In Conversation with Cult
In partnership with CULT DESIGN • Story ELIZABETH CLARKE
For over 27 years, Cult has curated and advocated great design with a lineup spanning Danish masters such as Fritz Hansen, Carl Hansen and Louis Poulsen and great Italian houses including Zanotta and Cappellini.
Standing alongside these iconic brands are equally impressive Australian designers, including one of the country's most recognised contemporary object artists, Perth-born Adam Goodrum, who designed the Stitch Chair for Cappellini, tableware for Alessi and Norman Copenhagen and the Riddling Stool as a project for Veuve Clicquot. Adam works closely with Cult and has designed several furniture ranges, including Fat Tulip and the Molloy collection of dining tables and chairs inspired by the Molloy River in Western Australia, where, as a younger man, he hand-built a holiday home with his father.
Cult's new Perth showroom joins five others across three countries, and we sat down with Adam and Cult's founder and managing director, Richard Munao, on the eve of its opening.
Havenist: Richard, what values lie at the heart of Cult?
Richard: Authenticity, quality and timeless design. We started the business representing a Danish company called Erik Jørgensen, which we still represent today. Recently, Fredericia purchased Erik Jørgensen. When we started the business, these products were manufactured here in Australia under licence. Cult is known as the place designers want to be. When we started representing Fritz Hansen, other designers noticed, and iconic brands Carl Hansen and HAY joined us. We put the expertise we have acquired over the years into our own collections, working closely with leading Australian designers and manufacturers whom we showcase in our Nau Gallery, an Australian designer showroom that sits at the heart of each of our stores. Nau is an incredible backdrop for homegrown talent where our top local designers share space with the world's best.
Adam: There is a growing appetite for Australian designers, and Richard is a true advocate. It’s amazing as a local designer to sit beside international designers with stature.
R: To date, Australia has been known mainly for our architecture; now, we are being recognised for our furniture and lighting design. When overseas brands visit, they want to meet Adam. He and designer Kate Stokes (of Melbourne brand Coco Flip), also from Perth, are extraordinarily talented, generous with their time and humble.
How does Cult address sustainability? In this industry, Australia’s location is one of our largest challenges.
R: In a sustainable world, we shouldn’t be shipping from Australia to Europe. Availability is important and makes products more affordable and sustainable. People don’t want to wait for an order coming all the way from Europe or vice versa. For example, we've collaborated with manufacturers in Denmark to produce Adam Goodrum's Molloy chairs. Currently, we're in the process of partnering with upholstery companies in Europe to initiate the upholstery of our Nau collection. We have a new Danish brand that makes couches in Vietnam – it’s a beautiful design manufactured nearby, so people won’t want to have to wait.
Does a product need to be expensive to have longevity?
R: We want products that last but are also accessible. So a customer can purchase a HAY Colour Storage Crate for $29, or a Kate Stokes Jolly pendant light for $1200. There is something for everyone. We want our customers to evolve with us; maybe start with a piece of HAY, then a Fritz Hansen, and then an Adam Goodrum! Regardless of cost, every piece is built to last because of its design and quality. It has longevity.
Tell us about your innovative in-house sustainability program, Cultivated.
R: Cultivated buys back, refurbishes and recycles authentic designer furniture. You don’t buy a car you can’t service, so why buy a chair you can’t authentically re-upholster? We work with local manufacturers and craftspeople to create a sustainable circular economy for authentic furniture and lighting that prevents furniture from being left on footpaths. Buy once, buy well, and then pass it on.
Adam, what took you from Perth to Sydney in the early days?
A: I grew up here and moved to Sydney at 17 to study industrial design. I started my design studio in 2006 and work out of a space in Waterloo, not far from Cult. I also work on private commissions and have designed for international brands. It was a big deal to design the Stitch chair for Cappellini and see it go into production.
R: Cappellini is like a talent scout! The big international designers, like Marc Newson, all got their breaks with him. It’s a huge deal.
Adam, your acclaimed Molloy collection stands out for many reasons. How did it come about?
A: Richard had many beautiful dining chairs and he briefed me to design a table to go with them, which was the Molloy. He loved it so much that he wanted a chair to go with it! I wanted to design an ergonomic chair that could be stacked but wouldn’t read as a stacking chair. It’s made of eight pieces of solid timber in walnut, ash or oak that fit together seamlessly.
R: We worked with Bates Smart, who designed the new building for the Australian Embassy in Washington DC. They wanted all the furnishings to be Australian and needed stacking chairs, so we supplied Molloy tables and 400 chairs, which look absolutely beautiful. The Sydney Opera House also commissioned an order of 60 Molloy chairs and Qantas bought 750 for their business lounges across Australia.
We are so excited to have you on the West Coast. What is special about the new Perth showroom?
A: The other Cult stores are multi-level, but this one is single-level with a beautiful aspect, full of sunlight, fresh air, and a massive outdoor area. It just feels so Perth.
R: Right now, brands must keep evolving and maturing, which is what we try to do. Our WA store is a part of this evolution, and our team here is all Perth; there’s not a single “wise person” from the East! We honestly couldn’t be happier to be here.
Cult's managing director Richard Munao (left) and WA-born designer Adam Goodrum. Photo: Natasja Kremers
Cult Perth represents leading local and international designers. Photo: Dion Robeson
A range of Palissade outdoor furnishings by HAY on display at Cult Perth. Photo: Natasja Kremers
Cultivated restores, reinvigorates and recycles original furniture and lighting. Photo: Fiona Susanto
Adam's idea for the Molloy table's artfully rounded joinery, where two elements become one, comes from the unusual meeting of two rivers forming the Molloy River. Photo: Anson Smart
Elegantly sculptural, the Molloy collection of dining tables and chairs features sinuous lines, fluid detailing and seamless craftsmanship. Photo: Anson Smart
“Australia has been known mainly for our architecture; now, we are being recognised for our furniture and lighting design."
—Richard Munao, Cult Design
Cult Design
242 Stirling Highway, Claremont
Have you read?
