To coincide with the official change of name from Corporate Culture to CULT, the Australian brand has launched a sizeable new collection by Sydney based designer Adam Goodrum. As one of the country’s most high profile furniture designers for over a decade, it has really been something of a surprise that Goodrum has not been asked to do a full collection before now.
The 'Fat Tulip' sofa and 'Nest' sidetables - part of the new Adam Goodrum by CULT collection.
Ever since he bowled over the design world with his highly original folding aluminum chair ‘Stitch’, released by Cappellini in 2008, he has been quietly working away designing a large variety of products for brands such as outdoor specialist, Tait, Tasmanian brand, One/Third and young furniture label Dessein. He has also been busy creating limited edition pieces for Lou Weis’ Broached Commissions while self-producing some designs in collaboration with Australian craftspeople such as his ‘Chatterbox’ ceramic side table. He even made bespoke wool felt shoes for Wallpaper Handmade in 2013.
The 'Molloy' table in solid walnut and and the matching dining chair in solid ash. Both designs use multi-axis c'n'c to create their soft rounded forms. The table has removable legs for easier access to apartments and offices.
The 'Plum' armchair comes with or without arms and provides a compact solution while being extremely comfortable.
Goodrum is also a lecturer in design at UTS (University of Technology Sydney) and through a longstanding arrangement with CULT’s founder, Richard Munao, has been bringing his new design students for many years to visit the Sydney store and talk through the retailer’s expansive furniture collections. This relationship ultimately led to Munao popping the question one day – would Goodrum like to design something for Cult? While this has ultimately led to the new collection of more than a dozen products, it all started much more conservatively with just a single upholstery piece. Proposed to be ready in time for the debut of Indesign: The Event trade show, the ‘Aran’ sofa and armchair were still in prototype form when shown in August but have now both been meticulously reworked to Goodrum’s satisfaction. The initial reaction to this design encouraged Munao to think a whole lot bigger than first envisaged and Goodrum has proven up to the task.
It's not every day - particularly in Australia - that a designer is asked to roll out a large collection of furniture in less than 12 months. What Goodrum has come up with is a collection of pieces that can be used individually or together - sharing an honest approach to structure and meticulous attention to upholstery detailing. Goodrum has used solid timber throughout and selected the Dutch 3-D fabrics by Innofa for some of the bolder, more graphic designs.
The 'Loom' armchair is an open framework that wears a drape of fabric or leather. A little like sitting in an all encompassing marshmallow, the chair is unbelievably comfortable. Shown here in two different Innofa fabrics.
The starting point of the collection may have been the 'Aran' sofa but certainly one of the most desirable pieces in the collection is the bed version of this design. It's internal shelf like armrests offer a new look for the padded bed head category and in combination with a fine timber frame, provides plenty of luxury without over doing it. Rest assured the bed wont look out of place in a minimalist environment but will be a hell of a lot more comfortable than many high-end contemporary beds.
The 'Aran' bed - minimal but comfy. Thankfully, due to a padded internal 'shelf', only two pillows are required.
With prices promised to be on parr or lower than comparable European designs and with shorter lead times, it's hoped that the Adam Goodrum collection will provide CULT with real competition to the big European brands that currently dominate the market. Certainly if the quality seen in the prototypes is any thing to go by these pieces are every bit as well made as the majority out of Italy, France or Spain.
The 'Aran' armchair and sofa in leather is a beautiful thing to behold. The upholstery work is of the highest standard.
It takes a high degree of confidence for a company to invest in a large range by one designer and it is a credit to CULT that they have chosen to produce these products entirely in Australia. With Australian furniture production in general decline as companies source their products more and more from Asia this new collection bucks the trend and hopefully will prove that Australian's will buy Australian when it is designed and manufactured to a high standard. Fingers crossed.
For more on Adam Goodrum by CULT go to their website.