Fasad is a new rug collection from Kasthall and its first to use recycled wool, which is woven into tight linear bands. AN chatted with Dirk Gschwind, managing director of DC Design, the studio from David Chipperfield Architects that partnered with Kasthall on the product. The rugs use recycled wool. (Magnus Mrding)AN: What was the design inspiration for Fasad?Dirk Gschwind (DG): The inspiration for Fasad came from the desire to transfer the design aspects of our first rug series with Kasthall, a tufted rug series called Tegel, to a woven rug series. This sounds simpler than it is as the processes for creating tufted or woven rugs are very different. With a tufted rug, you can achieve a design intention relatively directly, like a picture, through the sum of individual points (in this case threads). With woven rugs, however, you have to think much more about their construction, structure, and the materialwhich creates different challenges in itself. The results could be unpredictable at times, so this was a learning experience.In the end I think we managed to reflect the three-dimensionality of the tufted Tegel rugs (the layering through threads of different lengths), the haptic and surface structure, the color range into the Fasad woven rug to create something elegant and strong. Layering was key to creating a balanced woven structure, which we achieved in the end by using a boucl yarn. We reached this approach after many experiments with different material compositions and thread tensions of both boucl and plain yarns. It took a few attempts to produce the desired colors, the designers also experimented with not dying the wool. (Magnus Mrding)AN: What is exciting about the incorporation of recycled wool? How did that change the design?DG: By using recycled wool, it was possible to add a whole new layer to this project both technically and aesthetically. There was little prior experience with recycled wool, posing a challenge in terms of the stability of the yarn which now had to be guaranteed with much shorter fibers. To produce the desired colors also took a few attempts as the recycled fibers reacted very differently to the dyes. In the end, this experimentation prompted us to use the yarn also undyed. In addition, there was an impact on the surface structure, with the shorter recycled fibers creating a much woollier appearance. It was exciting to us to see how responding to the technical challenges opened up new design and aesthetic possibilities. The rug comes in two patterns Uno and Duo. (Magnus Mrding)AN: Can you describe how Fasad looks up close?DG: When you look at Fasad up close, you dive deeper into its materiality. You can see the warm, slightly woolly surface of the recycled yarn very clearly, but also the liveliness of the boucl yarn with the individual shimmering areas of the mixed-in linen. The close-up view reveals a variety of textures and surfaces which are quietly inviting in their tactility.AN: How do you envision Fasad being used in interiors projects?DG: We think that Fasad should generate a wide range of possible uses. The color scheme and the two patterns (Uno and Duo) give the family a strong identity without being a distraction or statement. They serve as a stage, a foundation for other things. The materiality and structure have a simplicity that feels both familiar and modern, and which should adapt well to many different environments.