Throughout his career, Rodney Misso has always worked within retail creative and brand environment. From suiting to surf to street culture, leather goods, luxury and furniture, Rodney has continuously created retail environments people love to shop in.

While he initially worked in fashion and apparel, in recent years Rodney made a shift into the furniture industry. When he heard about the Head of Brand Environment role at King Living, his interest was immediately piqued.

“In one of my previous roles, I’d worked on the retail global rebrand for R.M. Williams,” he recalls. “It was really exciting to work on a global brand that’s Australian owned and Australian designed. When I had the opportunity to do that again with King Living, I jumped at the chance.”

Rodney shares his insights on crafting brand environments that create a seamless customer experience and how this translates into the King Living global expansion.

Rodney is pictured with fabric and leather samples at the King Living Nunawading Showroom

The art of brand environment

A brand environment is more than simply visuals – it is an all-encompassing experience.

“It is the physical and sensory space that embodies a brand's identity through store design, visual merchandising, and customer experience,” Rodney explains. “It uses elements like layout, lighting, and branding to communicate values and engage customers to create a memorable and cohesive atmosphere.”

What Rodney enjoys most about his work is creating retail environments that resonate with customers on a subconscious level.

“I love retail,” says Rodney. “I love the experience that somebody gets when shopping. I love that ‘brand environment’ is something that most people don’t even consciously realise is happening.”

Rodney is pictured on the Zaza Sofa at the King Living Nunawading Showroom.

In a successful brand environment, customers are guided effortlessly through the store in a space that looks beautiful and functions seamlessly. Nothing happens by accident. Rodney believes that a well-designed showroom should make it easy for customers to find what they’re looking for while subtly guiding them towards exploring more.

“We make it really simple for the customer to navigate throughout our showroom and find what they’re looking for in the best possible way,” he explains. “At the same time, we’re demonstrating the King Difference.”

This focus on simplifying the shopping experience ensures that customers don’t feel overwhelmed by the choices available to them. Instead, they feel at ease as they move through the space.

“We want customers to walk through the door of the showroom and have the most unique King Living experience,” he says. “There are all these subliminal moments that customers have. That’s because we’ve thought about them as a customer, what they need and want, and we’ve tailored the brand environment to that. We’ve thought about it in every element of the design, from the layout to the music playing in the background and even the scents we use in the showroom.”

Featuring the King Living Nunawading Showroom.

Designing the King Living showroom experience

Rodney and his small team share a vision to position King Living as the leader in affordable luxury, by delivering unparalleled showroom experiences that showcase the distinct value and innovation of the King Difference. But they don’t do it alone, with Rodney explaining that collaboration across the King Living business is a big part of the role.

“We work on the complete design of the showroom,” he says. “That means collaborating closely with our property team on everything from the showroom selection, layout, to the materials and finishes.”

The design team is also an important collaboration point for Rodney and his team, ensuring they stay abreast of the new product pipeline.

“Working with the design team, we’ll look at which product is going in which showroom around the world,” he adds. “Then we look at the upholstery and finishes, and how each piece connects together throughout each showroom.”

Featuring the 1977 Sofa, 1977 High Back Module, 1977 Ottoman, Apero Coffee Table and Side Table and Bongo Large.

Adding to the complexity of Rodney’s role, the showrooms have a changeover period every eight weeks when they’re updated.

“We look at what’s working, what’s not working and make changes accordingly,” he explains. “We might change the upholstery or leathers, switch out coffee tables or introduce new designs while also launching new product lines”

This iterative process allows King Living to stay responsive to customer needs and preferences, ensuring that the showroom experience remains fresh and relevant. The speed at which the team can drive changes is, in Rodney’s experience, thanks to the brand’s vertical integration model.

“Being a family-owned business supports us to be agile and innovative,” he says. “But vertical integration means we can be quick to market with quick sign-offs and making changes rapidly.”

Featuring the King Living Orange County Showroom.

Global insights

King Living is expanding across the globe at an exciting pace and the global showrooms also fall under Rodney’s remit. This requires gaining a nuanced understanding of each market and then tailoring the showroom experience to the specific needs of the region.

“What we do in Australia is very different to what we do in the UK, and what we do differently in Canada, we do differently in the USA,” he explains. “With the King Difference, true modularity and range of exclusive upholstery, we are able to ensure that we’re putting our best foot forward in each demographic and regional area.”

Rodney sees this balancing act of creating a consistent brand experience while ensuring local relevance as a key challenge of his role. But he also views it as one of the most exciting elements of his work.

“King Living is already a global player, but we have aspirations to take our global footprint even further,” he shares. “Getting to know new markets is really exciting. No matter which market we’re working in, we spend the time to understand the consumer mindset and then create a brand experience that caters to what they’re seeking.”

For Rodney, it’s important that even as King Living expands its global presence, the brand continues to be recognised for its Australian roots. This connection to Australia is a key part of what makes King Living unique and is something that Rodney works hard to preserve, even as the brand evolves on the world stage.

Explore current opportunities with King Living or discover more King Living team member profiles:

• Leanne Evans: 12 years and counting in a rewarding career at King Living
• Mathew Milne: A global retail career with King Living
• Zara Fong: A day in the life of a King Living junior designer
• Jamin Daniels: Redefining the King Living customer experience