Soft metal: Kymo

Denis Türker actually never planned to follow in his parents’ footsteps and devote his life to the carpet trade, his early enthusiasm being directed more towards the entertainment industry. In his hometown of Karlsruhe, he was involved in a collective that organised parties in offbeat locations. They recruited big-name DJs and made the city’s club scene known far beyond its borders. Then things went in a different direction.

For many years, Türker’s parents had been importing classical oriental carpets to Germany, and one day they asked him and a few student friends to design their own carpet. The resulting design still needed a brand name and the idea for Kymo was born. More than 15 years ago now, this idea became a company for contemporary handmade carpets.

Several designs and millions of metres of woven yarn later, Kymo is debuting its Melting Point carpet this spring. The design was conceived by the company’s in-house creative team, consisting of Eva Langhans and Katharina Tannous. ‘The texture is inspired by liquid metal,’ explains Tannous. She studied product design and applied arts, but was originally a goldsmith, which is where she gets her passion and expert knowledge of the precious metals gold, silver and copper.

At extremely high temperatures, these first start to glow and then become liquid, before flowing into the given form, where the metals harden and cool in a water bath with a loud hiss. What sounds like music to the ears of a high-precision blacksmith occurs just after the moment that’s captured in the carpet design: the melting point at which the metal creates an elegant reflection.

This shimmering surface is recreated and brought to life with high-gloss banana silk. The renewable pile material has the visual appearance of real silk, but it is vegan. And because banana silk is processed as a continuous strand of yarn, it emits almost no lint. The velvety-soft carpets are handmade by Indian artisans.

‘We have a long-standing relationship with our partners in India through regular on-site visits,’ reports Tannous. The advantage of this trusted cooperation is that even during the pandemic, when travelling is not possible, they can still successfully communicate and coordinate via video conferencing. Kymo's requirements are known to the producers. Conversely, the company is thoroughly familiar with the craftmanship potential of the local weavers.

Instead of waiting for the pandemic to end, Kymo prefers to act on its motto: ‘Go on and create’. In the case of Melting Point, innovative, creative solutions led to the first carpet design developed exclusively via virtual means, as Tannous explains. Fortunately, weaving samples can be sent by post – which barely slows down the process because carpet designs take at least a year to develop anyway, even under normal circumstances.

As in many carpets by Kymo, Melting Point also contains a piece of music. If you look closely, abstract bars can be read in the pattern of this latest release. You could call it a subtle trademark of the company: rhythms of the night, exuberance and extravagance embodied in the form of soft plush carpets. Music festival lovers might detect a subtle reference in the product name – perhaps alluding to the Melt! Festival, famous for staging concerts amidst industrial-scale excavators, dredgers and stackers, steel relics of the machine age.

Melting Point is available in the six colours Au79 (gold), Ag47 (silver), Cu29 (copper), Li3 (lithium), Pb82 (lead) and K19 (potassium) as well as in five standard sizes. In addition, the carpet can also be produced in custom sizes and shapes of up to four by six metres and in bespoke colours.

Melting Point is available in the six colours Au79 (gold), Ag47 (silver), Cu29 (copper), Li3 (lithium), Pb82 (lead) and K19 (potassium) as well as in five standard sizes. In addition, the carpet can also be produced in custom sizes and shapes of up to four by six metres and in bespoke colours.

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