Window dressing

WORDS Nadine Botha

The French brothers Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec have reinvented the curtain by incorporating a simple system of two easy mechanisms.

Curtains have simply not received the same amount of designer attention as, say, the ubiquitous pouf or multifarious vase. Perhaps it’s because of the major schlep involved in installing a helm or curtain rod, finding curtains that fit, or having them made.

Then you look at the Ready Made Curtain system that French design brothers Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec conceptualised for Kvadrat and you wonder what we’ve been thinking for centuries. Clearly we haven’t been thinking at all! This simple system entails two mechanisms that are attached to the wall, a cord that is tightened by being wound around the mechanisms, a piece of fabric that can be cut to size without any sewing, and pegs that attach the fabric to the cord.

This is not a redesign, this is a reinvention; all the bolder for being something that home interiors completely take for granted. It must be a French thing – check out Inga Sempé’s redesign of the humble electric wall socket, shortlisted for Design of the Year by London’s Design Museum.

readymadecurtain.kvadrat.dk, www.bouroullec.com

Available from Ligne Roset, 011 706 9961, from R5 500