philippe malouin: hardie stools for kvadrat
‘hardie stools’ by philippe malouin for kvadrat
all images © angela moore

canadian-born UK-based designer philippe malouin has used the kvadrat hallingdal fabric as the structural element of 
his ‘hardie stool’ series for the danish textile company.

usually, a furniture piece is composed of 5-10% fabric, however, malouin’s design explores the possibility of using the textile
both as a tactile surface and the interior structure, replacing the typical wood or metal base that is used.
similar to the rim of a paper cup, or a rolled newspaper, the rigidity of the material changes when layered.
when paired with resin, the material acts in a way that is to laminated fibreglass or carbon fibre.

the weaving of the fabric is very hard wearing and deep, and we began comparing the hallingdal to certain fibreglass
and carbon fibre matting we had the feeling that it the kvadrat fabric could have a structural role as well as an aesthetic one
in the creation of a piece of furniture
‘ – philippe malouin explaining the reasoning behind the design decisions.

the design was exhibited as part of the kvadrat hallingdal 65 exhibition at the jil sander showroom during milan design week 2012.
designed by nanna ditzel in 1965, the hallingdal fabric was the first to be produced by kvadrat, and has since been updated
with a new color scale known as the ‘hallingdal 65’. in celebration of the material’s success, the danish company invited a new generation
of 32 designers to create new works which use the textile and explore new applications for it.

philippe malouin: hardie stools for kvadrat
detail of fabric stitching and joinery 

the rolled woolen material tubes are placed in wooden moulds and combined with resin, curing the textile and rendering it solid, a similar process
to the creation of laminated fiberglass or carbon fibre. the hand stitching holds together the cylinders while referencing the overall concept.
the creases in the bends are left, showing the nature of the once-flexible medium. 

see designboom’s previous coverage of ‘raw edges: selvedge for kvadrat‘, another design showcased in the exhibition. 

philippe malouin: hardie stools for kvadrat
cross section showing the formation of the furniture pieces