Materialising Colour, Journeys with Giulio Ridolfo

Edited by Jane Withers and published by Phaidon, the book is the first and only insight into the world of this renowned “colour master” whose processes and inspirations are rarely revealed to the public.

The journey starts with the notion of colour and terroir in the northeast of Italy where Ridolfo comes from. It moves into the northern Danish landscape, where he composes new colour ranges in the long, clear days of midsummer, which is when he considers the light to be the most characteristic of Kvadrat’s Nordic design heritage and the atmospheres he wants to achieve. 

Throughout his journeys, Ridolfo is accompanied by photographer Howard Sooley, who captures what Ridolfo sees and how he sees it, recording the colourist’s ability to translate these ephemeral images into physical products.

Almost 20 years ago, Kvadrat started collaborating with Italian designer Giulio Ridolfo. Gifted in finding and inventing colours, Ridolfo’s collections for Kvadrat include; Canvas 2, Glow, Hint, Recheck, Remix 2, Steelcut 2, Steelcut Trio 3 and Zulu 2.

In Materialising Colour, readers learn how Giulio Ridolfo developed a new colour story for Steelcut Trio, whittling down 2000 new woven samples to a range of 33 colours. The book also chronicles the research phase for a new colour palette based on indigo for the Kvadrat textile Remix, introducing Remix 3.