This month Cultivated turns 10! That's 10 years of product stewardship and susatinability in the furniture industry. Come with us as we take you on a journey from where it all started in 2013 to where we are now.
Cultivated launches with the 'Cultivated Office' at Saturday InDesign 2013.
The Beginning (2013)
Realised by Richard Munao, the founder of Cult Design (formerly Corporate Culture), Cultivated was first conceived as a product stewardship program with a difference. Instead of thinking about how product can be disposed of at the end of life, what if we could make a product last 50, 60 or even 100 years? Finding sustainability in longevity was the goal. Knowing designer furniture and lighting are made to last and be handed down through generations, Cultivated ensured this longevity, retaining materials and function.
Restored products from Cassina, Poltrona Frau and fritz Hansen on display.
First introduced as the Cultivated Office at 2013's Saturday InDesign, with iconic products such as the CH24 Wishbone (1948) and Arne Jacobsens Egg Chair (1958) on display. Each product was skillfully worked back to original condition at the various Cultivated workshops, showing the second life possibilities of authentic furniture and promoting a model of reuse and repair, over short life and disposal.
Swan Chairs for the Sydney Opera House supplied by Cult Design in 2001
Sydney Opera House Swan Chairs refurbished by Cultivated 2015
Cultivated Case Studies
Since launching, Cultivated has engaged with top restaurants and institutions in Australia. 2015 saw Cultivated revisit a 2001 project at the Sydney Opera House, where we restored a set of Arne Jacobsen Swan chairs. These are still present to this day, 22 years after first arriving to the iconic venue.
In 2019, Cultivated was engaged by Catalinas Rose Bay to restore 250 Cappellini Tate chairs, choosing to renew and reuse rather than buy new, making Catalina's not only an iconic destination to eat, but a sustinable one at that.
Refurbished Cappellini Tate Chairs at Catalina's Rose Bay
A Big Re-launch (2021)
2021 was a big year for Cultivated, with a new look and a new big focus. Re-launching into the market at Melbourne Design Week, Cultivated was able to show the industry what an effective product stewardship program can do. Soon after this, Cultivated transitioned from a product stewardship program for sister company, Cult Design, to a product stewardship program for the entire A&D industry, opening up it's services for all authentic design product. This commitment to an industry wide service had an immediate effect, saving four 40 foot containers of furniture heading to landfill plus numerous other diversions and restorations since. This renewed focus also saw Cultivated receive a Good Design Award for Design Strategy.
Cultivated rebrand launched in 2021.
Cultivated wins a Good Design Award for Design Strategy
Cultivated Fritz Hansen Series 7's on show at Melbourne Design Weeks 2021
A Year in Review (2022)
In 2022 we continued to educate our community on the importance of sustainable, authentic design; how buying well and keeping longer can lessen the impact on the environment. This culminated in 2022 Sydney Design Week's 'Reviving Design Icons' exhibition, which brought our craftspeople and public together for 3 days of informative session on the importance of restoration and renewal.
Cultivated's commitment to minimising its footprint also saw waste streams further developed and the introduction of TRAKS as our textile recycling partner in Sydney and Melbourne, further eliminating landfill waste.
Reviving Design Icons at Sydney Design Week 2022
Cultivated partners with TRAKS to recycle waste textiles.
What's Next (2024)
While important to celebrate Cultivated's past achievements, we continue to look forward. How can we be better and how can we lead our industry into a more sustainable future? Watch this space as it's going to be an exciting year ahead!
