Jan Kath Design

The German Designer consciously breaks with traditional ways of seeing and throws strict rules of composition out of the window. While an entire generation once rolled up their grandmothers’ Persian rugs and exiled them from the living room, Kath’s designs are now bringing them “back to the floor.” His goal is to create the antiques of tomorrow

With the 'Daydreamer,' Jan Kath presents a piece of furniture for the first time. Inspired by upholstered divans found in the gardens of Oriental mansions, this piece features an innovative mechanism made of oak wood, allowing the back and side parts to be adjusted with just a few simple steps. This creates either an elegantly understated platform for the carpet mattress, a classic sofa shape with a backrest, or a cozy nest supported by an airy wooden frame.

With his interpretation of the modern carpet, Kath has developed a signature that defines style and is one of the most important carpet designers on the international stage today. His concepts have earned numerous accolades, including the Red Dot award and Carpet Design Award. More and more of his work is now appearing in museums that showcase art and design such as the Beijing International Design Triennial, the Museum für Gestaltung Zürich and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. 

Kath is an autodidact. The matrix for his innovative designs is formed by a relationship to rugs with deep emotional roots: he is from the third generation of a family of carpet dealers. When he was just a young boy, he and his father, Martin Kath, used to visit manufacturers in Iran and Nepal. These experiences trained his eye and awakened a fundamental understanding of color combinations and proportions. At the same time, Kath never wanted to follow in the footsteps of his parents, and he never intended to continue running the business for them. In order to find his own way, he traveled through Asia and the Middle East when he was 20 years old. During this trip, he wound up, more or less accidentally, in Nepal. There, friends of his family offered him the opportunity to start working as a quality controller in their carpet production business. His “connection with the world of carpets” was reestablished. Later, Kath took control of the manufacturing process and began to produce his own designs. He finds inspiration everywhere and anytime: while looking out the window of an airplane at a soft line of clouds over the Himalayas, a colorful tablecloth in a Russian bar in New York and, most recently, the archaic industrial culture of his home, the Ruhr District.

Jan Kath has developed an unmistakable style. Although the allure created by imperfection, erosion, and transformation plays a central role in his designs, Kath is “uncompromisingly conservative” where quality is concerned.