JD Staron

J.D. Staron is a luxury rug and carpet company creating bespoke floor coverings through a blend of centuries-old craft techniques and a decidedly more modern aesthetic vision. And the man behind its success is Jakub Staron, a painter and weaver whose design studio was the humble start from which the company grew nearly twenty years ago.

As a child growing up in Poland, Staron attended an art school where he studied weaving. He later moved to New York to continue his studies, enrolling at Parsons School of Design in order to study painting, and found work on the side repairing antique carpets in restoration workshops. Those skills he was amassing would eventually lead him to start the company he heads today.

“I guess I have never been really good at either,” he confesses of his artistic pursuits in painting and weaving, “but the combination of both skills has proven to be absolutely explosive.”

Staron has found his own way, merging the tradition of weaving with current trends in design by updating classic styles with custom colors and motifs and combining different techniques and textures on a single piece. Some might say he’s found a way to paint through weaving. The art, Staron muses, “is a delicate and sublime fusion of painting and sculpture.”

Staron takes a hands-on approach to every aspect of the business, from translating his client’s ideas into woven designs to selecting fibers and working at the looms. “Jakub continuously works on not only maintaining this ancient craft, but also developing it by expanding into new areas,” shares Gosia Staron, Jakub’s wife and business partner. Working with weavers across the world—many of whom are in Asia, where the skill and facilities for the trade still exist and thrive—J.D. Staron trains their factories on new weaving techniques and utilizing non-native yarns.

So what’s next for the company? Gosia shares that their focus is currently on expanding their eco-friendly and hospitality collections.

“Traditionally, carpet making—specifically the making of handmade carpets—is quite sustainable. We mostly use natural materials such as wool, which are green and sustainable, and a vast majority of our products are made by hand,” she explains, “Having said that, we do include green and recycled products in our offerings.”

J.D. Staron incorporates recycled yarns and plastics into their collections, with some pieces made entirely green, woven by hand using un-dyed, untreated yarn.

“I have to admit I’m one of the luckiest people in the world that my work is my passion and my joy. It is such a thrill to be able to create freely.” 

–Jakub Staron