Karl D. Felperin has designed and built furniture since 1978, as a manufacturer, staff designer, freelance designer and, since October 2006, as a craftsman.

In 1980, he founded KMW Furniture Makers Inc. in Redwood City, California. KMW's product line consisted of Arts and Crafts-styled solid oak and walnut dining furniture for small spaces. It was engineered to be shipped ready-to-assemble, and packaged in multiple cartons if necessary to allow shipment by UPS. The furniture was sold by retailers nationwide in over 250 stores in 48 states. KMW was purchased in 1985 by Whitford Furniture Co., Fort Wayne, Indiana where Felperin continued as a staff designer.

His interest in Greene and Greene furniture designs started during this period. One of his dining tables, the Mendocino, was an adaptation of the Robinson House Dining Table of 1906. Somewhat smaller than the orginal, it weighed 140 lbs., and shipped UPS in four cartons!!

In July 1986 Felperin became a freelance designer, doing business as Felperin Design Associates, in San Francisco. His was one of the first furniture design firms to use computer aided design in both detail drawings and color renderings for presentation. Felperin Design grew to a staff of five people, creating designs in bedroom, occasional, and casual dining. The design office moved to Newark, CA in tthe East Bay in 1990, where Felperin played a key role in the creation of the Newark Sezession, which formed around Harbor Freight Tools. A partial list of clients included the following furniture manufacturers:

•Filbar Furniture Company (Bedroom)
•Childcraft Furniture Company (Cribs)
•JRW Contemporary Inc. (Occasional and Home Office)
•Elm Creek Manufacturing (Metal Beds)
•Kessler Industries (Casual Dining)
•Z-Line Designs (Home office)
•Roy and Benot (Metal Beds, Dining Chairs and Tables)
•Camas y Muebles de Monterrey (CYMM) Metal Beds, Dining Chairs and Tables

Awards include a Daphne Finalist award for his Triboro Gateleg Table for KMW Furniture Makers in 1981. His Fairfax Desk for JRW Contemporary Inc. was a Pinnacle finalist in 2001 in the Home Office category. He received a special Pinnacle Award in 1997 from the American Society of Furniture Designers (ASFD) for his work as Originator of the ASFD Pinnacle Design Award, which honors designers and manufacturers of furniture sold in retail stores. Additionally, he served as ASFD Pinnacle Award Chairman from 1995 through 1997 and from 2001-2005.

He is a served as President (1991-92) and Chairman (1992-93) of the ASFD, was the first Pinnacle Award Chairman (1995-97) and is presently serving as Pinnacle Chairman. His Fairfax desk was a finalist in Home Office for the 2001 Pinnacle Award.

In August 2007, Felperin decided to retire from retail furniture design, in order to return to his first love, designing and building Arts and Crafts Furniture. His shop is producing both original designs and interpretations of Arts and Crafts classics, using traditional methods of craftsmanship and joinery, designed to endure at least several generations more.