpets are durable and even under hard conditions have a long service life, and they also maintain their look over time.”www.ruckstuhl.com

AppROACHING, design: Hussein Chalayan

LANDSCApE, design: Arik Levy

CHRISTIAN HALLERÖDDesigner In the development of Oktav, Christian Halleröd found his collaboration with Kinnarps very positive. “The fact that Kinnarps do their production in Sweden facilitated a close collaboration, while it also gave me the opportunity to influence the whole process. Oktav – a sound absorber – is produced from a material built out of recycled waste from the factory’s own production line. This is a material I’ll keep on developing together with Kinnarps in the future.” Concerning sound absorbers, he thinks we are just at the beginning. “Increasingly, people are demanding a bet-ter working environment because they spend more time at the office. When I designed Oktav, I wanted to create an attractive, environmentally friendly product that would create harmony in the workplace. My inspiration came from absorbers in sound studio environments. Oktav can be arranged in interesting patterns and colours for the office, and create a dynamic interior. Besides working practically and technically, it adds something playful and inspiring in settings that are often perceived as dull and impersonal.”www.chd.se

OktAV for kinnarps

NODUSAndrea Galimberti, Art Director Andrea Galimberti reckons that Nodus bring an open mind and a new way to make rugs. “Not just a graphic interpretation, but real rug projects. We start to work on rugs as objects, pieces of art, design concepts. We go beyond the rug itself and try to reach its essence. In a word, our products are HANDMADE, with high-quality finishes and the best materials. Depending on the pattern and techniques we use, it can take from two to twelve months to produce each rug.” To him, the strongest evolution in this area is the abolition of child labour, ecological concerns, and cus-tom made production. “At Nodus we are aware of the ongoing trends, but our main focus is on innovating the traditional by connecting the old tradition of weaving with design. It’s simply amazing to see how designers understand a rug in a completely different way. I’m now working with Ron Gilad, and in 2013 we will present a new perspective on our rugs, absolutely great and amaz-ing. This is the art of life and culture. It is the kind of manufacturing that becomes something which interacts with your daily life.” www.ilpiccolodpiu.it

INtRIGUE JApONAIS, design: paolo Cappello

ABSTRACTAThomas Samuelsson, Managing Director “Wewereamongthepioneersofacousticproductsforof-fices aswell as audiovisual products formeetings, offeringsolutionstobothcorporateandpublicclients.Ourproductsaretoolstomakepeoplemoreproductive,focused,andcrea-tiveintheirdailyworkinglife.” Abstracta find working with designers important. “We try to find designers who share the same view on so-lution-based product design. The result of 1+1 should be 3 and not 2. Take Airflake, for example. It was designed by Stefan Borselius in 2007 and was immediately a sales success. It addressed the physical need for a visual and acoustic partition as well as an interior accent. The same is true for Triline, designed by Anya Sebton. It is a highly functional A-class sound absorber but looks like art on the wall.” “We work closely with a small number of designers in order to build a relationship in which information can be shared. Many designers are well informed about materi-als and shapes; we add customer insight and production-related know-how.” Abstracta have learned to value the work of the de-signers. “It is the key difference between a good product and a great product.”www.abstracta.se

LOOp, design: Anya Sebton

AIRCONE, design: Stefan Borselius

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GANDIA BLASCOJosé A. Gandía-Blasco, President Dragonfly is the new carpet designed for the company by Nendo. “We knew Nendo’s work by looking at some of his designs, and automatically fell in love with it. From there we decided to invite Oki Sato to collaborate with us. “We always try to transmit our experience to the de-signers in order to help them design their products, be-cause, for some, it’s their first time developing outdoor furniture or rugs. Usually we invite them to visit us to show them how we work. The most important thing for us is to feel they have the same spirit. It’s not important if they are highly recognised designers. We love working with people from different countries, as we like to bring a multicultural approach to our projects.” At present, Gandia Blasco are expanding the borders of their brand GAN, which specialises in rugs, to create GAN SPACES – basically, textile furniture (poufs, cush-ions, and accessories). “But we will retain our research into new technologies, shapes, and designs.”www.gandiablasco.com

