Brühl, the German family-owned furniture maker founded in 1948 in Bad Steben, crafts timeless, sustainable seating with removable covers and heirloom durability, blending handcrafting and high-tech innovation. As part of our Women in Design series, we spotlight Creative Director Kati Meyer-Brühl, whose avant-garde vision—shaped by studies at Central Saint Martins and Parsons—has earned over 130 awards. Following the 2025 Prize Designs for Modern Furniture + Lighting win for her sculptural Azur Armchair and the 2022 Good Design Award win for her All Together Sofa, Kati shares insights on design, sustainability, and empowering women in a male-dominated field.

GDN: How does brühl define “timeless design,” and what principles guide the independent development of each piece?

Kati Meyer-Brühl: We perceive things as timeless if they still appear fresh, beautiful and relevant to us even if they have been created decades ago. They give joy, they are useful, they fit into our contemporary environment, we can see and feel that they have been made well. Behind each of my designs, there is a specific idea or an objective that I seek to give shape to. It can be a detail, an inspiration, something that interests me.                

I develop a design that gives shape to the specific idea. During this process, two guiding principles are most important for me, one is my own aesthetic perception and the other is sustainability. I strive for distinctiveness of form, be it simple, decorative or sculptural, for a combination of high comfort and minimal use of natural resources, for a design that will allow the seating to be fitted with removable and replaceable covers and a design that can be customised by the user and is open and flexible in terms of its usability.

GDN: How does brühl integrate sustainability—like the Blue Angel label and carbon neutrality since 2017—into designs such as removable covers and recyclable elements?

Kati Meyer-Brühl: Sustainability is one of my guiding principles. It concerns the product as well as the design and manufacturing process. Sustainability has been at the heart of brühl’s corporate culture for 30 years. We changed our production processes to work more efficiently and save resources. To increase the useful life of our products, we switched to durable, environmentally friendly and sustainable materials and raw materials. Removable and renewable covers further increase the already very long service life of our furniture. Thanks to savings and compensation measures, we have been climate neutral since 2017. We have increased the proportion of recycled materials we use. We have been having our CO₂ emissions calculated since 2020. We offer a ‘care and repair’ service for our products, and we are moving towards a circular economy.

GDN: What drives brühl’s emphasis on customizable, multifunctional pieces like modular sofas that adapt across life stages and interiors?

Kati Meyer-Brühl: We believe in needs-oriented design. Not only are people very different, but their needs also change over time. Tastes change, too. If a piece of furniture is to accompany us for many years – and that is essentially what sustainability is about – it must also appeal to us and serve us well. It is thus important that a piece of furniture can be adapted to different circumstances, like changing interiors or the number of persons in a household. For example, by making a sofa modular so that it can be extended or rearranged, by allowing the covers or other features to be individually configured or changed, or by making it possible to sit on the sofa during the day and sleep on it at night.

GDN: We would like to congratulate you on the 2025 Prize Design Award for the Azur Armchair by Kati Meyer-Brühl—what innovations set it apart, reflecting brühl’s sculptural and sustainable ethos?

Kati Meyer-Brühl: The “azur” armchair is an homage to nature, especially to the splendour and abundance of the Mediterranean. The sculptural form gives the chair an aspect that transcends the function. It is also a sculpture, an emotional object that is reminiscent of a shell, waves on the sea or an opened fruit. It inspires joie de vivre, invites identification and reminds us of the preciousness of nature. At the same time, due to high-quality materials and expert craftsmanship, the armchair is extremely comfortable, thus meeting a core requirement of usefulness. Removable and replaceable covers make the chair sustainable and allow it to be individually customised.

GDN: Which recent designs or new arrivals best showcase brühl’s trendsetting yet timeless style?

Kati Meyer-Brühl: In addition to the armchair “azur”, the armchair  “silent”, the armchair “grace metal lounge”,  the modular seating range “all together”, the sofa and armchair “magnolia” and the openend “bongo bay lounge” are, in my view, particularly noteworthy in that respect.

GDN: As Creative Director since 2008 with 130+ awards and training at Central Saint Martins and Parsons, what advice do you have for aspiring women designers in a male-dominated field, and how has your path shaped brühl’s avant-garde designs?

Kati Meyer-Brühl: My suggestion is: trust yourself and fight for your design ideas, right up to the last minute, so to speak. Don’t compromise, be clear and persistent, be authentic. For me, it has been crucial to stay true to my ideas and trust my own aesthetic perception. My education, especially in its international orientation, has helped me develop an internationally understood design language and has helped me remain open-minded and curious and think beyond categories. I hope this openness is visible in what we do at brühl.