Dara Huang’s debut furniture collection — launched by Huang’s firm Design Haus Liberty — balances form and function and celebrates effortless luxury through craftsmanship and sustainably sourced materials

As an established architect and founder of the London- and Hong Kong-based firm Design Haus Liberty, Dara Huang is well-versed in wearing multiple design hats on projects around the world. And having designed so many custom furniture pieces for her clients over the years, it was a natural next step for the multi-hyphenate Huang to launch her own collection of pieces that embody her design philosophy of comfortable, luxurious and practical living.

The timing for Huang’s eponymous furniture range wasn’t entirely coincidental. ‘We were about to launch some penthouses at Upper Riverside at Greenwich Peninsula in London and that was a catalyst for us to create a furniture collection that went with the launch,’ Huang recalls. The furniture line, inspired by the human form and the natural beauty of the Greenwich Peninsula, originated from Huang’s desire to create a collection of furniture pieces that were deliberately easy to mix and match, an easy fit in urban and suburban spaces, and with a purposeful duality in their ability to suit either residential and commercial spaces. The comprehensive range includes multiple versions of sofas, chairs, stools, tables, beds, sideboards, a desk and a bench

Working with the team of skilled artisans from Ochre House, a bespoke fabrication workshop in West Sussex, Huang realised her nature-inspired vision by focusing on the juxtaposition of rough and smooth finishes, with each piece engineered to stand the test of time. Having worked with Ochre House for many years, Huang knew that the studio’s founders Kieran Hewkin and Paul Fielden shared her vision to create a furniture range that was designed with a sustainable approach to sourcing and as little material wastage as possible.

A fan of tactile textures, Huang gravitated towards organic, raw materials and high-quality fabrics to encapsulate authenticity and luxury. ‘I love the combination of porous travertine with really finished velvet. I love rough cut solid timbers with honed red marble. I love sculptural pieces that happen to be functional, and I wanted each piece to really perform and look like a sculpture in its own right.’

Huang was also determined to bring the feeling of a natural environment into the home, so the range of colour choices was inspired by organic and natural colours. Earthy hues and deep tones came to dominate the collection, revealing Huang’s personal perception of luxury. ‘The colours I picked are those I find very luxurious,’ she explains. ‘At the moment, the collection is in neutral shades, with the exception of a brown-red and a beautiful, deep spring green that look great in various settings and have a way of harmonising various environments.’

Text / Olha Romaniuk