DRAGONFLY, design: Nendo


MARLOES JONGENTextile designer As a textile designer, Marloes Jongen always try to pursue the right balance between technique and a free interpretation of the material. “I think it’s important to expose the qualities that already exist but aren’t so obvi-ous. I want the material’s origin to standout as much as possible. With the Eno carpet by Kvadrat for Danskina, I hope to create a stop-and-pause reaction, meaning that at first it’s not clear how it’s made, but it attracts attention and so is appealing to find out what is on the floor.” Jongen finds that Kvadrat has always set an example in the industry. “To me, there is so much to discover and create with the different textile materials, both the con-ventional and non-conventional types, as well as seeing the techniques that are utilised.” “Collaborations are about sharing knowledge, fas-cinations, inspirations and sources, and about persua-sion. Designers and the industry both complement each other. With experience, I have come to realise that the industry has so much to offer. Sharing is the way you create new dimensions, and with these collaborations you create new visions and new ideas, rediscovering the possibilities for fulfilling the needs of society.”ENO for Danskina

PARADORVolkmar Halbe, CEO “Parador set the highest demands on design and qual-ity. Typical users of our products have a special awareness of this, they understand living spaces as being an expres-sion of their individual attitude to life. We have laminate floorings and engineered floorings for indoors, as well as screening and decking for outdoors. We also offer a spe-cial programme called Parador Identity for architects and planners, whereby each person can create his own lami-nate flooring.” “Collaborating with recognised designers such as Konstantin Gcric ennobles the products, especially the laminate floorings. We had 12 famous designers who de-veloped interesting decors together with us, which set the standard for the whole branch.” Creative work has always been very important at Parador. “Our own design department develops decors in-house. We are in constant dialogue with the designers to discuss the special challenges that arise. One of the var-ious projects we did with Karim Rashid was Hotel Berlin, for which he created the whole interior, designing three different laminate floorings for the rooms.”en.parador.eu

ILLUMINE, a parador Identity Library design

RONAN & ERWAN BOUROULLEC Designers In regard to choosing companies to work with, Ro-nan & Erwan Bouroullec have a very clear approach. “For us, it is important to work alongside passionate people. With Mutina we had a very interesting first meeting, and after some minutes it was evident it would be good to work with them. We often go to the par-ticular company’s factory and -- this is a very important point -- feel the mood of the place. In the case of Mutina, it was a way to find out that they are a marvellous Italian company, not organised, but full of passion!” Mutina invite only designers that have never worked with ceramics, which is also something the Bouroul-lecs defend in their work, vowing “to never become specialists at anything, because it’s preferable to have a certain distance and to be a bit naive. Sometimes you can approach the problem at an angle that a specialist wouldn’t.” “When we decide to work with a company, we don’t like to make just one project. To work with a company is almost like a love affair, we have to share the same goals and put some effort into the relationship. For a year-and-a-half now we have been developing a new collec-tion with Mutina, but we still need one more year for completion.”www.bouroullec.com

pICO , © Studio Bouroullec

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And lastly, we explore at the ins and outs of some of the more quirky surfaces, with three companies who are doing such things as putting fabric textures onto tile surfaces, digitally printing individual tiles for use as pixels, and taking standard (ugly) carpets and remixing them to form another surface entirely.


Part 3/ The Process

WE MAKE CARPETSBob, Marcia and Stijn, Designers and Founders

The materials WE MAKE CARPETS use come straight from the factories. According to the company’s design-ers and founders, who go by the names of Bob, Marcia and Stijn: “We try to find products that are aesthetically so downgraded in the eye of the consumers that they are rarely seen as beautiful. When we arrange them in large numbers on the ground, in the shape of a carpet, we hope that the viewers’ eye looks at them as something new and beautiful. You must realise that society demands these products but almost never evaluates them. We try to bring them again to the attention of the critical eye.”

It is consumer society that inspires them. “The enormous quantities in which things are produced. Also, ‘normal’ things inspire us. Next to that, music plays a great part in our working process. I think there was not one carpet finished without the album Graceland by Paul Simon be-ing played.”

