The Exposed Cut | Kvadrat at Milan Design Week 2017

For 2017, Neri&Hu inverts their own design of the booth from last year’s fair by featuring an exposed scaffolding structure. Questioning the typical construction at fairs—the vulnerability and temporality of structures behind their polished and impeccable frontages—Neri&Hu chooses instead to reveal and celebrate the underlying framework within.

This allows the fabric boxes floating above to not only be experienced from within, but also viewed from outside; clad in textiles equally beautifully woven on both front and back sides, it was also an opportunity to showcase the high quality of Kvadrat fabrics. With an oak platform as the base, various areas rise and fall to interact with the boxes overhead and to define distinct zones and functions. The largest platform offers a democratic and welcoming place to sit and observe, a sublime moment of tranquility within the chaos of the fair.