ronan + erwan bouroullec: ready made curtain for kvadrat

‘ready made curtain’ by ronan and erwan bouroullec for kvadratimage courtesy of ronan and erwan bouroullec / kvadrat

kvadrat has been doing extensive research into the domestic curtain, an area which is often overlooked. working together with ReD associates, they investigated the solutions currently available on the market and analyzed their function in relation to the actual requirements of the homeowner. upon conclusion of their research, the danish textile company approached ronan and erwan bouroullec to develop a simple hanging system which would be suitable for all windows.

the result is ‘ready made curtain’, a design which involves the participation of the owner in its making – an easy-to-install framework which employs minimal components: a hanging cord, wall fixings, pegs and your choice of kvadrat fabric; and little skill for installation. here, the hanging cordstands in as a replacement for traditional curtain pole, and is housed within a winding mechanism. the method in which strings are strung to a guitar and the tension they create informed this element, allowing users to adjust the taughtness as needed, as well as making the drape easily adaptable to any window.

‘the ambition was to create a new system that allows anyone to install a quality curtain in record time. little skill and few tools are needed, margin for error has been considered and perfection isn’t an absolute requirement. in fact, the charm of the imperfect in opposition to the overly sanitized interior, is something we believe in,’ say ronan and erwan bouroullec. ‘we wanted to escape a hi-tech situation, but we didn’t want to make something rustic or heavy either. we reflected on the popular method of fixing a poster to a wall, just simply with a staple,‘ they continue.

the  covering is available in two fabrics: a woolen and non-woven textile, each available in three colours – warm white, deep and pale blues and bright red – which can be easily cut to the correct length. an extension kit is also available for windows. the ‘ready made curtain’ debuts at imm cologne 2013.

the window covering is available in a woolen and non-woven fabricimage courtesy of ronan and erwan bouroullec / kvadrat

image courtesy of ronan and erwan bouroullec / kvadrat

the fabric in the easy-to-install kit can be cut to the appropriate length by the homeownerimage courtesy of ronan and erwan bouroullec / kvadrat

detail of the pegsimage courtesy of ronan and erwan bouroullec / kvadrat

simple wooden pegs are used to hang the fabric from the hanging cordimage courtesy of ronan and erwan bouroullec / kvadrat

installation of the ‘ready made curtain’image courtesy of ronan and erwan bouroullec / kvadrat

a hanging cord replaces the traditional curtain rodimage courtesy of ronan and erwan bouroullec / kvadrat

blue variationimage courtesy of ronan and erwan bouroullec / kvadrat

image courtesy of ronan and erwan bouroullec / kvadrat

red variationimage courtesy of ronan and erwan bouroullec / kvadrat

up close of the winding system in which users can control the tightness of the hanging cordimage © designboom

image © designboom

ronan bouroullec at the presentation of ‘ready made curtain’ at imm cologne 2013image © designboom

‘ready made curtain’ by ronan and erwan bouroullec for kvadratvideo courtesy of kvadrat

‘ready made curtain’ kit components

studies for developing the winding mechanism of the cord

different peg explorations