Kvadrat Arda Fabric

Arda is a knitted uphol­stery textile designed by Front — Sofia Lagerkvist and Anna Lind­gren — for Kvadrat Febrik, as part of their Design by Nature project. Inspired by the intri­cate forms, surfaces, and colors found in Swedish forests, lake­sides, and snows­capes, Arda recre­ates nature’s complex­ity through a tactile, double-knitted construction.

Front photographed and 3D-scanned elements from the wild to trans­late their textures and tones into woven form. The result is a tapes­try-like textile that shifts in expres­sion depend­ing on light, shape, and setting — echoing the ever-chang­ing expe­ri­ence of the outdoors.

The design is rooted in research on the posi­tive effects of nature on well­be­ing and creativ­ity. As Front puts it: ​“We wondered if it could be possi­ble to bring frag­ments of wilder­ness into domestic settings.”

Avail­able in 12 nuanced color­ways, Arda merges visual rich­ness with envi­ron­men­tal respon­si­bil­ity. It’s primar­ily made from natural wool — a renew­able mate­r­ial — using a produc­tion tech­nique that reduces water consump­tion by 80 – 95% compared to conventional methods.

Arda offers the tactile comfort and stretch typical of knitted textiles, making it ideal for organic forms and soft contours. Suit­able for both uphol­stery and verti­cal appli­ca­tions, it performs well in resi­den­tial and contract environments alike.