For generations, the definition of a stable architectural partition has been tethered to the rigid, the heavy, and the permanent. Now, a quiet but profound intervention from Rotterdam is challenging this fundamental assumption. Dutch design studio Luis Marie, spearheaded by Fenna van der Klei and Patricio Nusselder, has channeled the ancient craft of pleating to produce Plissade, an acoustic room divider that stands proudly on its own, constructed entirely from textiles. Billed as the “first-ever all-textile room divider,” Plissade is a triumph of material science and traditional technique, delivering a truly circular product that redefines the division of space. It is a work of inherent contradiction—soft yet structural, lightweight yet acoustic, and ephemeral in form but permanent in its sustainable commitment. This project is a crucial marker in the ongoing pursuit of design that is not merely functional, but deeply ethical and instinctively beautiful.
The New Structural Integrity
The Plissade divider is a study in how form can defy expectation, transforming what is typically seen as a purely decorative element—pleated fabric—into a self-supporting architectural structure. Its primary achievement lies in eliminating the need for any rigid internal framework, adhesives, or heavy reinforcements, setting it apart from countless other textile screens and acoustic panels on the market. This departure is an act of design bravery, trusting the inherent strength of geometry over the brute force of traditional building materials.
The innovation centers on a sophisticated stiffening technique applied to the recycled textile layers. This process allows the fabric to be tightly folded and interlocked, creating a dynamic internal network of hollow, diamond-shaped tubes. It is this precise, engineered geometry, born from the simple act of the fold, that grants the partition its remarkable stability and acoustic performance. The result is a piece of furniture that feels intuitively light and temporary, yet robust enough to define and anchor a space, a perfect fit for the flexible, multi-purpose interiors of contemporary life.
By substituting hard materials with a soft, pliable, and entirely textile construction, Luis Marie invites a new sensorial experience into residential and professional environments. The divider is not a barrier; it is a curtain of light and sound, gently filtering a room rather than severing it. This quiet revolution in structural design speaks to a growing demand for objects that offer stability without imposing finality, objects that can shape a space on Monday and be rolled up and stored by Friday. Plissade is, at its core, a celebration of the engineered fold as a primary architectural force.
The Art of the Fold: Heritage and Innovation
The creation of Plissade is rooted in a deep respect for the traditional craft of textile pleating, a skill that has historically been used to add volume, shape, and movement to garments. Luis Marie took this decorative art and elevated it into a load-bearing methodology. The design is a direct reinterpretation of historical folding techniques, leveraging the inherent strength and rigidity that multiple, precisely executed folds can impart to a flat material.
The process involves two main textile layers that are interlocked during the stiffening and pleating stage. The innermost layer is a dense felt, while the exterior layer is a finely woven textile. The combination of these two material densities, when subjected to the studio’s binder- and adhesive-free stiffening process, creates a highly stable composite. Crucially, the final form features a series of geometric folds that lock together, forming a tessellated pattern of diamond-shaped tubes. These tubes function like internal air cushions and small structural columns, providing an exceptional level of vertical stability and torsional rigidity, essential for a self-supporting screen.
This mastery of textile engineering is where the Plissade truly shines. By avoiding all glues and resins, the studio has managed to fuse modern industrial techniques, drawn from the fashion and automotive upholstery industries, with a centuries-old craft. The precise folding pattern is not merely an aesthetic choice, but the very mechanism of its stand-alone capability. It demonstrates that the most innovative solutions often come from the simplest, yet most geometrically complex, applications of established principles, proving that the softest materials can indeed be the strongest.
Designing for a True Circular Economy
The commitment to sustainability in Plissade moves beyond mere material sourcing to encompass a truly circular design philosophy that governs the entire lifecycle of the product, from raw fiber to end-of-life recycling. This rigorous approach is what has distinguished the divider as a forward-looking design, earning it a prestigious shortlisting in the textile design category of the Dezeen Awards 2025.
The core of Plissade’s material composition is derived from recycled polyester. Specifically, the inner felt layer is created from post-consumer polyester clothing, directly addressing the global crisis of textile waste. The outer woven textile, while aesthetically refined and durable, is also constructed from recycled polyester yarns. This intentional use of high-quality, reclaimed materials reduces the demand for virgin resources and provides a purposeful second life for materials that would otherwise be destined for landfill.
The most critical sustainable feature, however, is the innovative assembly technique. By eliminating the use of adhesives, resins, or any non-textile, rigid reinforcements, the designers ensured that the product can be completely and cleanly disassembled. At the end of its functional life, the Plissade can be effortlessly separated into its component textile parts and fully recycled, ensuring a truly closed-loop system. Furthermore, the studio minimized its environmental footprint during manufacturing by employing digital printing techniques to dye only the outer woven yarn, drastically cutting down on water consumption and the use of harsh chemicals associated with conventional textile dyeing processes.
The Flexible Future of Space
The Plissade is perfectly positioned to address the shifting needs of modern living, particularly the blended environments where work, leisure, and domestic life often occupy the same footprint. In this context, flexibility, acoustic control, and ease of deployment are not luxuries, but necessities. The divider delivers on all these fronts, making it a highly versatile tool for spatial management.
Functionally, the diamond-tube structure is a highly effective acoustic dampener. The air pockets and the density of the recycled felt work synergistically to absorb sound waves, reducing reverberation and creating a quieter, more focused environment. In a bustling open-plan office or a shared residential space, this acoustic performance is invaluable for establishing zones of calm and privacy without resorting to permanent walls. The textile material also imparts a superior level of warmth and comfort to the room compared to hard acoustic panels made from wood or plastic.
The design’s modularity and lightness are essential to its flexibility. The Plissade is easily foldable and can be rolled up when not in use, making it simple for a single person to reconfigure a space in minutes. It is a piece of kinetic furniture that enables users to dynamically manage their surroundings, defining temporary meeting areas, private reading nooks, or simply creating an aesthetic backdrop. Its range of colorways, available in vibrant green, blue, and red hues, allows it to serve not only as a functional screen but also as a powerful statement piece, adding a welcomed element of chromatic warmth to stark contemporary interiors.
The Dutch Design DNA: Blurring Art and Comfort
Luis Marie’s debut with the Plissade divider firmly establishes the studio within the tradition of Dutch design, which is often characterized by its experimental approach, its material honesty, and its willingness to challenge industrial conventions. Founders Fenna van der Klei and Patricio Nusselder share a clear vision of using product design to enrich human experience, focusing on “colour, warmth and comfort” within living environments.
Their design philosophy centers on the idea of creating objects that live on the blurred line between utilitarian product and sculptural art. The Plissade, with its almost fluid, wave-like structure, functions as both a wall and a standalone piece of textile art. When light catches the deep pleats, the divider creates a dramatic interplay of shadow and volume, adding a kinetic, almost performative quality to the space. This focus on aesthetic pleasure and emotional resonance is a hallmark of the studio’s attempt to move beyond mere problem-solving and into the realm of poetic design.
By taking a traditional, often-overlooked craft like pleating and applying rigorous, sustainable engineering to it, Luis Marie demonstrates the contemporary power of heritage techniques. The final product is a piece of design that is intellectually stimulating due to its structural ingenuity, ethically sound due to its circular composition, and emotionally engaging due to its soft form and rich color palettes. The Plissade is more than a room divider; it is an object lesson in how instinctive, brave design can merge technical innovation with a profound sense of human comfort and environmental responsibility.
