Maja Johansson Starander is educated at Central Saint Martins and the Royal College of Art in London. When completing her master's degree, Maja contacted Kasthall's then lead designer, Gunilla Lagerhem Ullberg. They built instant chemistry and shared the same design philosophy. Thus, she decided to leave the design capital of London, moved to the small town of Kinna, and began working as an in-house designer at Kasthall in 2013.