Inside KARE Designphilosophy
Jürgen Reiter - The co-founder and CEO of KARE Design
Jürgen Reiter, who founded the company KARE in 1981 together with Peter Schönhofen, is not only the managing director, he still shapes every collection to this day as head designer. We were allowed to look over his shoulder during his design process.
"What sets us apart from others is that I am personally involved
and accompany the design process from the idea to the product."
Jürgen Reiter, CEO KARE Design
You mentioned your team – how does collaboration work, especially when it comes to new trends?
Jürgen Reiter: "Our team consists of talented designers and trend experts. They closely monitor new developments in the field of living and research what ideas people have about making their home a happy place."
The term "hands-on design" plays an important role for you. Can you tell us more about it?
Jürgen Reiter: For us, "hands-on design" means that we don't just work theoretically on the drawing board or laptop. We play creatively with materials and colors and maintain close personal contacts with our manufacturers and workshops. This merges our know-how and their decades of experience as masters of their craft. The result is furniture that inspires with its design, offers convincing functions and stands for longevity thanks to its high quality.
How do you manage to adapt your products to the regional market?
Jürgen Reiter: "Our target group is international, and every market has its own requirements. Some regions prefer minimalist designs, others rely on strong colors and striking shapes. To take this into account, we work closely with local partners and trend experts. In this way, we create products that both follow global trends and are tailored to the cultural characteristics of the respective markets, without losing our own design standards."
"Cultural treasures, trends in design and innovative materials flow into the creative design process. From this we develop independent products that represent an individual alternative for our customers to both faceless mass-produced goods and elitist offerings."
Jürgen Reiter, CEO KARE Design
You also work with well-known designers. Can you tell us more about that?
Jürgen Reiter: "Absolutely! Collaborations with renowned interior designers are an important part of our design strategy. They bring fresh perspectives and innovative ideas to our collections. A particularly exciting project at the moment is our collaboration with Karim Rashid, one of the most famous designers in the world. This allows us to surprise our customers with something extraordinary, with pieces of furniture that are characterized by the signature of world-famous designers and become eye-catchers with their expressive, individual design."
Inspiration for Balloon Dance Lamp
Jürgen Reiter: "The "Balloon Dance" lamp is strongly inspired by the retro style of the 60s and 70s, but with a modern twist. Organic shapes and soft, flowing lines were the focus. The glass bodies are intended to be reminiscent of floating balloons dancing lightly in the air. The colors wine red, green and amber pick up on the warm, earthy color palette of past decades, which is currently back in fashion."
What was the creative process of making this lamp?
Jürgen Reiter: "With a simple sketch on paper. It is important to me to develop the design by hand first in order to get a feel for the proportions and the overall picture. Then I work closely with the glass manufacturers who produce the organically shaped glass shades by hand. It was particularly exciting to coordinate the color nuances precisely in order to find the perfect balance between retro charm and modern elegance."
In times of cheap furniture on cheap marketplaces – how do you manage to stand out?
Jürgen Reiter: “The most important difference lies in our quality standards. We have established a scale of values for our company in which sustainability and responsible production are at the forefront.”
What can we expect from your design team in the future?
Jürgen Reiter: "We have many exciting projects in the pipeline! One focus will definitely be the further development of sustainable materials. We develop furniture that is not only beautiful, unusual and functional, but also in harmony with the environment."
