Kiyo's Story - Interview with Jonathan Knyrim

From prototype to own company - after his apprenticeship and some time in the graphic and interior design industry, Düsseldorf-based carpenter and Kiyo co-founder Jonathan Knyrim is shaking up the somewhat dusty furniture market with the piece he designed and built to complete his training. With the German Design Award in his pocket and the support of his old school friend Jakob Hunold and entrepreneur Tom Etz, the Kiyo brand has been committed to timeless, simple and sustainable design since it was founded in February 2022. True to the motto "Less is future", the Kiyo team has developed a piece of furniture that, thanks to its modularity, is prepared for almost all furnishing needs and stands up to "fast furniture". In the interview, Jonathan, mostly called Johnny, talked more about the R1 shelf, Kiyo's philosophy and his preferences in interior design.

Introduce yourself briefly: Who are you? I'm Jonathan -– actually everyone calls me Johnny - I'm 25 years old and grew up in Düsseldorf. After an apprenticeship as a carpenter and some time in the field of graphic, web and interior design, I founded Kiyo together with the Düsseldorf entrepreneur Tom Etz. Jakob Hunold, an old school friend of mine, recently joined the company. We've known each other since fifth grade. Back then we sat next to each other in the last row and just joked around, everything within reason of course.

How did KIYO come to be founded in February 2022? What has happened since then? My journeyman's examination was the birth of Kiyo. At first under a different name. The journeyman's piece at the time was the first prototype of today's finished product. The idea was to build exactly the opposite of a classic journeyman's piece, i.e. a piece of furniture that was as simple as possible.

For the last two and a half years I have mainly been busy developing the current R1 shelf and finding reliable producers, which has not always been an easy task. The furniture market is a really old-fashioned field. We have now been able to convince the first customers, bring trading partners on board, win the German Design Award and have brought a great product to market.

The structures required for this are now so well developed that we are well prepared for the times ahead. Material research and development and the complete brand and company development also required a lot of work. However, we have settled in well as a team. It is even more fun when you are very close friends and you motivate each other every day.

Does the name have a special meaning? Kiyo is a Japanese first name and has many different meanings and interpretations. Among others, purity, simplicity, calmness and honesty. This fits perfectly with the Japanese-looking appearance of our R1 and with our company and design philosophy. But there is also a bit of narcissism in the name, because the letters can all be made up of Johnny Knyrim.

Your design principle is “Less is future”. What do you mean by that? From daily work processes to product design, we reduce every question to its core. With this basic principle, we work to find contemporary and future-oriented solutions. It is important to us that the aspects of sustainability, adaptability, inclusion and affordability are reflected in our products. "Less is Future" is our guideline and also a kind of self-control. Is that really Less? Is that really Future?

Your mission is to fight “fast furniture”. How can we imagine that? In Germany alone, the amount of bulky waste in 2021 was 3.1 million tons, or around 37 kg per capita. On average, a completely new piece of furniture is bought in Germany every five years. We find these figures absurd. At Kiyo, we create high-quality products that are not unnecessarily complex and yet have an attractive and timeless design. We also have a very good price-performance ratio. Retailers we spoke to told us that our R1 system shelving was almost too cheap or that we could increase the prices significantly. But that is not our vision. We want to make high-quality furniture accessible to a wider audience.

What is special about your R1 shelving system? The special feature of our R1 control system is its simplicity and modularity. Our basic element, the R1 Cube, consists of just one single part. Four identical plates that are put together form the cube. You don't need any screws or tools to assemble it. Even children can assemble the R1 Cube in no time at all; it's just as easy to dismantle.

The space-saving packaging also ensures that a complete wall shelf consisting of R1 elements can be transported in a Smart, meaning we can guarantee a delivery time of five working days. Thanks to our magnetic connection, the R1 can be expanded infinitely in a modular way. There are no limits to personal design and if you get tired of one structure, you don't have to buy new furniture, you can simply rebuild the R1.

Where do you get your materials from? Transparency is very important to us, so first the bad news: Unfortunately, it is currently not possible to source our magnets from any country other than China. We source all other materials, i.e. the MDF boards, our coating and the real wood edge, entirely from Germany. Our production facility is in NRW. So, with the exception of the magnets, we can say with a clear conscience that our products are "Made in Germany", even "Made in NRW".

Who do you want to reach with the concept? Do you have a specific target group? We want to make high-quality furniture accessible to the masses. Our R1 is so versatile that there is more than just one use case. From the complete furnishing of office spaces, to the record shelf for music lovers, to the bedside table next to the bed. For this reason, it is not so easy to define a clear target group. So far, we would say that the target group is somewhat younger. For students, for example, the R1 is ideal if you want to save on the moving van, or if you don't have a chair for a pre-drink, you can grab an element of the R1 and use it as a stool. We don't want to commit ourselves to a specific use case and are happy about every customer who enjoys the R1.

How would you describe your personal interior design style? I would describe my personal interior design style as a mixture of minimalist and functional. At the moment, for example, I have converted my apartment into a photo studio. Simply because we needed it and I spend more time in the office than at home anyway.

Is there an interior design here in Düsseldorf that inspires you? Do you have a tip? I always find interior design that inspires me everywhere. It doesn't always have to be an entire apartment. Sometimes when friends visit, a small detail catches my eye. Some kind of decorative arrangement, a detail on a piece of furniture. It's rarely entire rooms. Museums, cafes or bars always fascinate me too. Most recently, for example, I was really inspired by Julien Carrier's exhibition at the Langen Foundation. Somehow, every form of aesthetics has something to do with interior design.

Which places in Düsseldorf inspire you when developing your concepts? The architects' workshop at the HSD is formative and inspiring for me. Really innovative designs are created there and thanks to the many possibilities that the workshop offers, there are few limits. In general, we have a great creative scene here in Düsseldorf, so it's hard to escape from inspiration.

What does the future hold? Our goal is to build a comprehensive but extremely narrow product range for interior design. We will keep thinking about our products, which will make us a real alternative to Fast Fast Furniture. We already have a number of partnerships, collaborations and surprises in store for this! As previously mentioned, we have immersed ourselves intensively in material development. We are currently working on one of the biggest milestones in this area. Unfortunately, I am not allowed to reveal any more than that yet.

Text: TheDorf - Lisa Marie
Photos: Michelle Duong