The Bouroullec brothers get Danish textile giant Kvadrat situated in L.A.

Going out on its own after years of partnering with heritage brand Maharam, powerhouse Danish textile manufacturer Kvadrat is entering the U.S. market with a new strategically located headquarters in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and flagships showrooms in Los Angeles and New York.

Helping make this new venture as auspicious as possible are internationally recognized designers from its roster of product development collaborators. Commencing the new ‘Kvadrat Goes American’ program is the company’s brand new L.A. Art’s District retail space. Cleverly designed by French brother duo Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, this space puts Kvadrat’s diverse offering front and center while also paying homage to context through various architectural elements and an intelligent choice of materials.

Kvadrat's new Los Angeles outpost—its first in the U.S.—emulates the brand's best attributes: a focus on quality, material excellence, sustainability, and a well-cultivated design sensibility. (Courtesy Studio Bouroullec)

At the core of the warehouse-adapted storefront is a double-height room-within-a-room. The Bouroullec brothers opted for endemic Douglas Fir, harvested from responsibly managed forests, to construct this central element. Alluding to the homes of early California settlers, the massive, roughly-hewn beam-structure insert stands in sharp contrast to the surrounding space’s industrial shell while also demonstrating Kvadrat’s focus on materiality and strong commitment to sustainability. Clad in a custom ‘graphic knit’ wall covering, the E-shaped house includes work zones, meeting rooms, and a social area/amphitheater at its heart.

The central E-frame house juxtaposes the sleek, clean-lined fit outs of the surrounding gallery space.

“North America and Europe may have a lot in common, but they also adopt many different approaches when it comes to design,” said Erwan Bouroullec. “In developing the showroom, we wanted to convey Kvadrat’s design philosophy and culture across the Atlantic. So, we created a space that illuminates [its] clear approach to materiality and design–and direct yet understated, distinctively warm culture.”

Sculptural art textiles by Erwan Bouroullec—part of the Color Bloc series also created for the showroom launch–add a further dimension of color and materiality to the experience of the meeting rooms.

Surrounding the embedded structure is a light-filled gallery displaying Kvadrat’s vast range of upholsteries, wallcoverings, curtains, rugs, and other textiles products. A modular CNC-milled, anodized aluminum shelving system—first developed by the Bouroullec brothers for the company’s main Copenhagen flagship—is also implemented in this outpost. Echoing this sleek material palette are the design duo’s recently-released Emeco Truss benches, incorporate durable Kvadrat fabrics. Not unlike the company’s other showrooms, this new space is also outfitted with Kvadrat Acoustics solutions, comprising Soft Cells-panels and the NODE system, which help conceal utilities. Kvadrat has also teamed up with multi-hyphenate talent Jonathan Oliveras for its upcoming New York outpost, set to open in late Winter 2022.

“We have received an extremely warm welcome in the US,” said Kvadrat CEO Anders Byriel. “Our team has already built a strong client base and we have many exciting projects in the pipeline. Our new flagship showroom in LA embodies everything Kvadrat stands for: materiality, color, and engineering. It also shines a light on Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec’s deep understanding of our brand in a truly immersive fashion. It’s a vibrant yet tranquil space that tempts you to stay awhile and explore the novelties on display.”

Header image: (Caleb Adams)

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