"I'm the one who always fiddles with other people's cushions"
Questionnaire responses transformed into computer designed weaving samples. Dialogue with a retired watch maker. One thread over, one thread under. Textile designer Susanne Thygesen Nors has gained inspiration for her new classic furniture textile from many horizons.
It is almost on the cards when you learn about her childhood, in a house near Herning; everything built by her father, a cabinetmaker. Mahogany, palisander, the pleasures of good materials, the solid craftsmanship. The love of high-end interior design is in the DNA of textile designer Susanne Nors, a love she has brought into her graduation project created in collaboration with the company Kvadrat:
She explains about her motivation: ”My desire was to create a classical new furniture textile, a piece of woven interior design fabric that lasts and which one will want to look at for a long time.” I have therefore worked in the tension field between the well-known and the fascinating which you cannot really explain. I am the one who always fiddles with other people’s cushions if I cannot see how they are made. There has to be something in the material in which you can immerse yourself.”
At the same time Susanne Nors wants to have a sustainable theme as part of the project:
“It is getting harder and harder to argue in favour of new design, for in terms of the environment it does not make sense to produce more and more. Hence my focal point was aesthetic sustainability which emphasises fewer but better-quality products that have an innate timelessness.”
Square fields
It goes without saying that the road to the timeless expression was long and arduous. It included conversations with for example Anders Agger about timeless TV and with retired watchmaker Christen Poder. It was followed by a questionnaire about time: questions about circadian rhythm, watches, seasons, having ample time, age, and busyness. The questionnaire was distributed to 100 people; the replies came back and they left the designer somewhat puzzled. But then she had an idea:
“In one of the questions there was a small field consisting of squares that had to be hatched while the respondee thought of having ample time. I selected 28 and added them to a computer loom so that they could be woven into a pattern. Some of it looked awful, and some of it was usable. I adjusted things and ended up with hundreds of samples. Finally I let my aesthetic design professionalism take over and make decisions, and I started directing the work towards Kvadrat’s style,” says Susanne Nors.
A basic classical product
Stine Find Osther, Creative Manager at Kvadrat, confirms that the product is spot on:
“I am quite impressed at how precisely she has captured an expression that has the potential to become a future classic. The unique feature about Susanne’s project is how diligently she has worked to create a basic classical product. She has been very busy creating a product we can live off – it has not only been about exceeding limits. By creating a product that can last for many years she is spot on in relation to our sustainability strategy. In fact, I have a sample here that I would like to go ahead with.”
Good to let go
Finally Susanne Nors has ended up with a full collection in 23 colours. The fabric has been mounted on a round bench, since a furniture textile only stands its test once it is seen in use:
“On the loom it is ‘only’ a flat piece of fabric. But once it is mounted on a piece of furniture the light falls differently. You also see it horizontally and how it wraps itself around a corner. Then suddenly new details emerge,” says Susanne Nors, who has also included other disciplines in the run-up to the graduation project, where altogether nine partners have been involved, a couple of upholsterers, a cabinetmaker and several others.
“I am actually quite good at delegating,” the textile designer admits: “So out of respect I have let the professionals make a lot of decisions themselves. Some might think that is hard, but I think that letting go has meant a great deal of freedom. In that way I can see that I have created something that can be used by others.”
