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Maharam introduces two new rugs this summer: Horizon by Akira Minagawa and Silhouette by Hella Jongerius. Both designs are products of Maharam and Kvadrat’s Amsterdam-based rug atelier, which is overseen by longtime collaborator, Hella Jongerius.
Horizon presents luminous fields of saturated color. The design is apportioned so that one color forming the bottom two-thirds of the rug is seperated by a thin horizontal band of another color from the top one-third, in which both colors are allowed to mix freely. By working with only two colors and an admixture thereof, Minagawa ensures chromatic harmony that is at turns subtly monochromatic or boldly contrasting yet always rooted in nature.
Horizon’s dense bamboo viscose pile is hand tufted in the United Kingdom, with more than 1.9 million yarns per square meter. As part of the design intention, the rug develops a silk-like patina over time. According to the designer, who’s known for his Minä Perhonen collection, “I try to design clothes so that they last for a long time and improve with everyday use. I do not want to be just a fad or give a strong impact that does not last. I think of rugs in the same way: I think of the charm and allure that it will acquire over a long time.” Exceptionally soft to the touch, highly durable, and environmentally sustainable, Horizon is also antibacterial, antistatic, and nonallergenic, making it suitable for all interiors.
Designed by Hella Jongerius, Silhoutte is hand tufted in the Netherlands from pure New Zealand wool. Thick and thin yarns are densely combined at subtly different heights in a melange of individually dyed colors, resulting in a organic surface that responds to use and changes with the light and perspective of the viewer. Three additional assortments of color join in a generous border of 2.25" long fringe, providing an unexpected but signature detail and giving tactile expression to a rug’s ability to define a space.
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. She founded Jongeriuslab in Rotterdam in 1993 and moved to Berlin in 2008. 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. In 2012, she became the Art Director for Colors and Surfaces for the Vitra Collection and in 2013, she was appointed Design Director of Kvadrat and Maharam’s Amsterdam-based rug atelier.
Hella Jongerius and Maharam have been collaborating since 2001. Several of the resultant textiles are now in the permanent collections of museums worldwide, including the Art Institute of Chicago; the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum; the Museum of Modern Art; the Museum Boijmans van Beuningen; and the Stedelijk Museum, among others. In 2017, Maharam proudly sponsored Breathing Colour, an exhibition examining Jongerius’s distinct approach to color and form through a series of vibrant installations at the Design Museum in London.
About Akira Minagawa
Akira Minagawa is a Japanese clothing and textile designer best known for his Minä Perhonen fashion label. Established in 1995, the name translates from the original Finnish as “I butterfly”and reflects Scandanivian culture’s creative influence. Minagawa’s design objective is to create garments that possess a timeless beauty and transend generations. He is widely regarded for his deep knowledge of textile production techniques—which spans weaving, printing, and embroidery—and for his willingness to custom develop unique materials. He has collaborated with Kvadrat, Maharam’s Danish partner, on multiple upholstery textile and window covering collections; this is his first rug.
Horizon by Akira Minagawa
Introduction: August 2018
Content: 100% Bamboo
Viscose
Colors: 5
Silhouette by Hella Jongerius
Introduction: July 2018
Content: 100% Wool
Colors: 10