SUBANG JAYA, Jan 25 — Being different in an industry means you need to be creating something new and avant-garde. For Hani Ali, the creator of LAIN furniture, she wants to redefine what is “lain”, by creating beautiful yet practical woodwork that can be used for years to come. She also combines upcycling vintage wood with contemporary designs, to make the best of both worlds.
“I studied interior architecture in Australia before joining JamFactory Contemporary Craft & Design, which is renowned for nurturing talented emerging designers and is the place to go for art and design,” said Hani. Acceptance to join JamFactory can be difficult because it is not just a school but a place where you also meet internationally-acclaimed designers and work with them to hone your skills.
During her tenure at JamFactory she had to juggle two part-time jobs at the same time. “I would wake up early and go to JamFactory. After that, I would walk to my call centre job which was nearby. Hours later, I would do another cleaning job. And if my friends call me at 2am, I would go out and hang out with them! Back then I was so young and even though I had little sleep, I had a lot of energy especially for JamFactory,” recalled Hani.
Despite her busy schedule in Australia, Hani would spend all hours working and coming up with designs. “I was always in the workshop even though everyone would have already gone home. I’m very passionate about what I do and I enjoy it,” she said.
At the LAIN workshop, there is a bit of Hani in everything from the organised tools and equipment to hand-drawn sketches. Each item tells a story of her personality: a person who continues to re-invent herself, thriving in any environment. Her day-to- day tasks include planning for her workshops, contacting suppliers, doing administrative duties and managing her staff.
Her journey to success was never really a walk in the park. Being a woman woodworker is not easy even back when she was in Australia. “I do face discrimination although not overtly. There was an incident when I was a judge for a design competition and people would avoid eye contact while speaking to me.”
But that doesn’t deter Hani from doing what she loves. She is diligent, quick on her feet and creative. One of her passions is educating people on the basics of woodworking. She runs four-day workshops on a monthly basis, where she gives an almost impossible task to newbies. “There is a syllabus and of course, making sure that the students familiarise themselves with the equipment. But the most basic thing I would teach is to make a stool without nails. I would give them the challenge and by the end of the workshop, they would have to show me their work. What I essentially want them to learn is joinery.”
At LAIN, Hani uses JET, a Swiss-made brand of machinery for manual woodworking, commonly favoured in Europe by woodworkers. As a finish, her choice is COLRON antique oil which she brings in from the UK. Most of LAIN furniture’s pieces are one-offs, since it’s custom-made to order. LAIN does sell some products on consignment basis and one of the vendors is Sundays owned by Helen Read, whom Hani admires for her taste in art and design.
Two of the products that LAIN consigns at Sundays are wooden and metal school lockers as well as alphabet blocks made of wood. These products sell well at Sundays because they are so versatile. The blocks of alphabet can be a gift for a loved one and the lockers can be part of a restaurant’s décor.
Hani’s portfolio goes beyond just a furniture designer. She was a building designer in Australia for 3 years. A few years ago, her brother-in-law commissioned her to design an apartment in Bayswater, UK. She has also acted as a judge for design competitions, as well as a part-time lecturer at a woodworkers school. Learning from Hani Ali is a challenge because she opens up possibilities that you yourself have not discovered. In her advanced class, she asks her students to create something out of two planks of wood. Surprisingly, a student managed to create a bedside table with a unique and distinctive design.
“One of our New Year resolutions is to reinvent ourselves. I like to do things out of ordinary, change how people perceive a piece of furniture and turn it into something else,” said Hani.
For more information about LAIN furniture check out:
LAIN
No.16, Jalan USJ 1/32, Subang Jaya,
47600 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Tel: 017-3728 776
Facebook: www.facebook.com/lainfurniture
Instagram: www.instagram.com/lainfurniture