“We just finished the Bottle Carpet, which was developed during two weeks in the Sahara desert. We are now fo-cusing on new plans for 2013. We are defining plans to work much more in the future. We would like to take steps in the direction of making more permanent monumental work in the public space. We are also researching ways to insert the WE MAKE CARPETS principle into real carpets.”

WE MAKE CARPETS are very proud of the fact that their carpets trigger the most elemental things regard-ing art and design. “People look at, and see a carpet. Look again, see what it’s made of. Sometimes they touch it and accidentally destroy a part of the carpet. Then we hear them say: “how many objects are there?”, “how much time did they spend building it?”, “is this design or art?”. Our carpets don’t seem too difficult to understand. The products and the aesthetics are the things that speak, and this is exactly how we want it.”

www.wemakecarpets.nl

TEX FOR MUTINABy Raw Edges

For their second ceramics project for Mutina, Raw Edges have brought the textures found in fabrics onto the surface of tiles. “With Tex we decided not to design the texture ourselves but to ‘steal’ it. Everything around us had texture, from natural elements to manmade ob-jects, so we thought: why design new textures if we can borrow them from existing ones?” explains Yael Mer of Raw Edges. ”We took plasticine and started to press it against every interesting texture we saw; it was almost like walking around and ‘recording’ textures. The most surprising results were had from kitchen towels, men’s suits, summer blankets, and even underwear!”

In developing the design, there was a lot of back-and-forth with Mutina to decide on the final textures. The design process and production almost blended into one, as many decisions were taken only after the trial-and-error phase. “We collected a lot of fabrics and sent them to Mutina to scan them in 3D and make proto-types. Out of almost 20 different textile prototypes, we selected only five. It was very surprising to see how the texture from a fabric can look very different when pressed onto ceramic”, says Shay Alkalay, the other half of the Raw Edges duo.

The pieces are produced using five moulds that create five different textures. Raw Edges took the collection further; apart from the richness of the textures, there are also 24 different glazes to choose from. “The Tex tiles are produced in Italy using artisanal methods, in a place next to Bologna, where in fact most of the top workshops are based. It’s fascinating to see how much of the expertise in this specific industry is located in the same area… and actually in Lamborghini, as well.”

www.raw-edges.com / www.mutina.it

Portrait of Bob, Marcia and Stijn with a work in the background from the dutch artist Leonard van Munster

CANdYBAR CARPETphotos: Ine van den Elsen

SPONGE CARPET (detail)

BOTTLE CARPET (detail)TEX, design: Raw Edges for Mutina

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PATO MUDO By Pedrita

Pedrita Studio recently presented a new tile panel called Pato Mudo, now permanently installed in the Belém area of Lisbon. Applying their Grão technique, where each tile is used as a pixel to create a figurative image, the designers portrayed the image of a duck, a common spe-cies in the Tropical Botanic Garden that has offered its exterior wall for the project. To reproduce the image, a photograph was used as source material. The configuration of the tiles was then determined via a digitally-based technique. Still, to achieve a clear image it was necessary to do some ad-justments and try-outs by hand, since there are always details that only the human eye can spot.

“In Pato Mudo there are two different readings, a closer one and a distant one”, says Rita João of Pedrita. When seen from a distance, the figure of the duck is imme-diately identifiable, whereas on closer inspection the individual tiles come to the fore and the material that composes the panel is ‘disclosed’. The panel is 4.5m in height and 5.5m in width, and uses 559 tiles selected from the discontinued produc-tion lines of Portuguese factories, most of them already extinct. The tiles form part of the collection at Cortiço & Netos, a Portuguese company that has been collecting this kind of material for three decades, and that estab-lished a close partnership with Pedrita in order to bring this otherwise forgotten material centre stage.

www.pedrita.net / www.corticoenetos.comPATO MUdO© pedrita

DATA ELECTROSMOG EXILE VOYEUR TURCOT CONCRETE RÉGION MOUHAJERINN ARCHIVE INTERSTICE PARTITION SOUTERRAIN RUELLES MÉTROPOLE CULTE ORANGE ISLANDS EXCHANGE CONTINUITÉ MOBILISATION URGENCE POLYURETHANE CITOYENS ARRIVALS Fu’ TBOL

