Start at Home No. 94 - Khai Liew

Furniture Frames and Textures

Khai Liew (1952–2023) was a famous Australian furniture designer. He was born in Malaysia, where his father built their home in a Japanese style and filled it with Danish furniture. After riots destroyed his family’s house, Khai moved to Adelaide, Australia, to study and later stayed. He first worked with old furniture, then opened his own business in 1996. Using wood, stone, and leather, Khai made furniture that was simple, useful, and beautiful. Inspired by Chinese, Danish, and Australian styles, he wanted people to feel connected to his work. He believed furniture could stir our feelings and be both meaningful and practical.

Khai Liew created Bruce [cabinet on stand] in 2010 along with South Australian ceramic artist Bruce Nuske. This piece was part of an exhibition where Liew collaborated with other artists to combine furniture with glass, ceramics, and metal. The cabinet is made from white oak and porcelain tiles decorated with plant patterns using a technique called sgraffito. Inspired by nature and historical furniture, both artists worked as team to create a work that is simple, detailed, and beautifully made.

Question

Which material would you use to make your own chair or table—wood, stone, or something else—and why?

  • You can spot Khai Liew’s designs all over Adelaide not just at the Art Gallery of SA! He made the moving exhibition space at the Museum of Economic Botany, the fun Jeannie benches by the river Torrens (and one in the AGSA courtyard), as well as some of the benches you can sit on in the gallery.

Design and cut to create furniture frames and textures

  1. On a piece of paper, draw a small chair, bench, table, or cabinet using simple, clean shapes—like the furniture Khai Liew designed.
  2. Carefully cut out your design—or just parts of it.
  3. Look for textures around your home or outside—like wood, leaves, fabric, or bark.
  4. Hold your cut-out in front of a texture and take a photo to see your furniture “come alive” with natural patterns.
  5. Use your photos to redraw and refine your design, adding patterns, lines, or colours inspired by the textures you found.

Take it further

Instead of just photographing textures behind your cut-out drawings, glue small pieces of the actual textures (leaves, fabric scraps, textured card or paper) onto other paper and stick your cut out over them.

  • Paper
  • Pencil
  • Colouring pencils
  • Pencil sharpener
  • Eraser
  • Scissors
  • Digital camera