Biography

Kurt Merki Jr. was born in Accra, Ghana, in 1978. As the eldest son of a Swiss master carpenter and a Ghanaian fashion designer, he grew up between Switzerland and Ghana. His formation as a carpenter began in his father's furniture factory, Kurt Merki Sr. There, young Kurt learned everything from the ground up: Making modern furniture to exporting wooden cutting boards. After moving to Switzerland for good in 1997, he successfully passed his master craftsman's exam as a cabinet-/furniture-maker in 1999.

After that, Kurt Merki Jr. worked as an interior designer for various architectural firms in Zurich for eight years. In 2008 he moved to Milan, where he deepened his design knowledge at the Scuola Politecnica di Design and completed his master's degree in interior and product design. He then gathered further experience working for the Studio Antonio Citterio in Milan in 2009 before moving back to Zurich in 2010 and opening his own design studio.

During the past years as an independent designer, Kurt Merki Jr. was able to gain enriching experience and insights in various areas. 

Regarding product design, he designed the first collection of fittings for Duravit and several bathroom furniture series, some of which won different awards: The XSquare bathroom furniture series was awarded the iF Design Award and the Red Dot Award in 2019. Also, the Vero bathroom furniture series received the Red Dot Award - Best of the Best, the Iconic Award, and the iF Product Design Award. Kurt Merki Jr. also accompanied the brand development of the perfume "Scent of Africa" and developed the corresponding perfume bottle, launched worldwide in March 2022.

In the retail sector, Kurt Merki Jr. has created the store concept design for Kochoptik and several stores worldwide for Läderach Chocolatier Suisse. These include the flagship store on the famous 5th Avenue in New York.

In the field of architecture, he designed the new headquarters for Läderach Chocolatier Suisse in Bilten. The House of Läderach also includes a chocolate museum and coffee shop. In 2021, the House of Läderach received the Swiss Location Award as an excellent experience location. He has also designed several houses for private clients in Switzerland and Ghana.