Anders Byriel’s choices as the International Friend of Habitare
The 2023 International Friend of Habitare, Anders Byriel, the CEO of the Danish textile company Kvadrat, visited the event on its opening day and chose the most fascinating products and phenomena from what he saw. The doors of Habitare 2023 will be open at the Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre from 13 to 17 September 2023.
THE BEST STAND: Luksia (Western Uusimaa Municipal Training and Education Consortium), 6p90
“The stand designed by students in interior design has been made to look spectacular using minimal elements. It’s great to see such an impressive stand from a school. It’s a little crazy, but beautifully put together.”
THE BEST PRODUCT 1: Disco table, Basta; designer: Antrei Hartikainen, 6e20
“Antrei Hartikainen’s entire product portfolio is amazing, and the Disco table is a fine representative example. The artistic vision works superbly from the point of view of both consumers and spatial design.”
THE BEST PRODUCT 2: Combines | bench; designer: Antti Tuomi/Talentshop, 6n68
“The customer can assemble the bench without any screws. Everything needed is attached to the product, and the rest of the assembly is done using straps and other fastening mechanisms. The core concept is strong, with a rich use of different materials by Tuomi. The product combines the old and the new worlds.”
THE BEST MATERIAL: Surplus wood from which Nikari’s Centenniale table is made; designer: Joanna Laajisto, 6d41
“The table is made of surplus wood, which would normally go to waste or be burned. The legs of the Centenniale table are made from waste wood left over from making another table. It’s beautiful that something that could be waste gets another use.”
THE BEST CONCEPT: Villa & Peite, 6m2
“The concept forms a clear and complete whole: the natural materials, products, production, the whole business. The fair stand is also part of the whole – it’s a high-quality design and has a nice atmosphere.”
THE BEST PHENOMENON: Eveliina Tahvanainen, Volcanic home, an artwork at the HAMK stand, 6p86
“A beautiful artistic angle, a piece of contemporary art, thermoformed foam glass and recycled glass – this is something I would like to see more of. I may be a nerd, but I love this.”
THE NEXT: Mattila & Merz, 6n96
“The Peti beds are made with great craftsmanship. The quality of the work is fantastic. Mattila & Merz are simultaneously developing their craft and business at a high level of quality. This will make them the next thing to look out for.”
ANDERS BYRIEL, THE 2023 INTERNATIONAL FRIEND OF HABITARE
Anders Byriel is the CEO of the textile company Kvadrat and a professor at the IE School of Architecture and Design in Madrid. He has worked at Kvadrat for more than 30 years. The company was founded by his father in 1968, and Anders has led it since 1998. Under Anders Byriel’s leadership, Kvadrat’s annual revenue has grown from $16 million to $258 million.
Kvadrat manufactures high-quality textiles and textile-based products for both private and public spaces around the world, and it has won several major international design awards. Kvadrat’s esteemed partners include the designers Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, and Peter Saville; the architect David Adjaye; the fashion designer Raf Simons; and the artists Thomas Demand and Olafur Eliasson.
In October 2015, Wallpaper magazine named Anders Byriel one of the top 20 design influencers. In November 2015, he received the owner/CEO of the year award from PricewaterhouseCoopers in Denmark. In 2018, he received the Årets Ildsjæl (‘the most passionate entrepreneur of the year’) award from Design Awards. In 2019, he received the EY – Entrepreneur of the Year Denmark award.
Photographs of the items chosen by Anders Byriel, the International Friend of Habitare, are available for download here.
More information:
Pia Sievinen, communications specialist, tel. +358 40 559 9155, pia.sievinen@messukeskus.com
Habitare, the largest furniture, design and interior decoration event in Finland, will be held at Messukeskus in Helsinki, from 13 to 17 September 2023. Habitare offers experiences and ideas on interior decoration, and on the functioning and look of homes and other spaces. The Habitare Pro professionals event will be held at Messukeskus and in showrooms in the centre of Helsinki from 13 to 15 September 2023.| habitare.fi | @habitarefair | facebook.com/habitare | #habitare2023
