Home truths from an expert

HE has been called many names, from timber craftsman to “lyricist in wood”. Khai Liew, the award-winning Malaysian designer based in Adelaide is also an adjunct professor at the University of South Australia’s School of Art, Architecture and Design – so it would seem a waste not to ask him for home improvement tips.

What’s his advice for new home owners?

“Save up and buy one meaningful piece at a time,” he says.

“There will always be a need for beautifully made things that speak of the mark of the hand, combined with a fine tradition and sophisticated thinking. I think more people now want the things they acquire to mean something.

“And the age of the disposable is being seriously questioned and challenged.”

Last year, he gave a presentation at a design conference in which he said: “I always feel that there is no right or wrong when displaying items in a house. The home is a sacred place that is yours to do with as you please. The most important thing is to please whoever lives there and not worry about what some one else may think.

“Things in my home tend to stay where they are, once placed. Many of the objects in my house have stayed where they are from the first day. I am usually very careful of what items I bring to my house and I usually have curated the space in my mind even before the item is acquired.”

Liew designed his house in Adelaide 16 years ago, furnishing it with his own creations and pieces he brought back from Denmark.

When crafting work for clients, he says: “Whether I am designing a piece of furniture, a house, a retail space or a set for a dance, what I want to achieve in the design is a spirit that will convey the right emotion. To connect the user with touch – how does it feel? – sound, smell, to engage the eye, to transform the material from the physical to the spiritual.

“There also has to be meaningful expression. It has to tell a story of why as well as how,” he says, emphasising that the piece of work must be beautiful and give life and happiness to a place.

He has also spoken of being influenced by British art critic and curator David Sylvester (1924-2001).

“I read something he said that resonates with me to this day. He said that he might have mounted great and historic exhibitions at the Tate Museum in London and championed the works of Francis Bacon and, later, Picasso, but his most rewarding work was ultimately creating his own home, and he had the most fun and joy moving things around his house – complete freedom of expression and opportunity to play.”

As for Liew himself, he says: “I am happiest when I am outside in my courtyard cooking, eating or just doing nothing. That is my idea of home.”