Sounds of Nature: Sweden’s Scenic Landscapes Inspire This Audio Brand’s Latest Collaboration

In partnership with Danish textile house Kvadrat Febrik, Bang & Olufsen introduces the Woolscape Beosound A9 with patterns inspired by forests, snowscapes, and lakesides

It’s been 14 years since industrial designer Øivind Alexander Slaatto first reintroduced the Beosound A9 (formerly known as the BeoPlay) as part of Bang & Olufsen’s evolution in creating designs that behave more like furniture than practical technology.

According to the brand’s archives, its circular fascia and interchangeable legs were deliberately made to invite creatives to turn the wireless sound system into living pieces of art. From David Lynch and Daniel Arsham to its “Art of A9” initiative, the Danish audio company now looks to fellow textile house Kvadrat Febrik to turn the Beosound A9 into a canvas depicting the various landscapes of Sweden.

“With Sienna Brown and Woolscape, we saw an opportunity to give Beosound A9 a new character through the dialogue between colour, material and form,” says Bang & Olufsen’s senior director of design Kresten Bjørn Krab-Bjerre. This earthy metallic finish arrives as a new variation to the speaker’s customizable template, which becomes a neutral accent to the “Mineral Red” Woolscape cover launched alongside it.

As described by Kvadrat Febrik creative directorCreative DirectorThe person who sets the overall visual vision of a fashion house, publication, or campaign and guides designers, photographers, and stylists toward it. A creative director's influence shapes collections, imagery,Go to Creative Director Glossary Renee Mercks, the double-knitted wool cover uses photographed and 3D-scanned textures to create its layered woven patterns, all while retaining Bang & Olufsen’s acoustic signature to create a piece that blends into any space.

“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, colors, 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,” say Mercks.

This interplay of sound and design is believed to be a continuation of Bang & Olufsen’s relationship with its growing creative community. And while the Woolscape Beosound A9 serves as a reflection of the brand’s grassroots, so too does it carry its vision for the future.

“The way we do products and the way we think about sound and innovation is based on our heritage,” says Bang & Olufsen’s CEO Nikolaj Wendelboe in a previous interview with Vogue Philippines. “We are different, and we think differently, and just by looking at our products you can see that too. We have so many stories from our clients, and we often hear that when you hear music that means something to you, you can touch them emotionally; that’s what I think is the future of sound.”

Visit the Bang & Olufsen website to view the Woolscape Beosound A9. Visit Bang & Olufsen on Facebook and Instagram to learn more.