Phillippe Rapin, designer and principal, KAM TIN, owner, Maison Rapin.



by Benjamin Genocchio 



“I draw inspiration from the sophisticated decoration of 16th and 17th-century European cabinetry, incorporating precious metals, marquetry, and veneers in a refined way,” says Philippe Rapin, the eccentric genius behind KAM TIN, a boutique brand specializing in what can only be described as opulent, bedazzled decoration.


KAM TIN was launched in 2010 and has been influential across the design world ever since, pioneering the concept of contemporary limited-edition gemstone furniture in precious and semi-precious stones. His first designs were made of Chinese turquoise cabochons sourced from mines in China, the name comes from an area where Philippe Rapin lived, in the New Territories, part of Hong Kong, north of Tai Mo Shan mountain.




Left: Turquoise Mirror. Wooden structure covered with turquoise mosaic, reflecting glass, patinated brass trim. Unique piece designed by Kam Tin. Signed, France, 2015. Turquoise Console. Wooden structure covered with turquoise mosaic. Unique piece designed by KAM TIN. Signed, France, 2012. Right: Turquoise Sideboard. Wooden structure covered with turquoise cabochons, labradorite top, patinated brass legs and details. Three front doors, key with signature logo “K”. Unique piece designed by KAM TIN. Signed, France, 2017. Astronave Rosa. Colored sculpted glass on a polished brass structure. Designed by Foddis & Baisi. Maison Rapin limited edition, signed and numbered. Italy, 2021. Seashell Lamp. Rock crystal lamp with gilded bronze ornaments. Designed by Robert Goossens. France, circa 1975. Centerpiece. Table centerpiece with soliflores and decorative elements in rock crystal and silvered bronze. Designed by Robert Goossens. France, circa 1970. All available through Maison Rapin on Incollect.com





Turquoise Cabinet. Wooden structure covered with turquoise cabochons, polished brass legs and details. Unique piece designed by KAM TIN. Signed, France, 2014. Available through Maison Rapin on Incollect.com

Rapin is an 18th-century ceramics specialist who opened his first gallery in 1978 selling historical ceramics. He followed the market into modern design and today his gallery, Maison Rapin, located in Paris, specializes in 20th-century decorative arts including vintage and contemporary designs by Robert Goossens, Roberto Rida, Marc Bankowsky, Jean Després, Gio Ponti, Fontana Arte, Etienne Allemeersch, and Simone Cenedese, among others, and is the sole representative and distributor of KAM TIN worldwide. 


The KAM TIN designs are all unique or in very limited editions, crafted by teams of artisans in workshops in Germany and France with distinct specializations: goldsmiths, stonecutters, cabinetmakers, welders, and engravers. Turquoise, amber, pyrite, and a wide range of rare, precious materials such as tiger’s eye, agate, jade, and lapis lazuli are among the signature materials used to adorn his creations.


Everything is designed by Rapin who counts numerous historical designers as sources of inspiration. “Ruhlman is an inspiration, not specifically as he was more into curves, but for who he was as a decorator/designer,” Rapin says. “Italian Art Deco design, especially Pietro Chiesa, Guglielmo Ulrich, and also Jean-Michel Frank, for his combination of simple lines with sophisticated materials.”


Rapin begins by making drawings, he says, then decides on the proportions and technical elements. His forms are not complex, are often Art Deco and Louis XVI inspired, and are intended to contrast with the materials and finishes, most especially spectacular gems.


Turquoise Sideboard. Lacquered wood structure covered with turquoise cabochons, patinated brass top, legs and finish. Three front doors, key with signature logo “K”. Unique piece designed by KAM TIN. Signed, France, 2013. Available through Maison Rapin on Incollect.com


Tiger-eye Coffee Table. Patinated bronze and brass structure, tiger-eye marquetry top. Limited edition of 25 designed by KAM TIN. Stamped “KAM TIN” and numbered 14/25. France, 2015. Available through Maison Rapin on Incollect.com


Pair of Jade Tables. Jade mosaic top on a bronze and patinated brass structure. Limited edition of 25 pieces for each size, designed by KAM TIN. The tables can be sold separately. Signed and numbered, France, 2020. Available through Maison Rapin on Incollect.com



KAM TIN produces very few pieces, around 2–3 per year, making the entire inventory of the brand less than 100 works. “We don’t make a lot,” Rapin says, “partly because of the cost but mostly because of the challenges in gathering enough material to produce pieces.” To produce the tall amber cabinet requires more than 30 kilograms of natural amber sourced from the Baltic region, which is the highest quality amber available. “You have to find it, collect it, ship it, then use it to make the furniture. This is a long and complex process.”


Rapin increasingly also has to navigate changing laws and regulations regarding the export of precious natural materials, not to mention current events around the world. “We have had a few challenges lately with amber from Russia and the Baltic because of the war in the Ukraine,” he says. “There has been a substantial increase in the prices as well.”