ABC:MTLa self-portrait of MONTRÉALun autoportrait de montréal13 NOVEMBer 2012-31 MARch 2013

In collaboration withThe CCA gratefully acknowledges the generous support of the Ministère de la Culture et des Communications, the Canada Council for the Arts, the Conseil des arts de Montréal and Hydro-Québec. Image: TagTeam Studio, Winter Rider, Montréal [Saint-Henri], 2011. © TagTeam Studio

Centre Canadien d’Architecture Canadian Centre for Architecture1920, rue Baile, Montréal 514 939 7026 cca.qc.ca/abc

CCA ABC DAMn ad (FA).indd 1 12-11-08 9:57 AM

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STAND BY ME!technology andecology are combinedin everything from rugs,tables, chairs, and poufs to lighting, screens, dishes, and even vases.Quilting is back. (1)photo: Walter Bettens

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2/3. AZULEJPatriciaUrquiolaDesigned for Mutina.www.mutina.it

4. FRAMEA collection in which graphic language uses the most modern ceramic technology to create highly decorative surfaces. www.refin-ceramic-tiles.com

3. BLENDthe core of the collection isformed by uni-tiles grouped intocolour families, and colour toneswithin each family. the colourtones were selected such thatthey can also be combined withtones from other colour families.www.mosa.nl

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1. MARRAKESHOriental floor impressions with decor suggestions from the parador Identity Library.www.parador.de

2. WOODEN CARPETElisaStrozykMade of wentwood, linen, cherry, pear, mahogany, and bubinga; produced by Boewer.www.elisastrozyk.de

3. BUZZISWITCH BRICK BRACK A sound-insulating and self-adhesive screen made of Sliced BuzziFelt, in the size and colour-mix you prefer. Of course you can pin all kinds of things to it, so it’s practical as well as attractive.www.buzzispace.com

4. NYA WALLS TizianoA relief structure emulating an extreme pleat with a strong lightand shadow effect. this surface design also highlights the chosen mounting direction.www.nya.com

5. DRAGONFLY Nendowww.architonic.com

6. CHILLIDAEduardoChillidathis year, nanimarquina hascreated a new collection basedon a chronological selection of Chillida’s work, from Figura Humana, 1948, through Dibujo tinta, 1957, to Collage, 1966, reflecting the process prior to his most famous sculpture, the peine del Viento in San Sebastián. It also includes two pictures of his famous hands from the 90s, and Gravitacián, 1993 and 1994, where he creates a new form of relief, a sculpture made of paper. All this work has been accurately translated into the rugs, which are handmade using various techniques and materials like wool, silk and mohair, to give texture and show the essence of the original work, providing desired value.www.nanimarquina.com

7. RIVER CristianZuzunagaAcclaimed designer Cristian Zuzu-naga has created a vibrant curtain collection for kvadrat, character-ised by sophistication, exclusivity and colour richness. this consists of three innovative designs, which are all made of trevira CS: Casa, Castillo and Lux.www.kvadrat.dk

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1/2. 3D TEXTILESAleksandraGacathis polish designer developed 3D textile, a superbly woven fabric that not only offers good acoustic insulation but is aesthetically pleasing as well. An artful combination of matte andgloss, hard and soft. the fabric can be used for soundproof panelling, and hung on walls and/or ceilings. www.casalis.com

3. THE HȲDSjoerdEbberinkAttached to a special backing, the Hÿd works like a wall drapery. Depending on the treatment, a chic or natural look can be created. www.designacademy.nl

4. TRENDTIME 8GerdCouckhuytAn engineered wood floor that exudes the charm of old wood. All surfaces are finished by hand to highlight typical wood features like grains, knots and cracks.www.parador.de

5. THE HÿDSjoerdEbberinkAttached to a special backing, the Hÿd works like a wall drapery. Depending on the treatment, a chic or natural look can be created. www.designacademy.nl

