Winning the Best Rug Award from Wallpaper Magazine is no small feat. Jan Kath is a German designer from the western city of Bochum who was recognized for his Emerald rug of his new Sliced Collection of rug art. After glimpsing at Emerald, it is apparent this is no ordinary contemporary or traditional adornment for the floor space in your home. The rug contains the detail-oriented precision of an oil painting, but is perhaps more accurately described as a center cut piece of marble that he has polished to absolute perfection.

Emerald. Designed by Jan Kath.

Three Generations Strong, German Designer Jan Kath and his Modern “Emerald” Rug Win Over Wallpaper’s Best of 2011

“The structures are so varied and deeply filigreed that the craftsmen often change the material from knot to knot,” Jan Kath explains. “But it is precisely this natural anarchy of thousands and thousands of color points that makes the pieces unique.” Using Tibetan highland wool together with silk, the contrast of a slight sheen and a softness bring a depth to the rug. Since there is no exact pattern to the varied, marble appearance, the weavers of the small workshops that Kath has carefully chose to work with in Nepal are especially challenged by the project.

Kath is described as a designer who “consciously breaks with customary ways of seeing and throws strict rules of composition overboard” when it comes to the standard guidelines that rugs “should” follow. These are no Persian replicas, no boxy, tufted modern designs either. Kath would describe his carpets as “an organic dotting of the ‘i’, islands of well-being, which have a healing effect in cool interiors – without destroying the overall style.”As a third generation in the carpet dealing industry, Kath was set up for the perfect equation of know-how and intuitive design for the world of carpets. As a boy, he and his father visited numerous manufacturers throughout Iran and Nepal.

Sparked by his interest at a young age, Kath takes his expert perspective on carpet designing with a solid business mindset honed from real life experience. Like Emerald, his background and ability to push the limits stands out from the rest.