KUALA LUMPUR, June 8 – Florence Lambert, who is originally from France, made Malaysia her home some 20 years ago. She fell in love with a Malaysian, got married and made a life for herself here.
Today, she owns a business which reflects an aspect of Malaysia she is particularly proud of: its multicultural beauty. Gadis Manis is a “designer brand of gifts, accessories and souvenirs.”
Prior to this, she was working in the advertising arm of the Wall Street Journal for eight years.
“I wanted to do something creative although I did not have a background in design. I studied international trade and relations. I do, however, enjoy painting with oils and I like design in general,” said Lambert.
She started Gadis Manis because she saw that the market for souvenirs in Malaysia was limited to upmarket brands like Royal Selangor or the more common ones in Central Market. In other words, there was nothing similar to Gadis Manis here.
“Gadis Manis is a brand that reflects Malaysia’s cultural diversity in a classy way. In terms of design direction, the message is about Malaysia. When I came here, I met at least three cultures. That’s why I have three girls in my logo – Gari, Yati and Ah’Chik – as they reflect the three cultures,” said Lambert.
The creative entrepreneur also loves Malacca and Penang because the houses there have been influenced by different cultures through the ages as well as the traditional designs that can be found there.
The brand has been around for six years now; while you can visit the store in Publika, Gadis Manis is also distributed to other shops. Most of all though, Lambert shows her love for Malaysian culture in the way she designed the place she lives in.
She was inspired by a place in Penang she loved – Straits Collection by Bon Ton which is owned by her friend Narelle McMurtrie.
McMurtrie has also lived in Malaysia for a long time and her name is synonymous with another home-grown brand – Bon Ton. “She is inspired by traditional houses and she loves the intricate architecture of these houses. She would dismantle them and rebuild them back in Langkawi where Bon Ton is located. This gives it a beautiful, quaint experience,” said Lambert.
For Lambert, she believes in promoting the cultural heritage of Malaysia while preserving the heritage itself. Although it is small, it has low density and a great location.
“It’s a blank canvas and it’s from the 80s. I like old places. Also, I had a limited budget for renovation even though I managed to revive the floor and kitchen,” said Lambert. She also made bigger frames for her doors.
Basically, Lambert wanted her home to look like a Penang coffee shop. An advocate of recycling and upcycling, she does not believe in wasting materials.
“I’m appalled that people here throw things away and break things down. That is why for my kitchen, I did something that is not structured so that when the next owner comes, there is no need to break and waste,” she said.
Most of the time, she chooses furniture that was not originally meant to be used as furniture. She likes to recycle items and ensures that they can be used up to two to three times. Every piece is for use and it’s not just for show only. They are decorative as well as functional.
An interesting piece we found in her home is a bookcase that was originally a Chinese cabinet for herbal medicine. At first glance, it looks like a book case but you soon notice that it can be used for things other than books. In her kitchen, you will find that she removed the wood from the kitchen cabinet and replaced it with a marble top. With glass all around, you can see through to the pipes of the sink!
The sink she uses is an antique bowl from the 1940s that was a gift. Lambert showed us her kitchen shelves which were originally room partition screens. She added three pieces of wood to create shelves.
“I enjoy adding new life to an object. For example if you look at my floor you will find that it is recycled wood. It is very hard to find in KL. You would never have guessed it but they are from a hostel in KL. If you look at my floor, you can still find room numbers on them!” said Lambert.
She wanted her home to have a vintage, lived-in feel. However, when the workers installed the wooden floors they couldn’t see what she saw, which is the beauty in the old. For Lambert, as long as you can bring it back to life, it’s all good.
At her balcony you will find a second hand table from a coffee shop. She tiled it with Chinese motif tiles from Penang commonly found in old Chinese houses. These were newly manufactured from a woman whose family owns a tile-making factory in Vietnam. It was designed to look old.
Lambert also buys antiques like the light from an old fire engine truck from the 1950s that still works!
She also bought a Scandinavian designed sofa and a door from the 1920s. She found these gems from the Curiosity Shop which was then in Publika. The doors to her room are also unlike the ones in modern houses. She got someone to make Hokkien-inspired doors with stained glass.
An ordinary door takes up space so she designed it to be French-styled double doors.
What’s more, her bed is made of industrial pallets. This is also one of the recycled products she made. Her bathrooms is unique as well, with a Balinese mirror as well as a mahjong table cut into half to put toiletries.
Her dressing table was actually originally two cabinet doors. The vintage furniture was re-purposed to be a dressing table.
One of the most interesting finds in her home is definitely the dining table which is actually made using wood from a boat in Indonesia.
Lambert is open to sharing interior design ideas. Go check out her store and have a chat with her in Publika at Gadis Manis, A1-1-02 (first floor Block A), Solaris Dutamas Mall, No.1 Jalan Dutamas 1, 50480 Kuala Lumpur, Selangor.
