Maja Johansson Starander is a Swedish textile designer educated at Central Saint Martins and the Royal College of Art in London. During her master’s studies she contacted Kasthall’s then lead designer, Gunilla Lagerhem Ullberg, beginning a collaboration that brought her from London to the textile town of Kinna in western Sweden.

Working closely with Kasthall’s factory, Johansson Starander has developed rug designs that explore texture, structure and the expressive qualities of textile materials. Her work often draws inspiration from textile history, fashion and natural surfaces.