6. CAROLLMarieMees&CathèrineBiasino A rug made of 100% wool. www.thealfredcollection.be

7. UNDERCOVER CARPETDaniellevanLunteren Stony carpets that may look like they are hard, but aren’t. the mix of foam and transparent rubber or silicones can take on the shape of stones in all their guises: matte or shiny, smooth or course. www.designacademy.nl

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1. PARADEGiulioIacchettiA digital print collection of 12 decors, each with 3 colour variations. www.abetlaminati.com

2. CARVING EDITION ChristianHemetsbergerBoth well known and new patterns are brought to the individual natural wood flooring planks. www.mafi.co.at

3. URBAN RETREAT Nature makes its way into our urban environment, both indoors and outdoors.www.interfaceflor.com

4. JULIET UlfMoritzA series of surface features. On walls or ceilings, with or without integrated lighting, these form the basis for a completely new 3D experience.www.oracdecor.com

5. DINESEN DOUGLAS A restaurant in Denmark calledHenne kirkeby kro, where chef paul Cunningham works. thefloor planks are 20 cm wide andhave been treated with lye andwhite soap. the ceiling is alsomade of Dinesen Douglas.www.dinesen.de

6. WOODAYS A natural tactile universe: exclusively superficial designs inspired by the warmth and structure of wood.www.tagina.it

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1. ON ITS WAYHusseinChalayanA carpet inspired by screen grabs of video editing computer programs. the numbers at the top are the coordinates of the city of Chang’An, the eastern-most city on the Silk Route.www.ruckstuhl.com

2. VULCANIC DASHHadiTeheraniwww.vorwerk-carpet.com

3. FRAMEA collection of flooring in which the most modern ceramic technology uses graphic language to create decorative surfaces. www.refin-ceramic-tiles.com

4. OPTICAL TURQUOISEMissoniAn energising collection of exclusive woven floors that expresses Missoni’s beloved and characteristic attributes.www.bolon.com

5. WALKING OVER BROKEN PLATESMelliInkA carpet normally represents warmth and a sense of cosy security, whereas broken crockery can evoke thoughts of conflict and familial tristesse.www.taipingcarpets.com

6. TWISTAyseErkmenA limited edition rug collection byNeedknot designed by contempo-rary artists and designers.www.taipingcarpets.com

7. GEORGEStepeviInspired by the transformation of two supreme yarns into a unique blend.www.prosciutteria.it

8. GRUNGE ThibaultvanRenneQuality and durability are the trump card. Each and every one of the rugs and carpets is hand-knotted or hand-woven. www.thibaultvanrenne.be


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1. Carpet traffic, Milanphoto: Walter Bettens

2. ACCOR 1000A collection of rugs with a premium pearl nap structure and a corny, matte appearance.www.object-carpet.com

3. ALLURELimitedEditionthis collection exudes decorative elegance, in the shape of graceful arabesques in chenille fabric. www.le.be

4. COGOLIN A unique piece crafted by artisans with exceptional expertise.www.manufacturecogolin.com

5. LEATHER NEEDLE WORK LioDeBruinRugs comprising of sheets of leather, created using old needlework techniques.www.designacademy.nl

6. FOLKSilvainWillenzwww.chevalier-edition.com

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1. BETONLOOKAlmost any colour and desired imprint are possible.www.betonlook.nl

2. GREENWICHPearsonLloydA new fabric collection bringing colour and patterns.www.kvadrat.dk

3. CARVING EDITIONthe design enables children toimpose their own stamp on thefloor or wall.www.mafi.com

4. COLORETTE the nine vibrant hues, bothwarm and cool, are considerablymore brilliant than previouslinoleum colours.www.armstrong.com

5. Interiors mixwww.alcantara.com

6. URBAN RETREAT Nature makes its way into our urban environment, both outdoors and indoors.www.interfaceflor.com

7. BUZZISKIN 3D TILEChevalier-MassonAll the advantages of the BuzziSkin, plus a smart, revolutionary texture!www.chevalier-masson.be

8. FLEECYChevalier-MassonA soft, double-sided colour scarf,100% wool, 26 x 200 cm.www.chevalier-masson.be

9. COLORWHEELHellaJongeriuswww.maharam.com

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it's clear that the origin of most products relies on a working

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