who is merkled?

merkled is the project and company of designer kari merkl.

her studio is located in the inspiring industrial area of northwest portland, oregon. merkled specializes in furniture and product design and fabrication. she finds inspiration in custom pieces and small hand crafted production and has years of experience designing for and working with metal, wood and textiles.

kari merkl has been designing and creating objects of function and beauty in portland, oregon for the past five years. prior to her move to the northwest from colorado, kari received a bachelor’s degree in architecture, which eventually led her to the world of welding and industrial design. her background in spatial esthetic has informed her sense of conceptual design and hands on fabrication, allowing her to move freely between both worlds. kari’s work reflects her own appreciation for mechanics and craft.

kari is continuously learning and experimenting with new materials and drawing inspiration from them. her work has been shown at galleries in portland and retail stores around the world including the ny moma design store, velocity art and design, relish, midi design store and many others.

client list includes:
porteon
zgf architects / PHIT
william kaven architects