Bang & Olufsen (B&O) is expanding its partnership with renowned Danish textile house Kvadrat by introducing Woolscape on Beosound A9. Developed as part of a project between Kvadrat Febrik, Kvadrat’s knitted textile brand, and Swedish design duo Front, the new knitted textile made custom for Bang & Olufsen brings textures, structures and colours inspired by the natural world to the iconic speaker – connecting expressive materiality with Bang & Olufsen’s philosophy of Beautiful Sound.
For Bang & Olufsen, Beautiful Sound has always been about creating an experience that engages the senses, bringing together acoustic precision, thoughtful design and exceptional craftsmanship. With Woolscape, this philosophy extends into the material expression of Beosound A9, creating a speaker cover designed to sound beautiful and live beautifully within its surroundings.
A new expression: Sienna Brown & Woolscape Mineral Red
The new Sienna Brown finish introduces a warm and sophisticated interpretation of the iconic silhouette. The deep brown tone extends across the speaker and its brushed aluminium legs, creating a cohesive expression that feels both contemporary and timeless.
Paired with Woolscape Mineral Red, a richly layered cover created from four complementary tones, the new expression balances the precision of brushed aluminium with the softness and tactility of knitted textile. Together, the colours and materials bring depth, texture and warmth to the speaker’s sculptural form.
“With Sienna Brown and Woolscape, we saw an opportunity to give Beosound A9 a new character through the dialogue between colour, material and form. The warmth of the Sienna Brown finish complements the rich, tactile quality of Kvadrat’s Woolscape, while the aluminum legs create a considered contrast to the warmth of the colours and softness of the fabrics, reflecting Bang & Olufsen’s expertise in bringing together tactile textiles with refined aluminum. This interplay of materials allows the distinctive shape of A9 to remain at the centre. It is a combination that feels both considered and natural, bringing a new sense of depth to the speaker,” says Kresten Bjørn Krab-Bjerre, Senior Director of Design at Bang & Olufsen.
Design inspired by textures of nature
Inspired by the textures, structures and colours found across Swedish forests, snowscapes and lakesides, the textile explores how elements of the natural world can be reinterpreted for contemporary interiors.To create the textile, Front photographed and 3D-scanned natural textures and forms before translating them into a double-knitted upholstery textile. The resulting tapestry-like surface has a rich sense of depth and variation, with subtle shifts in texture and tone that reveal different nuances as light and its surrounding environment change.
Bringing the customized version of the textile to Beosound A9 required a close development process between Kvadrat and Bang & Olufsen to ensure its visual and acoustic properties worked seamlessly together. The material, weave, construction and colour can each influence how sound travels through the cover, making the development process a precise balance between textile design and acoustic performance. Through close collaboration, Woolscape was tested and refined to preserve its distinctive depth and tactility while meeting the acoustic requirements of Beosound A9 – ensuring the textile complements the speaker’s design without compomising its sound performance.
“With this textile, we wanted to explore how fragments of the natural world could be brought into our domestic environments. This new fabric translates the textures, colours and complexity we found in nature into a textile that changes with its surroundings, creating a sense of discovery and connection to the environments that inspired it,” says Renee Mercks, Creative Director at Kvadrat Febrik.
More ways to experience Woolscape
The new Woolscape covers will also be available as accessories in Black Anthracite, Gold Tone and Natural Aluminium, offering additional ways to bring the textile into the Beosound A9 collection. Through this expanded partnership, Bang & Olufsen and Kvadrat continue to explore how material, colour and sound can shape the experience of the home bringing together the sensory qualities of contemporary textile design with the enduring experience of Beautiful Sound.
