Maharam Rugs 06.14

NeoCon 2014 marks the launch of Maharam’s latest product initiative: rugs. A natural extension of Maharam’s current offering, Rugs will gradually diversify as new collaborators, resources, designs, and constructions are integrated. The foundation of the collection is Danskina, a Kvadrat Maharam company under the design direction of Maharam’s longtime collaborator, Hella Jongerius. 

Danskina was founded in the Netherlands by Piet and Ina van Eijken in 1973 and was acquired by Kvadrat and Maharam two years ago. Its tightly edited collection reflects the company’s commitment to design, innovation, quality, and the revival of long-lost production methods. The rugs are made to order by craftspeople in the Netherlands, Germany, Scotland, and India using predominantly natural fibers. While focused on solid texture, Danskina rugs explore a range of constructions—from those that are hand woven or knotted to those that are tufted, fusion bonded or otherwise assembled using unconventional techniques.

Now under the joint leadership of Kvadrat and Maharam, Danskina has a new design studio in central Amsterdam and a new creative vision. As Design Director, Jongerius is taking the company in a novel direction, with an increased focus on the commercial sector. Along with her signature approach to color, Jongerius plans to introduce pattern to Danskina’s visual vocabulary, while also amplifying its research and development efforts in an investigation of new forms, production methods, and yarns.

This July, Maharam will make Danskina broadly available in North America, with the introduction of seven rugs, including three handwoven rugs designed by Hella Jongerius: Bold, Duotone, and Multitone. More introductions will follow in August, October, and January 2015.

About Hella Jongerius
A graduate of Design Academy Eindhoven, Hella Jongerius has been a standout in the world of product design since her early work for Droog, the Dutch design collective, and now at her Berlin-based studio, Jongeriuslab, where material research largely determines design direction. Jongerius’s unique approach to craft from the perspective of industry, and her ability to combine these seemingly oppositional methods of production, has allowed her to create individuality on a mass scale. Her work ranges from one-offs and limited editions exhibited at galleries to consumer products available through companies like Vitra, Nymphenburg, Royal Tichelaar Makkum, and IKEA. 

Jongerius and Maharam have been collaborating since 2001. Several of resultant textiles are now in the permanent collections of museums worldwide, including the Art Institute of Chicago; the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum; the Museum of Modern Art; the Museum Boijmans van Beuningen; and the Stedelijk Museum, among others.

Bold by Danskina Specifications
Colors: 7
Content: 100% Wool

Cork & Felt by Danskina Specifications
Colors: 5
Content: 65% Wool, 35% Cork

Duotone by Danskina Specifications
Colors: 10
Content: 100% Wool

Multitone by Danskina Specifications
Colors: 2
Content: 100% Wool