Born and raised in rural Vermont, Karl Zahn's work with wood and natural materials developed out of his time spent playing in forests and wood shops. His designs express a pared-down simplicity and stark aesthetic that blends modernist hard lines with traditional furniture craft. After earning a degree in product design from the Rhode Island School of Design in 2003, Karl travelled to San Francisco, where he immersed himself in the creative and complicated metalworking culture that thrives there. In 2007, he moved to New York to begin working on his own. He lives in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.