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Celebrating 40 years of design innovation: King Living

Celebrating 40 years of design innovation: King Living

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From the beginning, King Living wasn’t content to just make ordinary furniture, it wanted to make better furniture – furniture that would last.

Founder and chairman David King studied furniture that had been discarded and asked himself “Why?” As a car enthusiast he noticed that car seat frames that stood the test of time weren’t made from timber, they were made from steel. This is where the point of difference for King Living was born – creating furniture designed around an engineered steel frame ensuring quality, durability and long-lasting comfort.

Boulevard sofa by King Living

A close up of the Boulevard sofa.

King Living is responding to a need in the market for Australian designed, customisable furniture that meets the expectations of the architecture and design community. The brand is backed by a unique operation that is family owned and operated, driven by its own in-house design team based in Sydney. The design studio includes industrial designers supported by engineers and artisan tailors, who work in collaboration to create truly innovative furniture pieces. All this is centred on David King’s philosophy of creating furniture that’s designed for style, engineered for comfort and built to last. Responding to the market’s need for constant improvement, the development of a new product is a company-wide process, born of a creative vision and driven by the design team.

“The thing that is really distinctive about the King philosophy is the amount of attention that is given to the object — the piece of furniture — from the inside out,” says Charles Wilson, design collaborator. “They’re not designing pieces that may be thrown out in a few years; they’re designing pieces that are designed to last a generation.”

Jasper sofa by King Living

Jasper sofa by King Living.

For over 40 years, King Living has been dedicated to designing well-resolved and considered furniture pieces. “A lot of people don’t realise that we don’t only design our own furniture, we also make it in our own factories,” says David Hardwick, head of product at King Living. “Two of the European tanneries we work with would be considered the best tanneries in the world, supplying luxury car manufacturers such as Rolls Royce and BMW.” While King celebrates successful international and retail expansion, the demand from the architecture and design community has led King Living to establish a dedicated Trade and Commercial division.

Recent growth in the division has led to collaborations with architects, industrial designers, interior designers and commercial hotel groups.

King Living has established a partnership with Jean-Pierre Biasol, principal of Biasol Studio, who has specified King pieces for various projects. “Biasol’s search for elegant lines and versatility while being crafted with comfort in mind led him to King Living,” says Natalie Culina, head of trade and commercial.

Natalie Culina, head of trade and commercial.

Natalie Culina, head of trade and commercial.

The expansion into Trade and Commercial led King Living to its debut at Denfair this year. “We were incredibly excited to be a part of an event as curated as Denfair,” says Culina. “We love the fact that this event brings together emerging and established design and art. Denfair provided the perfect platform for King Living to connect with the design community, and share its unique story.”

Culina adds, “We are proud of our 40-year history and look forward to the future, which will continue to celebrate authentic design and foster the next generation of innovators.”

kingliving.com.au

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