Kvadrat

The company Kvadrat was founded by Poul Byriel and Erling Rasmussen in 1968 in Ebeltoft, Denmark. They worked closely with designers such as Nanna Ditzel, Finn Sködt, Nina Koppel and Gunnar Aagaard Andersen and created a portfolio of furniture textiles.

Kvadrat's close collaboration with designers resulted in the creation of classic textiles such as Nanna Ditzel's Hallingdal that has kept a strong presence in private homes, hospitals, airports and trains, most prominently on the Danish National Railways (DSB). National critical recognition of Kvadrat's contribution to design came in 1986 when Danish Museum of Art and Design staged the exhibition Kvadrat Textiles through 20 Years.

In the early 1980s Kvadrat joined the international design scene when they started to work with Italian-based American designer Ross Littell. The company resisted international trends and kept its distinctive Scandinavian style. Kvadrat textiles were used as the bearer of national political symbolism when British architects Foster and Partners were commissioned to design the interior of the Debating Chamber of the Bundestag in the Reichstag, where cobalt blue Topas textile was used "to represent a strong image of Parliament".

The direction of Kvadrat passed to the next generation in the 1990s, when Poul Byriel's son Anders Byriel took over as the CEO along with Erling Rasmussen's daughter Mette Bendix as the product director.

In 2011, Kvadrat bought a 49% share of Wooltex in the UK. In March 2017, Kvadrat announced the purchase of 52% of the Danish sustainable materials company Really.