We caught up with Kari Merkl ? founder of Portland-based design company Merkled Studios ? to talk about shooks, styling tips, and more.

Kari Merkl is the designer and founder behind Merkled Studio ? a Portland-based design and manufacturing company that hand-makes modern and multifunctional fixtures and furniture for homes and commercial spaces. The brand?s line of sleek, modular shelves, hooks, and their innovative Shook (a shelf + hook hybrid) have officially arrived in the Design Milk Shop, using playful colors and a multifunctional design that?ll make all of your 2022 organization goals a modern and stylish reality. I got the chance to (virtually) sit down with Kari and hear more about Merkled, and the concepts behind her craft.

What led you to start Merkled Studio" I studied architecture and I did that for a couple of years, and I realized I had a lot of curiosity towards objects and furniture, so I moved into that direction. I also had a background in metalworking and machining, and I had a lot of ideas that I wanted to see come to fruition. So, I just started slowly doing my own stuff. And eventually that became something that seemed sustainable to be an actual business.

What inspired you to create the Merkled Shook"
The original product in the line was a coat rack, then that led to coat hooks. Then it became obvious that there should be entry shelves for keys and then shelves. I realized that there wasn’t really anything that existed that...