Nestled between the AP-7 motorway and the Barcelona-Girona railway line, the small town of Sils in Catalonia’s La Selva region is an unlikely headquarters for a global design powerhouse. Yet it is from here, in a town of fewer than 7,000 people, that Kave Home has become one of Europe’s ten fastest-growing companies of the last decade.
Now, its CEO is reflecting on how the firm’s deep Catalan roots, once downplayed, have become a core part of its identity. Francesc Julià Ametller, son of the company’s founder, admitted that if the brand were created today, its name might be different. “I think Kave Home would have a more Catalan name if we had created the brand now,” Julià said in a wide-ranging interview with the Catalan newspaper Ara.
From Rural Roots to Global Recognition
Kave Home’s journey began with a small warehouse selling mattresses to hotels in the nearby Costa Brava town of Lloret de Mar. Today, it is a giant with over a thousand employees, a state-of-the-art headquarters in Sils, a major logistics centre in Tordera, and its own factory in Yecla, Murcia.
The company’s growth has been explosive. Recognised by the Financial Times as one of Europe’s fastest-growing firms, Kave Home has more than doubled its turnover in the last three years. Its revenue surged from €153 million to a record €321.2 million in its 2025 financial year, according to InteriorDaily. With over 70% of its business coming from exports to 80 countries, the company stands as a testament to how global impact can originate far from the capital.
This success story contributes to a regional trend where the Catalan economy has consistently outperformed the EU average. However, Julià revealed that the company’s provincial location was not always a point of pride.
“At the beginning, we almost hid that we are in Sils, but now we see it as a differential value. A potential, a positive thing,” he explained. “There is now a point of struggle, almost of redemption, of wanting to demonstrate that from rural areas you can transform the world. I think it’s a very powerful energy.”
A Name for a New Era?
Julià’s comment about a “more Catalan name” points to a significant evolution in the company’s self-perception. As the business has matured and gained international confidence, it has increasingly embraced its local identity. This shift mirrors a broader cultural movement in Catalonia, where local language and heritage are championed, a spirit embodied by projects like the globally recognised pioneering Catalan Wikipedia.
The company’s strategy is built on what Julià calls “flexibility” and a willingness to reverse previous decisions. His father, the founder, had always insisted they would never own factories or physical shops. “We are very good at contradicting ourselves,” Julià quipped, noting that their biggest recent investments have been in exactly those areas.
“The world changes very quickly,” he added. “Your mental frameworks, your values and your way of seeing the world must be stable, but your tactics must be very flexible.”
Family Values and a Global Vision
Kave Home’s position in the market is to make “quality, original design accessible,” occupying a middle ground between the mass-market appeal of Ikea and the exclusive world of high-end design brands. Its 100% family-owned structure underwrites this mission, having recently re-acquired full control to safeguard its long-term vision.
“We have a very stable family protocol, which is that we cannot sell the company,” Julià stated. This allows them to pursue goals beyond short-term profitability, such as sustainability and the reindustrialisation of European manufacturing.
Ultimately, the CEO sees the company as a platform to transmit values. The goal is to prove that “from a town here, in Girona, you can change a sector and have a global impact.” This growing confidence in its Catalan origins suggests that while the name on the door is Kave Home, its heart remains firmly in La Selva.
