Notes
January 15, 2013

Ready Made Curtain by Bouroullec for Kvadrat

The Ready Made Curtain is original and simple hanging system to suit every window designed by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec for Danish Kvadrat. It requires the participation of the owner in its making provided by DIY „curtain“ kit - a hanging cord, wall fixings, pegs, and a selection of Kvadrat textiles.

Ready Made Curtain kit (Kvadrat). Design: R. & E. Bouroullec. Image source: studio Bouroullec.

Ready Made Curtain is Kvadrat’s first direct to consumer product, and has just been launched at the IMM Cologne 2013. This is an evolution of previous collaborations of Kvadrat with the Bouroullecs on Clouds and North Tiles. This time they offer the users the opportunity to adapt, change and enhance their interior through the use of textile.

“One of the ambitions of our work with Kvadrat is to bring more fabric into interiors. The difference between this and previous products, such as Clouds and North Tiles, is that here we chose not to do any intervention on the fabric. The system is very simple, we have used the lightest touch.” – note Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec.

The Ready Made Curtain is the culmination of Kvadrat’s lengthy research into the world of the domestic curtain. Working with ReD Associates, an innovation and strategy consultancy firm, Kvadrat started by investigating existing curtain solutions and comparing them to the requirements of the homeowner.

“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,” said brothers Bouroullec.

The mechanics of the new hanging system have been refined over and over again by the designers until the absolute minimum required material and skill were achieved. This is a purposefully elementary product. The process of installation is straightforward as well.

Ready Made Curtain is an enjoyably effortless method of fixing fabric to a window. Image source: studio 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.” – stated designers.

Design concept

The starting point for design was a picture in a Japanese book from the fifties. The book was a catalogue of objects and in it was a guitar. From there, designers began to explore the system of string tension in guitars.

Ready Made Curtain is available in two different Kvadrat fabrics: a light, semi-transparent fabric or a woolen textile. Both are available in three different color ways and, in turn, a different color palette of the mechanism, cord and pegs. Image source: studio Bouroullec.

Therefore, the cord is an efficient and elegant solution to hanging a curtain. It can be rewound when need be, in order to maintain the right tension, and is easily transferable from window to window.

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