French designers Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec have designed a modular room-dividing system called Clouds for textile manufacturers Kvadrat.

Clouds consists of textile pieces held together with elastic bands to make free-standing or hanging structures, which can be used to divide space and absorb sound.

The project is a continuation of North Tiles, designed in 2006 by the Bouroullec brothers for Kvadrat's Stockholm showroom.

The Clouds system is available in two fabrics and seven colour combinations; components are sold in packs of eight or twenty-four pieces.

Photographs by Paul Tahon and Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec.

Here's some text from Kvadrat:

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Clouds - a new typology

The ground-breaking textile company Kvadrat is now introducing yet another new design that revolutionises the use of textiles. Clouds is not about furniture or curtains. It is an innovation in interior design: a new typology developed by the brothers Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec.

Textiles making a comeback

Anders Byriel, CEO of Kvadrat, says that the soft textiles are making a comeback in the public space and in private homes. “For many years there has been a trend of using fewer and fewer textiles. Curtains and carpets have vanished, and even our chairs have wicker seats and backs. Interior design has focused on glass, concrete, stone and wood, all of which are attractive yet hard materials. But this trend is turning now as more and more people discover that the soft materials are not just soft to the touch, but also have an aesthetic beauty and significant impact on sound in our rooms. In fact, we have realised in recent years how important the sound level is to our everyday well-being,” says Anders Byriel.

Clouds is an extension of North Tiles, which was developed by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec for Kvadrat’s showroom in Stockholm in 2006. The task was to create a showroom that could exhibit Kvadrat’s textiles in a way that the textiles were a part of the room. North Tiles is now known for its innovation and special click system - a system that is also found in Clouds, which features a simpler construction and fewer materials for use in the retail market.

“Once in a while I flip through a design or architecture magazine, and I am often scared by all of the cold rooms,” says Ronan Bouroullec. “Therefore, when we got the Kvadrat assignment we wanted to create a design solution that is both soft and welcoming. At the same time, we aimed to design a solution that was so simple and well thought out that it didn’t require expensive workmen, but could be set up by everyday people without having to be polished, adjusted or given additional treatment,” says Ronan Bouroullec.

Democratic and personalised design
Clouds makes it easy, simple and quick to get the soft materials into our rooms, with the exact surface and colour desired by the individual. “The point of Clouds is that we do not have to replace all of the things that are already in our homes. Clouds is an extra and new element that provides the opportunity for personalised design where individuals are the architect, designer and workman. The ingenious click system, combined with a couple of simple screws and strings makes it possible to create anything from a wall to a specific figure and expression to fit one’s taste. Clouds enables all imaginable uses, as it can be hung on walls or from the ceiling, placed on the floor or add colourful liveliness to railings and stairs. In other words, Clouds represents a new typology, or a new interpretation of the use of textiles,” concludes Anders Byriel.

Choose your own materials and colours
Like North Tiles, Clouds comes in Divina and Tempo, and there are seven different colour combinations to choose from that can be combined in innumerable ways. Clouds is sold in packs of 8 or 24 pieces, so it is always easy to change a figure, make a wall higher or create two clouds instead of one in a foyer, as the module system enables maximum flexibility and variation, keeping in the spirit of Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec.

www.kvadratclouds.com

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