Designing quiet furniture with Khai Liew

In the fifth instalment of the exclusive Australian Made series, Vince chats to Khai Liew a multi-disciplinary designer based in Adelaide. At a time of so much uncertainty in the world, the Australian Made series will focus on brilliant people here in Australia, celebrating designing and making local.

The next guest is one of the shinning lights in Australian furniture design. Immigrating from Malaysia to South Australia in the 70’s Khai Lew’s early career in product design was heavily shaped by his fathers love for danish furniture. Developing the skills learnt from Germanic cabinet makers Khai quickly became a master of woodwork and design. Fast forward to today and Khai has been commissioned to create every piece of furniture in Judith Neilson’s Sydney home, Indigo Slam and even to create one off pieces for Louis Vuitton stores across the world.

Liew is widely recognised for his dedicated contribution to the development of a modernist Australian design aesthetic. In 2010 he was awarded the South Australian of the Year Arts Award by the Government of South Australia, in 2016 he was inducted into the Design Institute of Australia Hall of Fame, acknowledging his important contribution to the Australian design landscape. In 2017, he received the Design Institute of Australia’s “Design Icon” Award, and in 2018, Liew was recognised as a Design Luminary at the INDE awards in Singapore.

Listen in as Vince and Khai discuss the influence of Germanic migrant culture in South Australia in the 70’s, why his father has always been his biggest critic and which material is his preference.

The pair also dive into Khai’s design and build process and what the future holds for him and his practice.

Enjoy!

Khai Liew

Design Your Life

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.