4 rising Malaysian design talents for Merdeka Day

Established in 2013, Aureole Design serves as designer Tan Wei Ming’s personal platform for exploring her passion for lighting and furniture design. 

The studio has crafted interior pieces for notable clients such as Fritz, KLoe Hotel, and Kapas Heights, while also producing passion pieces that showcase Ming’s personal design style and highlight the country’s lesser-known communities.

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How do you blend traditional Malaysian craftsmanship and materials with contemporary design principles to create pieces that honour cultural heritage while meeting modern aesthetics and needs?

The Ketupat Series exemplifies this vision, inspired by the Malaysian rice dumpling wrapped in woven palm leaves. In collaboration with Tanoti, a Sarawak-based social enterprise, we engaged with the Penan artisans from Long Kawi village in Sarawak’s Middle Baram region to hand-plait the geometric weave panels with patterns familiar to the weavers.

Featuring low seating pouffes that reflect the “Asian floor culture,” which can be adapted to bespoke dimensions by adjusting the weave panel positions during assembly, the series elevates the artistic vision of traditional craft through a modern context, preserving its cultural heritage through creating sustainable income opportunities for remote forest communities.

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Is there a recent project that you’re particularly proud of?

A recent project I’m particularly proud of is the Bloom Totem Lights for Fritz, a fine dining restaurant in Troika Sky Dining–a series of bespoke lighting pieces for various sections of the restaurant, with one main feature positioned against the KL skyline. Our challenge was to create a feature pendant sculpture within a nine-metre-high space while still allowing patrons to enjoy the city view, which the restaurant is renowned for. 

Through adapting the concept of a totem pole and applying a sparse texture to the form, we crafted a cascade of recycled metal blooms forming a canopy of sculptural foliage–a design that not only serves as a striking centrepiece, but also effectively illuminates the space. Its flexible form also allows for adaptability to different heights, accommodating smaller clusters of pendants as well as standing lights, and ensures a seamless assembly process.

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What unique challenges and opportunities do you face as a furniture and lighting designer working in Malaysia compared to other Southeast Asian countries or globally?

Having experienced both West and East Malaysia (Borneo), I deeply appreciate the wealth of cultural crafts, techniques, and materials that Malaysia offers–serving as a solid foundation for a thriving product design industry. 

However, from my perspective, the industry here seems to be evolving more slowly compared to our neighbouring countries due to several key factors, with a major one being the limited support from both industry and government. This, in turn, affects our access to local materials and skilled craftsmen, creating significant challenges in production.

While it takes time and collaboration to address these challenges, improving support for local resources and craftsmen could enhance our production capabilities, by fully leveraging Malaysia’s rich cultural heritage in the product design industry, and thus, help us regain our competitive edge outside of Malaysia.

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Dad’s Woods pays tribute to siblings Khoo V-Ho and Giselle Khoo’s late father, who led the family’s furniture business for over three decades. 

This Penang-based furniture company specialises in bespoke solid wood furniture, offering collections that blend modern and contemporary aesthetics while celebrating stories from bygone eras.

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Is there a recent project by Dad’s Woods that you’re particularly proud of, especially one that’s influenced by Malaysian culture? 

One of the projects that I am proud of is the Animal Collection, created to celebrate Malaysia’s Merdeka month two years ago. We sought a local subject matter that speaks to all, and settled on the Sang Kancil folklore as it’s a universally shared childhood memory in Malaysia.

It was also our first approach in creating furniture that goes beyond mere functionality. Each piece is an art project–part sculpture, part functional furniture, which when not in use, can stand as majestic artworks in a room.

Our design direction has always been to seek an essence of nostalgia or identity as a core aesthetic, and to apply that in crafting contemporary furnishing with local timbers–and I think Animal Collection speaks volume in terms of that.

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How are you approaching sustainable practices in your furniture designs?

We believe that well-crafted furniture made from organic materials like wood is more long-lasting, and has a more positive environmental impact than those from the fast furnishing industry, where pieces are bought, thrown away, and replaced in months or years.

Hence, our approach to sustainability centres on using good quality, locally sourced wood for all our furniture designs, which also allows us to introduce local woods to our audience. On top of that, we also utilise as much of the material sourced as possible to minimise waste.

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How do you see the furniture design industry in Malaysia evolving over the next few years?

The Malaysian furniture industry is experiencing an influx of young talents, each bringing about their unique perspective in terms of how they are setting the tone for the future of the Malaysian furniture industry. 

However, despite that, one of the challenges that I’ve identified is having the appropriate platform to showcase our creative works, and because of that, most of these talents have been overlooked. 