Coffee Table made with onyx sultano. Unique piece. Signed “Maison Rapin & Margraf”. France, 2023. Available through Maison Rapin on Incollect.com



Left: Alga Mirror in algae, seashells and seahorses patinated brass frame. Designed by KAM TIN. Signed, France, 2021. Available through Maison Rapin on Incollect.com  Right: Ruby Mirror. Wooden structure covered with 2,000 carats of cut and faceted rubies with a nickel frame and reflecting glass. Unique piece designed by KAM TIN. Signed, France 2018. Available through Maison Rapin on Incollect.com



Rapin designs in series around specific materials, with approximately ten items per material. There are ten designs using turquoise (tables, low cabinets, large cabinets, mirrors), ten with amber, and a growing range in pyrite, a small and perfectly cubic natural stone that comes from mines in the north of Spain. He has been working with it for 15 years now and finds that it lends itself perfectly to the preferred geometry of his forms. The turquoise furniture is his best-seller, but is becoming increasingly difficult to produce given that, after COVID, turquoise was classified as a natural treasure in China so only a limited amount can be exported.


“Everything we make is conceived as a unique jewelry-like piece of furniture that harmonizes the craftsmanship of handwork with the inherent beauty of the natural materials used,” Rapin says, adding that he thinks of KAM TIN designs as a kind of modern Baroque. “I was never into the minimalist trend. I prefer to mix beautiful materials, to mix vintage and new, to find sophistication in a combination of the material and the technique.” 



Dolmen Coffee Table in Iranian polychrome onyx. Designed by KAM TIN and produced by Studio Cognaux. Signed, France, 2024. Available through Maison Rapin on Incollect.com


Set of three Cloud Tables in polished Italian ivory onyx, also available separately. Designed by KAM TIN. Signed, France, 2023. Available through Maison Rapin on Incollect.com



The results are not just distinctive but spectacular, according to interior designers. “I’ve worked with Maison Rapin for many years now and have made some extraordinary pieces for clients. There isn’t anyone who works with semi-precious materials like KAM TIN does,” says the AD100 designer Brian McCarthy. “For one client, it was like a dream come true commissioning a pair of amber cabinets and a cubic pyrite mantelpiece for their library. All to say the work is extraordinary and adds a materiality and allure to interiors that nothing else achieves.” 



Pyrite Nightstand. Wooden structure covered with pyrite, footed, polished brass legs, and three drawers. Designed by KAM TIN. Signed, France 2019. Available through Maison Rapin on Incollect.com


KAM TIN is always looking to find new materials and explore new designs with sometimes outrageous ideas. He is proud of a collaboration with a feather artist to make a one-of-a-kind cabinet completely covered with over 1,500 fans made of natural rooster feathers. “The process to gather feathers and assemble them to create small fans (each fan was made of 20–30 feathers) took the artist over three years,” he says.


Rapin is currently working with different gems, as well as rare onyx and marble. He recently bought a block of beautiful green-colored onyx from Iran, weighing several tons, and had it shipped by truck to France and cut to create tops for a new coffee table design. He has made mirrors out of hundreds of rubies and tourmalines in the colors of the rainbow. Another mirror was decorated with over 1,000 small cabochon emeralds of almost jewelry quality. He has also made his first chandelier, a unique glass piece fabricated in Murano, Venice in collaboration with glass artists working for Simone Cenedese.



Golden Glow From left: Feather Cabinet covered with 1,500 fans made of natural rooster feathers. Unique piece designed by KAM TIN. Amber Mirror. Wooden structure covered with Baltic amber cabochons. Limited edition of 2 designed by KAM TIN. Signed, France 2016. Amber Cabinet. Wooden structure covered with Baltic amber cabochons, polished brass, and bronze. Unique piece designed by KAM TIN. France, 2012. Sheaf of Wheat. Sculpted, gilded bronze and brass imitating wheat, and leaves with rock crystal ornaments, natural wheat elements. Designed by Robert Goossens. Signed, France, circa 1975. Crown of Wheat Mirror. Gilded bronze frame imitating wheat, convex mirrored glass. Designed by Robert Goossens. Signed, France, circa 1973. All available through Maison Rapin on Incollect.com



KAM TIN also produces a few, less dramatic designs in larger editions such as the “Octopus” stool and bench, with patinated bronze legs and seat covered with Teddy mohair velvet from Pierre Frey, each in a limited edition of 50 pieces, which can be customized in a wide range of materials and patinas. The “Nuage” or Cloud table has been produced in polished ivory onyx, copper, brass, aluminum, and lacquered steel, can be customized, and has become a best-selling product.


KAM TIN sells through a mix of online platforms, fairs (most recently the Salon Art + Design in New York and BRAFA in Brussels), and walk-in visitors to the gallery located in a historical part of Paris, near the Pont Neuf. “The gallery is our base, the place where we feel at home and can show Kam Tin creations year round,” Rapin says. “It is important to have somewhere you can see a piece, to touch it and understand the unique beauty”, he says.“I want my objects to be like jewels — they must be seen and experienced to be appreciated.”