At KWD we are so proud to work with, support and collaborate with Australian companies who operate with authenticity, creativity and a commitment to craftsmanship. Across the years we have engaged Arthur G to custom make furniture for our turnkey projects, and we have always been enamoured with their integrity and grace. When we asked the Arthur G team to work with KWD on bringing the My Happy Space Movement to life for one of the recipients, they aligned with us without hesitation.
Established in 1979, Arthur Georgopoulos created Arthur G to explore his passion for beautiful, handcrafted furniture. In true Australian fashion, the first seeds were sown in the garage of his family home in Melbourne. Arthur migrated to Melbourne from an old seaside farming village in Greece (with a history dating back to the Byzantine era) in the mid-1960s. As a teenager, he worked in various industries before settling down in his late 20s.
Getting married and starting a family spurred Arthur on to pursue his passion for furniture design, working with his sister who was a seamstress. Explains Leonard, Arthur’s son, “He made a few items and hired a trailer and drove around Melbourne trying to sell his creations. He found a retailer who was quite keen to stock them on a consignment basis and within the first week these pieces garnered a great deal of interest. That was 1979, and it all grew from then.”
A number of major retailers were enamoured with Arthur’s unique furniture pieces that were made beautifully with leather upholstery. Says Leonard, “He decided to exhibit at a home show at the Exhibition Centre, which in those days was open to the public, and that changed everything. The major challenge was keeping up with all the orders. It was a big undertaking to move the manufacturing from his garage at home to his first small factory.”
Arthur G Designs, as it was initially called, evolved into a much sought-after business with demand for locally manufactured upholstered sofas, ottomans and armchairs. “We have always stayed true to our premise of providing beautifully crafted furniture, made right here in Melbourne. There’s only a handful of well-known and respected local craftsman left now – when the global market opened up in the late 1990s most of the manufacturing went offshore,” explains Leonard.
Leonard joined the business straight out of university in 2004, initiating the retail arm of the business with the opening of their first retail store in Alexandria in Sydney (which has since relocated to Surrey Hills). Now 20 years on in the role of Managing Director, Leonard oversees all of the retail showrooms – Huntingdale and Cremorne in Melbourne, Surry Hills in Sydney, Claremont in Perth and Fortitude Valley in Brisbane, plus exclusive stockists in Tasmania and Adelaide.
Now based in the engine room at the Arthur G Head Office, Leonard oversees the operational aspects of the business, managing the supply chain from design to production through to customer liaison and sales. Commercial collaborations with interior designers, bringing custom designs to life in projects across Australia, while also working closely with retail clients to create bespoke pieces are all major contributors to Arthur G’s success.
“Whilst we have grown exponentially over the last 45 years, Arthur G is still a boutique, family business with a hands-on team,” says Leonard. “The Arthur G signature has always been focused on designing pieces with a timeless aesthetic, and whilst we keep abreast of style movements, it is vital that every piece is visually appealing and will stand the test of time.”
The Arthur G + Diane Bergeron collection evolved around 11 years ago when Diane was initially a customer of Arthur G. Explains Leonard, “We first met Diane when she was working with our Melbourne team on a residential project. We formed a true connection, and through the journey and process of custom-designing the project, we discovered a shared true love of the industry.”
Leonard loved Diane’s aesthetic, her story and her design philosophy. “We could never have added a collection like Diane’s to our range without her involvement because it is so different to the classic Arthur G look. The range came together beautifully and it has been a successful and rewarding decision. Diane and I are like-minded with a genuine and authentic respect for our brands, so despite the complexities the design process is smooth and seamless.”
“Collaborations are great but you have to contain them, and you can’t have too many. We have designers and developers approach us all the time, but we have to be conscious of the floor space and offering our customers the most effective representation of the Arthur G brand. It’s as simple as understanding what our clients want, what are we missing, what we need to cull and what we need to create. It’s so important to showcase as many pieces as possible in the most appealing way.”
“I am truly proud of what my father created from such humble beginnings as a European immigrant, establishing a proudly Australian brand that has stood the test of time. It’s a wonderful story of passion, determination and a genuine love of craftsmanship and customer relationships. It can be challenging to keep these specialised skills in the industry, but it’s an Australian brand through and through with everything produced by hand here in Melbourne, and we wouldn’t want it any other way.”
Adds Leonard, “Kate’s My Happy Space Movement is a cause that resonated with Arthur G because it offers a meaningful opportunity to contribute to the wellbeing of children by helping to create nurturing living environments. Making a very special custom Diane Bergeron bed and ottoman for one of the recipients brought the team so much joy. Supporting other businesses is important to us, and our longstanding relationship with KWD has made this collaboration even more special.”