The Art of Living is rooted in a view of simplicity, authenticity and casual luxury. In this series, we explore the art of living through the eyes of leading Australian creatives.

To accommodate the growing appetite for interior design, King Living’s Fabric Development Manager, Sebastian Nash has collaborated with some of the world’s most well-known fabric manufacturers to craft the most premium fabrics and luxurious leathers for King’s indoor collection. Responsible for designing some of King’s most iconic textiles, Sebastian’s collections are shaped and inspired by the Australian landscape and way of life, ensuring a deep resonance with our customers.

The Delta III sofa in the new Roma Tan leather.

Tell us about the King Living leather range.

Sebastian Nash: The leathers in our collection are truly outstanding quality. All King Living leathers are thicker than most offered; we only use full and top hide leather and don’t mix faux leathers such as vinyls onto the covers. All our leathers and are Aniline dyed to prolong the life of the leather. By using the highest quality hides to cover the whole sofa, your furniture will mould to your lifestyle and look more relaxed as time goes by.

The iconic TrueTouch leather is one of the most beautifully soft yet thick, and arguably the finest upholstery leathers available today.

The tannery that produces TrueTouch is in an area of Germany that has a history of tanning dating 800 years. They’re innovators within the industry, creating specialised leathers for other premium brands such as Rolls Royce and BMW, as well as British luxury motor yacht brands. TrueTouch has no surface correction and only the lightest pigment which allows the leather to breathe, making the leather warm in winter and cool in summer.

Over the next couple of months, we’ll be adding additional colours such as a subtle eucalyptus green and a number of rich, deep coloured tans that will add to the premium feel of this luxury leather.

Our other leathers are from the northern region of Italy of Veneto. This is another area with a long and rich history of tanning leather.

The Jasper II sofa in the Prestige Saddle leather.

Our Prestige leather is a beautiful semi-aniline leather. We’ve injected a fresher palette to reflect and work with modern architecture, including a contemporary Silver colourway, a clean Palomino, a more vibrant Tan, and Eclipse - a charcoal tone that’s dark and moody but not too heavy. I am also bringing back a classic grey into the collection. Most of the colours have a two-tone effect that adds extra visual surface movement to the leather.

I’ve also introduced two new types of leather to the range – NuTouch and Roma. NuTouch is a very unique leather - it resembles the Nubuck leather, but with better performance qualities. It also adds an interesting texture when mixed with other leathers or fabrics due to its matte finish.

The second leather type, Roma – made from European cattle - offers exceptional style at an accessible price point.

The Delta III sofa in the Roma Tan leather.

What does the art of living mean to you?

SN: Living your creative truth. I always think the most interesting homes and spaces don’t follow exact style rules. Cover your furniture in colours you love and don’t worry if they are not the “in colour” of the season. Add patterns that give you joy and make you feel happy. Seasons come and go but good design mixed with that individual feeling at home is what lasts.

What inspires your work overall?

SN: When designing collections, you have to have a deep understanding of the key elements of the brand. I look to the Australian landscape and lifestyle for my inspiration = we have amazing creativity within our art, architectural and design communities who have a slightly different visual language and outlook to the rest of the world.

The light is also very different from the rest of the world. With our big skies, the light feels stronger and sharper. This directly affects the way we see and how I develop colour.