FilzFelt Forms Partnership with Submaterial
FilzFelt is pleased to announce a new partnership with New Mexico-based design studio, Submaterial. Founded in 2006, Submaterial has quickly become known for its meticulously crafted acoustic wall coverings made from 100% Wool Design Felt and composite cork. Submaterial and FilzFelt have teamed up to offer five styles of acoustic, modular wallcoverings and are pleased to introduce two new styles: Index Linear and Index Wide. Fabricated in two natural materials—wool felt and cork composite backing—the collection thoughtfully takes advantage of wool felt’s thickness and rigidity in dimensional (and always colorful) textural wallcoverings. With an NRC rating of 0.2, these wallcoverings provide beautiful and natural sound softening. FilzFelt will assume exclusive distribution and sales of all Submaterial acoustic wallcoverings worldwide.
FilzFelt and Submaterial’s new partnership will be introduced to the public at NeoCon, North America’s most important design exposition and conference for commercial interiors taking place from June 13–15, 2016 in Chicago, Illinois. FilzFelt’s collections of acoustic and room dividing products will be integrated into the Knoll showroom on the 11th floor of the Merchandise Mart.
Index Linear is a new seamless, plank-style wall covering that adds linear emphasis to any space. As a vertical installation, Index Linear runs continuously from the floor to ceiling heights up to 9 feet (2.7 m). In a horizontal format, you can choose full lengths up to 9 feet (2.7 m) or custom lengths that are ready to install. Planks are backed in 3mm composite cork and are available in six nominal widths. Index Wide creates bold and sculptural patterning with a decisively random feel. The larger 3’-0” x 1’-0” (91.4 x 30.5 cm) tile size makes for quicker coverage and the height variation between the wool felt strips brings a strong linear and dimensional quality to the design. These acoustic products create a random quality while being assembled of standard pattern elements that install with heavy-duty wallcovering adhesive.
Regarding the new partnership, Traci Roloff, FilzFelt’s co-founder and Vice Present of Marketing + Communications, remarks “FilzFelt and Submaterial have—in a way—grown up together with FilzFelt being founded a mere two years following Submaterial. David was one of FilzFelt’s early customers and we’ve always admired his thoughtful designs. We’re beyond thrilled to support his work at a whole new level.”
Speaking to his focus on natural materials, David Hamlin, Submaterial’s founder, states “Using natural and sustainable materials such as wool felt and cork has always been a strong theme running through my Submaterial product designs. They have a powerfully tactile quality, and at the same time a simplicity and honesty that draws the hand and the eye. As a designer I am presented with a bewildering array of technological materials and processes, but none of them grab my attention in the same way.”
About FilzFelt
FilzFelt carries German-milled 100% Wool Design Felt in 63 colors and five thicknesses. The product line includes 100% Wool Design Felt by the yard and felt products including acoustic products, drapery, floor coverings, hanging panels, and tabletop. Since felt is a nonwoven fabric and does not require a loom for its production, ancient people were able to produce it quite easily. To produce felt, raw wool undergoes a wet felting process, which involves matting, condensing, and pressing the fibers. Wool Design Felt is high quality, eco-friendly, comes in highly saturated colors, and is perfect fordemanding design applications.
FilzFelt was founded in 2008 by two felt-loving designers, Kelly Smith and Traci Roloff. In 2011, the company was acquired by Knoll, Inc. and continues to bring this natural, ancient textile into the 21st century where it balances beauty, utility, and sustainability while meeting the challenging needs of modern spaces.filzfelt.com
About Submaterial
On their surface, Submaterial designs have a clean, simple geometry balanced by an unexpected warmth. The easy forms are precisely crafted in natural materials, and yet every product also reveals something about the underlying design and fabrication process. It is an understandable and intuitive design language. This emphasis on natural materials and the scalable, modular qualities of the designs have placed Submaterial in a unique niche within the architecture and interior design community. Since the company was launched in 2006, Submaterial designs have been specified by the full industry range from global design and architecture firms to design-minded residential consumers. Submaterial principal David Hamlin studied fine art at the University of Colorado Boulder, leaving in 1989 to explore the design opportunities of the Pacific Northwest. During twenty years spent in Seattle, he embraced magazine cover illustration, furniture design, retail and merchandising design and finally entrepreneurship with the launch of his first company in 2001. Established in 2006, Submaterial has now relocated to the American Southwest. The sunnier climate seems to agree with him as since the move, David has released a series of successful new products, had several press features, and in 2014 his Figure No. 2 wallcovering design was awarded Best of the Year by Interior Design Magazine.
submaterial.com
