King Living just opened its new Toronto showroom. Here’s a look inside

On Thursday, September 25, King Living welcomed guests to celebrate the official opening of its Toronto showroom, the furniture brand’s largest location outside of its headquarters in Australia. 

Nestled in Toronto’s Castlefield Design District, King Living’s Toronto showroom is a luxurious retreat to the brand’s roots in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1977, King Living is renowned for its modular and timeless designs, groundbreaking innovation, and superior comfort engineering. 

Family is at the heart of the company. In the early days, David King and his mother, Gwen, formed a tag team to handcraft foam furniture to sell in markets across Sydney. King studied the furniture people discarded on the streets to build pieces that withstood the test of time. “The seats were sagging and covers were tearing, so I thought to experiment with steel suspension, which is much stronger than elastic suspension or webbing,” said King. “The reason for this is that I noticed car seats are made of steel, not timber.”

King’s experimentation with a suspension system inspired by luxury cars was a success. “That was the birth of what we call the Postureflex™ seating system. All the furniture we’re sitting on has this system inside it,” he said, patting the modular sofa we sat on inside the showroom, which opened its doors to customers just a few months ago.

King Living transformed a drab skeleton of a furniture store on Castlefield Avenue into a serene respite from the bustling industrial complex outside. Inside, backdrops of lush landscapes and expansive oceanfront views blend Australian heritage with contemporary style.

“ We try to keep the lines of our furniture fairly clean with little ornamentation so that it stands the test of time,” said King, who adds that the company’s in-house design team is guided by a timeless and understated luxury design philosophy. “Our furniture seems to transcend trends.” 

With customization at the forefront, King Living furniture is designed to be flexible today and adaptable in the future.  “We listen to our customers so that we’re not just designing pieces for the sake of designing. Good design fills a need.” 

For instance, the Jasper Sofa’s patented component system allows you to easily rearrange seats, arms, backs, and shelves, or transform the sofa into a luxurious guest bed for visitors into endless configurations. Smart Pockets allow for seamless connection to tech accessories, like speaker brackets and reading lights. The King Cloud Recliner also boasts tech-forward features, including intuitive gesture control and the ability to save your preferred settings for a customized comfort experience. 

Because each piece is crafted in King Living’s own state-of-the-art production facilities, the company has full control over the manufacturing process. “There are no surprises. We know every component that goes into our furniture and that every component is tested for quality,” said King. 

Vertical integration allows King Living to build its pieces sustainably. “Sustainability was something we have embraced from the beginning,” said King. “The first furniture we made was all foam and had a cover that could be easily removed, and every piece of furniture we’ve made since has had a removable cover.” With the option of machine-washable covers, King Living sofas are designed to endure life’s little accidents, from spilled red wine to food splatters.

The company’s in-house King-Care team even offers comprehensive refurbishment and recovery services to extend the lifespan of your furniture for generations to come. Plus, the brand’s exclusive steel frame, backed by a 25-year warranty, is spot-welded at specific weight-bearing areas to ensure your furniture lasts.

“ I had an email from a customer who sent me a photo of their furniture from 1979 that we’d recovered,” said King.

The showroom invites visitors to sit and relax, and tonight’s guests did just that. With small bites in hand, guests sat across from each other at the Issho (“together” in Japanese) Dining Table or sank into the 1977 Sofa, marvelling at its cloud-like comfort. 

The 1977 Sofa  — reimagined and relaunched in 2023 — is inspired by the first design King and his mother sold across markets decades earlier in Sydney. It remains one of the brand’s best-sellers to this day. Like most of King Living’s furniture, the 1977 Sofa set is customizable: move the chaise from left to right for optimal comfort, reposition the seats to suit your style, or add an armchair for added support.  

“That was nearly 50 years ago, and at that time, I would have never imagined that we’d open a showroom like this in Toronto and that I’d be standing in front of all of you,” said King in a heartfelt speech to guests. “It’s a very humbling experience.” 

Experience the King Living difference today. Visit the showroom at 1400 Castlefield Ave., or online at kingliving.ca.