“The passion for handmade carpets is in our genes – a tradition passed down through generations, combining culture, craftsmanship, and dedication in every knot.”
Traditional Carpet Art in Perfection Since 1949
Magdalena Drechsle, mother of current CEO Stefan Drechsle, founded the company in 1949 in Lörrach, near the German-Swiss border. What originally began as a family furniture business, with Alfred Wulff at her side, developed in the late 1960s into a specialty store and manufacturing center for traditional hand-knotted oriental rugs. Originally imported from third-party suppliers, DESIGNERCARPETS established a production facility in Kathmandu in 1983, allowing the company to offer special custom-made luxury rugs. "Our decision to do this in Nepal was crucial to striving for the highest quality of rugs produced only there," explains owner Stefan Drechsle.
After DESIGNERCARPETS established its own manufacturing expertise, it was a logical next step in the late 1990s to begin producing carpets based on designs by world-renowned designers. In 1999, Drechsle produced a Miró-style carpet for Swedish actor, director, and artist Lasse Åberg. This carpet was featured at a local art opening, where Stefan Drechsle was introduced to Marianne Panton, Verner Panton's widow. Both agreed that Verner Panton's carpet designs deserved to be revived.
Since 1999, DESIGNERCARPETS has been officially licensed for the production and worldwide distribution of Verner Panton carpets. This marked the beginning of a new direction and the birth of DESIGNERCARPETS DRECHSLE. Since then, Stefan Drechsle has worked closely with internationally renowned designers. Pierre Paulin, Karim Rashid, Patrick Norguet, Gertrud Arndt, Sonnhild Kestler, and Arik Levy are among the designers who have designed carpets for DESIGNERCARPETS DRECHSLE.
The company's expertise in developing designs of the highest quality led it to specialize in collaboration with interior design firms in the early 2000s and to implement projects worldwide ever since.
In 2023, Annique Drechsle, the third generation, will join the company.
