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Of the many items of exquisite beauty that furniture curator, Richard Munao has around him, it is fitting a crystal ball is not among them.

This is largely because foresight has always been one of the 52-year-old’s more consistent companions.

It was there when, as a teen, he defied his Italian father and Greek mother’s advice to pursue his dream of becoming a certified cabinet-maker.

It was present, when nearly 20 years ago, he poured every penny he could scrape together to open up a high-end furniture business in a Sydney suburb better known for its gang warfare than for its commercial enterprise.

And it was front and centre when the Cult chief executive persuaded an up-and-coming Danish brand by the name of the Republic of Franz Hansen that he was the man who could convince Australians of the value to be unearthed in its product.

But there has always been method to his madness.

By fully committing both himself and his design nous to his business, Munao is today at the helm of a burgeoning and successful retail empire of five stores with representation across six states and two countries.

With additional distributors in Canberra, Adelaide and Perth, Cult works with some of the world’s most influential furniture and lighting producers with prominent Scandinavian brands HAY, Carl Hansen & Sons and Erik Jorgenson, popular Italian labels Poltrona Frau, Cassina and Cappellini and award-winning Antipodeans Tim Webber and Henry Wilson among its impressive portfolio.

As if that were not enough proof of Munao’s purchasing prowess, he counts among his collection a unique precious metal item that no amount of money can buy – having been named the 2011 recipient of His Royal Highness Prince Henrik’s Medal of Honour in recognition of his work in promoting Danish exports.

Seeking to cater to both residential and commercial markets, Munao established Cult (which formerly traded as Corporate Culture) in a two-level 800 square metre manufacturing space in the inner west suburb of Chippendale in 1997. Annointing himself head buyer from day one, he selected Erik Jorgensen, Republic of Fritz Hansen and Stelton as the store’s foundation brands.

Clearly striking a chord with Sydneysiders excited by the prospect of being exposed to a new breed of furniture designers, the business grew organically opening in Melbourne in 1999, Brisbane in 2005 and making its way across the Tasman to Auckland four short years later.

In receipt of regular stock consignments, Munao remains in charge of the bulk of the buying for the stores with input from his various showroom managers. Each year he takes a small team to Italy to attend the Milan Design Week – considered the biggest event on the global design calendar where seasonal trends are observed and the majority of the year’s purchasing decisions are made.

“The bulk of our designs are sourced from Denmark and Italy – two countries that both have strong design culture and have produced some of the world’s best designs. A lot of the most iconic Italian and French design that today are carried by brands like Cassina, were designed in the 1920's and 1930's such as LC collection by Le Corbusier, Charlotte Perriand and Pierre Jeanneret,” he says.

“After that, the 1950's and 1960's were a very prolific time for

design in Denmark with designers such as Hans J Wegner, Poul Kjaerholm and Arne Jacobsen leading the charge. The beauty of all these designs is that a LC4 chaise longue from 1928, Wishbone chair from 1949 and the Swan chair from 1955 are still as relevant and contemporary today as the time they were designed. All these designs have stood the test of time, and that’s what makes them true design icons.”

Authenticity is the trait that binds each member of the Cult family, yet despite this, one of the secrets to the Cult phenomenon is that each brand has its own unique personality and quality.

While Carl Hansen & Son and PP Mobler are the hallmarks for modern Danish timber furniture, brands such as Magis continuously push the boundaries of innovation and technology by working with plastic, steel, iron or even a combination of materials, he says.

Owing to the diversity of its offering, Cult’s price points are equally varied where the design conscious can pick up a HAY Clip Clip for around $14 to a Cappellini Progetti Compiuti chest of drawers that retails for $72,900.

Munao says the industry has changed significantly since he started out – most notably in the merging of commercial and residential furniture. Now, more than ever,there is demand for break-out, multi-functional furniture, furniture to suit smaller spaces as well as sustainable furniture.

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But great design is “not about design for disassembly or out of recycling materials”, he has been quoted as saying. “It’s about design for longevity – to transcend the seasons and the trends.”

Being prepared to go it alone has also proved something of a pitfall to all Australian retailers looking to claim a stake in the fiercely competitive furniture market, with the growing creep of replicas flooding the market.

While the UK recently enforced penalties of up to £50,000 and 10 years jail for anyone selling fake furniture, no such laws exist in this country. It is generally accepted that Australia lags behind in legislating this area as manufacturers of ‘fakes’ are allowed to market their design copies here as long as they are named ‘replica’.

It is a subject that gets Munao hot under the collar, so much so that, aside from being a regular lobbyist, he is also the founding partner of the Authentic Design Alliance and a regular contributor to panel discussions seeking to better educate the market.

Speaking to leading industry website, The Future of Space in 2014, Munao claimed that it took courage and investment for designers and manufacturers of original designs to bring products to market; for as many products that are successful there are products that do not succeed.

“Authentic, original design is important in many ways. Most original and authentic pieces have a greater life span than ‘replica furniture’, which is a more long term, sustainable option for our environment. Authenticity rewards the original designer with income through the sales of the product they designed and it encourages all designers to innovate.

“To me it seems criminal that one can sit on the fence and wait for an original to sell and then copy it; essentially this is theft of intellectual property,” he told the site.

Partly to meet the insatiable demand for innovation within the sector and partly because Munao feels compelled to give back to

the industry that has already offered him so much, Cult is actively involved in discovering and mentoring emerging Australian and New Zealand design talent.

It launched its unique design program - Our Design Journey - in 2004, which gives designers throughout Australia and New Zealand the opportunity to have their designs produced. Former winners include Gavin Harris, Lisa Dinham & Angela Ferguson, and Richard Harrod while the 2016 winner is Zachary Hannah whose light design is currently being prototyped.

Munao has further diversified the business over the past two to three years, starting up his own Cult brand, designed and manufactured in Australia but which will soon be launched in South East Asia, as well as launching an Australian-made AGxCult collection, designed by local talent Adam Goodrum, that Cult intends debuting internationally.

In addition, Munao also runs a program, dubbed Cultivated, which is a unique product stewardship program providing refurbishment and buy-back options of its furniture to clients.

Yet, despite the uncertainty of the global marketplace and turmoil within the retail sector, Munao believes there is still much to be achieved by the brands for which he is caretaker.

Late last year, he opened the first mono-branded HAY shop in Sydney’s Surry Hills - a fitting tribute given that he was the first to commit distributing the brand outside of Europe. It was also the realisation of a dream that Munao had when the brand was first launched in 2002.

Plans are also in the pipeline to celebrate Cult’s 20-year anniversary by renovating its Chippendale headquarters and transforming it into an event-space for functions, photo shoots and exhibitions.

“I am proud of where we are today. Looking back over the last 20 years, it’s been such an exciting journey, yet I still believe that Cult has so much more potential to grow as a business.”