While people are sharing not only their work, but also their creative process on social media these days–which I think is very cool to see, we still need a dedicated platform that is design-driven, and help highlight these designers and their work, giving them the exposure they deserve.

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EMPT Studio, an interior architecture firm based in Penang, focuses on shaping interior spaces through an interplay of radical composition, architectural gestures, and tactile materiality. 

Their distinctive approach is evident in projects such as Warehouse 129 and Over and Above in Penang, as well as Baker Next Door and Tap Tap in Kuala Lumpur.

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Is there a recent project that you’re particularly proud of?

I’ve always believed in the importance of preserving stories from the past, and balancing that with contemporary relevance and taste while creating spaces. We achieved that with Warehouse 129, a retail space located on one of the bustling streets of George Town, Penang. 

Designed for a client who appreciates honest craftsmanship and tactile materials, we were commissioned to elevate the customer experience in an authentic way, while highlighting, rather than overshadowing, the space’s heritage architectural features.

This led to the decision of using only natural, readily accessible materials, such as the bamboo for displays, sourced from Seang Hin Leong, a 67-year-old store just down the road on Lebuh Pantai specialising in bamboo and rattan goods. Furthermore, salvaged timber furniture, supplied and fabricated by Chengal House from Nibong Tebal, added a layer of artisanal touch to the project.

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What unique challenges and opportunities do you face as an interior designer working in Malaysia compared to other Southeast Asian countries or globally?

I think there are pros and cons to being an interior designer in Malaysia, particularly as it is a developing country. The key challenge is the limited access to high-precision manufacturing and specialised craftsmanship, which constrains the ability to execute intricate design. Besides that, budget constraints also significantly influence design decisions, with clients often being more cost-conscious, requiring us to create solutions that balance aesthetics, functionality, and affordability.

On the positive side, working in a developing country offers vast unexplored territories. There’s ample room for designers to create work that sets new standards within the region. Not to mention, our unique position also allows us to leverage local advantages, such as access to rich, natural materials and the inspiration drawn from our diverse cultural heritage.

Read more: Inside 5 ultra-minimalist cafés in Klang Valley

How do you see the interior design industry in Malaysia evolving over the next few years? 

Looking ahead, I anticipate the emergence of more designers in both interior and furniture design, accompanied by a wider variety of design options in the market. 

I’m particularly excited about the growing trend of personalisation, because the younger generation, exposed to various styles of art and design through social media, is less constrained by traditional design rules. This exposure is deepening their appreciation for diverse spaces and objects, sharpening their aesthetic senses, and cultivating unique personal tastes.

Incorporating personal stories, hobbies, and experiences into the design process not only creates one-of-a-kind, story-rich spaces, but also fosters a profound, intimate connection between individuals and their environments.

See also: Ultimate Malaysian Home Tours guide: 7 stunning homes in Penang

Founded by Tan Wei Ming, Sputnik Forest Labs is a Penang-based multidisciplinary design studio. The firm not only creates unforgettable gardens, as seen at Potager at Bamboo Hills in Kuala Lumpur and Hotel Mokozoyo in Penang, but also transforms interior and exterior spaces into expressive atmospheric visual arts.

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What unique challenges and opportunities do you face as a landscape designer working in Malaysia?

The ancient jungles in Malaysia offer a rich palette of biodiversity, and the tropical climate creates a unique environment where growth and decay occur simultaneously, resulting in a delicate balance between wild and curated landscapes.

Yet, contemporary landscaping often relies on foreign cultivars, and because of that we’ve been exploring native trees and edible plants, viewing them as integral to lifestyle rather than mere decorative elements. 

The journey is one of curiosity, adaptation, and respect for the natural growth and decay inherent in our environment–a personal challenge of ours to strike a balance between both while shaping perceptions of beauty, and addressing maintenance and sustainability challenges unique to our local climate.

Read more: 7 heritage-inspired boutique stays in Penang, Malaysia

How do you see the landscape designing industry in Malaysia evolving over the next few years?

There’s been a growing emphasis on biophilic design, which aims to deepen the connection between people and nature. This trend excites me, and I anticipate a shift towards more sustainable and ecologically sensitive designs in the coming years. 

Tell us more about a recent project that you’re particularly proud of.

The Dear Spirits exhibition–which we co-created with xindeandesign, and will be showcasing at EMERGE during the Singapore Design Week–stands out for me. We designed altars for personal introspection and spiritual expression, intentionally omitting physical plants to evoke their presence in spirit. The goal was to resonate with Malaysia’s diverse cultural beliefs, creating spaces that express intangible desires for connection and belonging.

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