Kvadrat / Muller van Severen – March & July

March and July

March and July are two rug designs whose surface structures are inspired by the natural fleece of a sheep at different times of the year. March resembles the long, curly and irregular fleece just before the shearing (clipping), while July is reminiscent of the short, neat fleece of high summer, after shearing has taken place.

Sharing the same concept and production method, March and July are each beautifully organic in their look and feel, thanks to the innovative patent-pending production process. The rug is finished using water, heat, natural soap and mechanical friction. As the pile yarns begin to felt and connect, there is no longer the need for the latex backing normally used on tufted rugs avoiding any additional use of chemicals in the backing, and potentially making the rug easier to recycle at the end of its life.

To further define the rugs, Belgian design duo Muller Van Severen has created a palette of nine colourways for each of the two products. Five neutral tones, including Wool White, Pebble, Stone, Almond and Mouse, are repeated across March and July. In March, the designers have added Butter, Peach, Forget-me-not and Dark Brown, while July comes in Brick, Indigo, Peacock and Charcoal.

For Muller Van Severen, colour helps determine the character of a product just as much as the materials and methods used to make it. For March and July, they explain, the process was like creating a painting. “We made a family of different colours, looking for balance, but also for imbalance.”

As a starting point the designers were inspired by the fact that colour, like taste or smell, can trigger powerful emotions and memories. For example, Peach, in the March palette. “When I see this colour, I think of summers spent in Tuscany as a child, the sun falling on the old walls, the evening light in Sienna… it instils a very hopeful, warm and positive emotion.”

The Indigo, in the July palette by contrast is the colour of a summer night: “A soft but also mysterious night, with clear sky and a very small moon. We find this colour classic yet characterful, it makes for an atmosphere of secrets and surprises.”

Both the March and July rugs are the result of an innovative combination of production techniques. The tufted construction of March is a J-pile where every pile bundle consists of 12 twined yarns and a shorter pile height of 17 mm and a longer pile height of 40mm. July is tufted using a U-pile – also with 12 twined yarns in every pile bundle – and has an average height of 17 mm.

The final pile thickness is both random and vivid, organically shifting from one texture to another in a pattern that is unique to each rug. On the rectangular rugs the corners also have a slightly organic look, enhancing the natural expression of the design. July is suitable for light to moderate residential and commercial use. March is suitable for medium to heavy residential and commercial use.