Faezah Shaharuddin: Furniture Is Very Personal
“Design is an essential part of how I process life and the different places and cultures I’ve experienced," says the designer and founder of Studio Kallang.
The founder and designer of Studio Kallang, Faezah Shaharuddin transforms personal memories, nostalgia and relatability into stylish and practical objects for interiors. To her, the most fascinating aspect of designing furniture and objects is being able to translate elements of her lived environment, both physical and abstract, into something tangible and functional. Her Onde mirror and desk, for example, take reference from kueh and their spherical motif alludes to glutinous rice balls. “Design is an essential part of how I process life and the different places and cultures I’ve experienced,” she says.
To Shaharuddin, furniture should be honest. “I think furniture is very personal to people, and everyone has their own vibe,” she explains. “Especially at home, you’ll have pieces that feel like you, so the furniture has to respond to the person who is living there.”
How was the furniture business you grew up in (furniture retailer and manufacturer Second Charm was founded by Shaharuddin’s mother, Sharifah Maznah) different from what you want to create through Studio Kallang?
Growing up in the industry was definitely crucial to shaping the design sensibilities I have now, because I was exposed to all these styles of objects from different eras, locations, and cultures. I think the pieces I create through Studio Kallang are a lot more personal: The work is a way for me to process my experiences and surroundings, so the pieces really do feel like a part of me — like a tangible, more organised expression of all the influences in my head.
What kind of style and emotion do you aim for your pieces to bear?
Drawing from my environment gives the pieces a sense of familiarity that resonates with people. I consider a design successful when people look at it and say, “Ah, I get it”. There’s a sense of shared experience that creates an emotional connection to the pieces. I think people appreciate an interpretation that feels fresh.
How would you define good design?
Dieter Rams once said in a speech, “You cannot understand good design if you do not understand people”. I think that sums it up.
How do you seek fresh ideas?
Pretty much everything can inspire me. I try to stay receptive when I’m out and about. Sometimes I’m inspired by a building, someone’s outfit, a song in a restaurant, or the internet. It’s hard to say. I try to combine everyday life with more formal design influences, like books or design history.
What are your thoughts on being a creative in Singapore at this moment, and what kind of impact do you hope to make?
I feel like there’s this idea among creatives here that you can either be unique and express yourself, or be commercially viable. Not to sound grandiose, but I hope that the studio’s work somehow inspires creatives to believe they can be both. I would love to see a local creative scene that’s more diverse and irreverent.
Photography GAN KAH YING
Art direction GREGORY WOO
Hair and makeup GREGO OH using KEUNE and NARS COSMETICS
