Kvadrat is presenting its debut outdoor rug collection at Paris Deco Off, 15 – 18 January 2025. Designed by Margrethe Odgaard, these rugs explore a connection between nature and architecture blended with tactile craftmanship. Alongside these designs, Karin An Rijlaarsdam introduces the Braid collection – an updated colour scale for best- selling Braid 2, and three new designs inspired by the naturally reoccurring proportions found in botany, arboriculture and landscapes.
Kvadrat’s first collection of outdoor rugs is designed by Margrethe Odgaard. Inspired by natural surfaces, the rugs in this collection create a connection between nature and architecture, using a combination of textile techniques to shape an outdoor space that feels grounded and harmonious with its surroundings.
Comprising four designs hand-crafted from polypropylene ropes, Miori, Mioro, Sia and Sio share one colour scheme. The seven colourways include four neutral tones — limestone, warm clay, volcanic soil, and black soil — and three more vibrant shades similarly inspired by landscapes — red earth, river pebbles, and blue clay.
For a vivid colour effect, the polypropylene ropes are braided from a range of 4 different colours.
The combination of multicoloured braided ropes also creates a distinctive and refreshingly irregular surface texture, reflecting the high level of craftsmanship.
Margrethe Odgaard:
“While working on this outdoor rug collection for Kvadrat, it was interesting to observe where nature and architecture meet. The designs have been informed by the textures, colours and shapes found in nature so that when you put the rug out, it defines the foundation of your outdoor living room.”
The rugs are designed to perform in a wide variety of outdoor placements and offer high resistance to humidity, sunlight, mildew, and ocean or pool water. Constructed from man-made fibres the rugs are water-repellent, tear-resistant and fast-drying. These stable and maintenance-friendly properties make the rugs equally suitable for use in interior environments. The polypropylene is solution-dyed, reducing water, dye, and energy consumption in production, requiring no additional performance chemicals and ensuring colour fastness.
Miori Outdoor
Miori Outdoor references the beauty of the earth’s surfaces in its colour palette and construction. The name Miori, is derived from Japanese ‘mi’, meaning ‘beautiful’, and ‘ori’, meaning ‘weave’ or ‘fabric’. Entirely created with a plain weave of braided, multicoloured ropes, the rug is available in seven colourways: limestone, warm clay, volcanic soil, black soil, red earth, river pebbles, and blue clay.
Mioro Outdoor
The Mioro Outdoor rug is constructed with braided polypropylene ropes and combines a plain weave with the intricate ‘leno weave’ – a newly introduced technique in the art of rug making. The leno technique requires modifying the loom and using special shafts to twist warp threads. This unique technique forms small openings in the rug, arranged in a stripe pattern, giving it an airy, textured look. The end result references textured surfaces, says designer Margrethe Odgaard: “The leno weave element is a detail that runs through Mioro, like the striped pattern of a knitted jumper, or cracks in the earth.”
Sia Outdoor
Reminiscent of designer Margrethe Odgaard’s childhood memories of the textured appearance of sisal rugs, the Sia Outdoor rug incorporates the simple yet refined details of traditional rug making. Featuring a plain multicoloured surface, horizontal stitching creates a subtle shaded stripe pattern.
The surface is crafted from braided ropes, assembled using a stitching technique that ensures a smooth, flat finish. This technique both enhances the durability of the rug and keeps it lightweight.
Sio Outdoor
The Sio Outdoor rug features multicoloured braided ropes, stitched together to create a flat, smooth surface with a natural, lively colour effect. The stitching forms a shaded stripe pattern, while an open detail gently softens the structure. Designer Margrethe Odgaard referenced the simple, delicate details of the sisal rugs she remembers from her upbringing and incorporated a subtle ripple element reminiscent of the surfaces found in nature. The name Sio comes from the Japanese word meaning ‘sea tide’ and refers to this wavy open detail in the design.
Braid 2, Braid Bloom, Braid Horizon and Braid Rise – by Karin An Rijlaarsdam
The Braid Collection features four rugs designed by Karin An Rijlaarsdam. The collection expands on the original bestselling rug design Braid, offering twelve soft, neutral tones, and extending the family with three new designs:
Braid Bloom, Braid Horizon and Braid Rise. These three colour block designs are each made in different shapes and are inspired by the naturally reoccurring proportions found in botany, arboriculture and landscapes.
Handcrafted from 88% recycled post-consumer PET ropes, the rugs feature delicate irregularities reminiscent of the surfaces of minerals and stones. The design process involved extensive experimentation with different materials and braiding techniques, resulting in durable rugs that are visually unique and comfortable. Each rug is made using a stitching technique that assembles the braided ropes with minimal production waste.
Karin An Rijlaarsdam:
“The soothing new colour palette for the Braid Collection is inspired by Kaolin, a clay mineral which I have experimented with extensively in recent years. Kaolin is a natural source which provides an infinite universe of colours, textures and grades of transparency. This palette provides the rugs with a sense of tranquillity and harmony.”
