Kvadrat launches Steelcut collection by Giulio Ridolfo during Orgatec 2022

Cologne, Germany - October 25, 2022 - The launch of the Steelcut 3, Steelcut Quartet, and a preview of Steelcut Beat are the new iterations of the archetypal and celebrated textile Steelcut by Giulio Ridolfo and Frans Dijkmeijer. This latest exploration comprises upholsteries that come in warm, optimistic tones by celebrated colour master Giulio Ridolfo, representing the latest chapter in the acclaimed collaboration between Kvadrat and the acclaimed designer.

The Steelcut textiles offer exceptional clarity and colour depth,
​and feature an innovative, intricate construction by Frans Dijkmeijer, characterised by a three-dimensional surface resembling small pyramids or steel points.

Steelcut 3 by Giulio Ridolfo, upholstery. Copyright Casper SejersenSteelcut Quartet by Giulio Ridolfo, colour wheel image, upholstery. Copyright Casper Sejersen

Despite their complex structures, the Steelcut textiles are markedly simple in expression and yet, at the same time, multidimensional. They reveal a play of colour nuances, as the viewer’s position or light changes.

Steelcut 3, Steelcut Quartet and Steelcut Beat derive their eye-catching colour dynamism from a lively dialogue between construction, yarn, and colour. Each textile is woven with several yarns that combines different tones crafted by Giulio Ridolfo.

As the textiles in the Steelcut collection come in coordinated colours, they open a scale of intriguing opportunities for sophisticated combinations. Due to their welcoming aesthetic and durability, they are suitable for contract and residential use.

Kvadrat, Steelcut Inspirational image. Copyright Casper Sejersen (13)

Kvadrat, Steelcut Inspirational image. Copyright Casper Sejersen (9) (1)

The colour scales designed by Giulio Ridolfo are inspired by his life
​in Italy, still images he took on his travels in Mexico and his deep admiration of collages by Henri Matisse. They comprise a versatile selection of ‘intertones’, which combine vivid floral hues and different earthy notes to create vibrant harmonies.

Giulio Ridolfo: “My mother always cooked for everybody in my big family. My grandmother took care of the garden. So, colour-wise, there are two main elements: the colour of polenta, food colour and also the garden colours. That is why the collection looks very ‘super natural’ in a way.”

Steelcut 3

Steelcut 3 is an updated version of the celebrated, original version of Steelcut. It is constructed from recycled polyester and offers an expansive new palette that adds 19 vibrant new colours to 21 tones from the previous colour scale. Several of these hues are reborn by harmonising them with new notes.

Steelcut Quartet

Steelcut Quartet features an exceptionally structured and controlled - yet comforting soft melange expression. Its eye-catching colour complexity and precision set it apart from conventional melange textiles that appear more random. The yarn for the textile combines four tones that emerge from a dialogue between arte cinetica e programmata artworks and tones picked by Giulio Ridolfo from his library of colour catalogues.

Steelcut Beat (Preview)

Steelcut Beat offers a choice of two different size checks, ‘ribbon’ and ‘grid’, which diffuse through the materiality to individual, eye-catching effect. The textile’s precise, rhythmic checked surface offers a sophisticated play of elegant colour interactions. The design, inspired partly by trench coats, recalls fine tailoring and can be said to be ‘worn’ by furniture.

About Giulio Ridolfo

Designer Giulio Ridolfo uses colour to contextualise design and storytelling, adopting an approach rooted in observation, materiality, and imagination. To create his signature ‘in-between’ mercurial hues, he assumes many different roles, from self-taught botanist capturing the mutable colours of nature to a rogue anthropologist.

At Kvadrat, Giulio Ridolfo brings a warm, southern sensibility to the cool clarity of Nordic design. His role is not only to propose colours but also to go deep into the design and manufacturing process, understanding and changing the way colour is embedded in textiles through yarn structure.

Giulio Ridolfo’s colour creations are born from the poetic vision and continuous iterations that enable him to capture colour atmospheres in textiles. They draw on a legacy of olcelebrated collaborations with leading fashion and interior brands spanning many years.

About Kvadrat

Kvadrat was established in Denmark in 1968 and has deep roots in Scandinavia’s world-famous design tradition. A leader in design innovation, Kvadrat produces high-performance, design upholstery and curtain textiles, rugs, and acoustic solutions for both commercial and residential interiors.

Our products reflect our commitment to colour, quality, simplicity, and innovation. We consistently push the aesthetic, technological, and functional properties of textiles. In doing so, we collaborate with leading designers, architects, and artists including Patricia Urquiola, Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, Alfredo Häberli, Doshi Levien, Giulio Ridolfo, Peter Saville, Pipilotti Rist, Thomas Demand and Olafur Eliasson.