Stand concept "Slot" by Stefan Diez with fabric "Nitto" by Alfredo Häberli for Kvadrat
Photo: Gerhardt Kellermann

IMM COLOGNE 2020
Well screened

Stefan Diez developed a concept for the Kvadrat exhibition stand in the Design Post showroom during imm cologne 2020 that encloses it with a swirling umbrella-like structure. The main role in his ingenious design is played by Alfredo Häberli’s new fabric “Nitto”.

by Anna Moldenhauer | 1/20/2020

“Slot” is the name Stefan Diez gives the complex installation that comprises individual hexagons as if it were a modular building-block system. The impressive, geometrical dome that extends down to the floor in some places is sewn from the new fabric “Nitto” by Alfredo Häberli who is presenting a total of three fabrics for Kvadrat. What is special about “Nitto” and not immediately apparent is the fact that it is knitted rather than woven. This renders it highly elastic, making it an ideal choice for covering items like sofas or poufs. Alfredo Häberli attaches great importance to lightness and in “Nitto” he combines two differently colored threads that lend the fabric a soft shimmer. The Kvadrat stand at the Design Post was enclosed with an umbrella-like structure made of this fabric stretched over fiberglass rods. “As a trusted and long-standing supplier, Kvadrat unites many things under one roof so that there is also a humorous touch to the installation,” comments Stefan Diez. With its umbrellas turned alternately outwards and inwards “Slot” provides a playful roof for the “design circus” and allows visitors to experience the quality and special depth of the fabric in a very vivid manner. Installed in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows in the Design Post, daylight softly penetrates the fabric which can be used from both sides and is slightly translucent. As a result, the colors appear even richer.

Alfredo Häberli found it a challenge developing the two-colored design because, as he explains, “only once the fabric is knitted do you see the final mix of colors.” Kvadrat plans to offer “Nitto” in 16 different color combinations. Stefan Diez chose two colors from this range for his umbrellas, a bright blue and a soft yellow that changes into the reddish. And after imm cologne 2020 the show is certainly unlikely to be over for “Slot” by a long chalk: Conceived as a modular system the installation comprising fabric, screws and rods can be simply taken apart and then adapted to any other setting. “The entire thing fits into a VW Golf,” remarks Stefan Diez.

Alfredo Häberli (on the left), Stefan Diez
Photo: Anna Moldenhauer, Stylepark

Anna Moldenhauer, Stylepark, in conversation with Alfredo Häberli

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