Oslo Opera House

Project
Kvadrat and FANNYARONSEN custom-made textiles were chosen for the seating in the two largest auditoriums in Oslo’s internationally acclaimed new Opera House. The bespoke textiles used for the seating are the result of a collaboration between Kvadrat and the architects, Snøhetta. Kvadrat offered the architects the possibility of designing their own pattern and colour, based on existing textiles in their extensive collection.

Solution
The main auditorium: FANNYARONSEN fabric Haakon in a warm orange-red colour, featuring a pattern designed by the architects. The fabric has a double-colour effect, which is achieved by the direction of the weaving; one direction makes it dark, one light. This pattern gives each of the 1,300 seats a truly unique look. 400 seat auditorium: Kvadrat fabric Interferens, featuring Ferrari-red dots on a black background, was created specially for the project.

'The collaboration with Kvadrat came about because they offered the possibility of designing our own pattern and colour based on an existing textile from their collection. They were also able to very quickly provide samples of the design once it was drawn. We have known for a long time about the quality and flexibility of Kvadrat on complex projects. They were willing to go to great lengths to match our vision and meet the highest standards of quality. The opportunity to be inspired by and adapt textiles in their rich catalogue really makes a difference, when you work on a project!', Bjørg Aabø, Snøhetta