In yesterday's post we looked at ways to save money and materials in design and architecture. Another way to do so is using relatively small modular elements that, combined together, can create striking designs.
Interior designers (and Prada one-off collaborators) Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec created for example in 2009 "Clouds", an innovative, interlocking fabric tile concept in collaboration with Kvadrat, the renowned Danish company producing high-performance, design textiles and rugs, and acoustic and window covering solutions for both commercial and residential interiors.
The elements are sold in their flat configuration in boxes of 8 or 24 pieces (and they are available in 8 colour combinations), but by folding them and linking the various pieces one to the other with special fasteners, it is possible to create three-dimensional small, medium or large decorative screens or wall or ceiling installations.
The concept behind Clouds is simple – creating a basic shape conceived as an alternative to the classic square or rectangular tile – that can offer the possibility of coming up with more innovative and dynamic shapes and complex constructions. The tiles are also sustainable as they can be arranged and re-arranged, quickly and easily. The possibilities resulting from mixing and combining the pieces are endless.
Since its initial launch in 2009, Clouds has won several awards (including the Design of the Year 2010 award by the Design Museum London and the Danish Design Award 2010 by the Danish Design Center) and has also joined the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, proving that modularity is a timeless, fascinating and creative option in design.
In more recent years there have been some fashion designers who experimented with modular clothes, but the modular system at the base of Clouds could be implemented to create also accessories and maybe even jewellery that could be easily assembled and disassambled.
