Jan Kath

With their balance of intricate traditional patterns and modern minimalist flourishes, Jan Kath rugs and carpets are widely popular with design enthusiasts and reflect his own desire to bring comfort, warmth and character back into the contemporary home. "Nobody feels comfortable in clinically styled apartments with highly polished concrete floors," he has said of his efforts. 

World-renowned for his eclectic and colorful designs as well as his adherence to ancient hand-knotting techniques, Kath’s rugs have graced the floors of celebrity homes, museums and properties occupied by luxury brands including Louis Vuitton and Tiffany & Co. 

Born in 1972 in the vibrant city of Ruhr in Northern Germany, Kath was introduced to the world of carpets when he was just a baby. Three generations of his family had worked as antique carpet suppliers — a trade that Kath initially rejected. However, when he was traveling in his early twenties, fate interceded. He was getting close to running out of money while he was still on the road and ran into one of his father’s carpet suppliers in Kathmandu, Nepal, and asked for a job working in his carpet factory there. He spent several years working alongside local carpet weavers, learning the ins and outs of how the carpets were handmade. Kath eventually took over the factory and began creating his own designs. 

Inspired both by his travels through Asia and the Middle East, as well as by the beauty of his home in Ruhr, Kath’s carpets quickly developed a signature style. Spurning a formal education in design, his purely intuitive technique often rejects the rules of design to celebrate imperfect patterns, eclectic colors and unconventional motifs. His carpets are loomed in India, Morocco, Nepal, Thailand and Turkey. 

Kath’s designs, which have been likened to antique and vintage Persian rugs over the years, are all created using centuries-old hand-knotting techniques. Working with local creators at his plant in Kathmandu, Kath aims to preserve ancient carpet-making practices by applying them to modern works of art, creating unique pieces imbued with the character of their makers. 

Jan Kath has received numerous awards, such as the Carpet Design Award and the Red Dot Design Award, and his carpets have garnered international renown. His works have been exhibited at the Art Museum Riga Bourse in Latvia, the Museum für Angewandte Kunst in Frankfurt, Germany, and elsewhere. In 2014, he partnered with friend Jenni Finlay to open a showroom, Finlay and Kath Inc., in Vancouver, Canada.

Find Jan Kath carpets and rugs on 1stDibs.