Materials | Felt!
Felt is one of the most versatile, natural, soft materials that you can use in interior design. Felt stands out from other fabric materials because it is not woven (not looms needed here!) and is also not made like many plastic fabrics (essentially pliable formed sheets of material). However, it is resilient, durable, insulating, wear resistant (does not ravel or fray), is flame retardant (and self-extinguishing), can be used inside or outside, can be made water repellent and is an excellent sound absorber… all things we look for when spec’ing upholstery, wall or panel coverings. Because felt is made through a process that condenses and presses woolen fibers – depending on the density, layering and processing, felt can be produced to as a very soft material or very thick and tough material. It can also be dyed in practically any color and can be made into almost any size or shape. Because felt is made from wool, it is also one of the most natural, renewable and environmentally friendly fabrics.
While felt has been used in interiors for decades and existed in clothing production for about 7,000 years, felt has shown up in the interiors industry recently in many different applications that we find quite interesting – from upholstery, carpet, felt panels, and felt sculpture, to entire office systems made of felt material. Here are some of our exciting felt finds!
1. Pendant light W121 by Claesson Koivisto Rune for Wastberg – a pendant light whose shade is made from felt! (image from dailytonic.com)
2. Fanions rug by BKS – a felt rug with a cut edge that plays with an optical illustion: a modern graphic element representing a fringe, which also makes the rug look like an axonometric projection (image from dailytonic.com)
3. Hanging Felt Panels by FilzFelt – CNC cut felt sheets hand stitched to hang as perforated panels and used to separate rooms and accent stairs at A+I in New York. (image from filzfelt.com)
4. Cityscapes by ALLT – felt carpet tiles that have etched patterns and which are assembled on a hexagonal grid. (image from allt.sk)
5. Motek by Luca Nichetto for Cassina – the seat is made from molded felt. (image from dezeen.com)
6. Felt up by Charlotte Kingsnorth – a cozy chair designed from a single sheet of folded felt. (image from dezeen.com)
7. Tribal DDB office by i29 – the walls ceiling, furniture and lighting are covered in grey felt at this Amsterdam advertising office. (image from dezeen.com)
8. Lasso Shoes by Gaspard Tine-Beres – slippers constructed from a single piece of natural wool felt, die-cut from a felt sheet and then flat-packed, shipped and laced together for wearing. (image from dezeen.com)
9. Between Two Rivers by Siba Sahabi – sculptural felt carafes and cups imitating ceramic vessels made by coiling stripes of felt on a potter’s wheel. (image from dezeen.com)