In Malaysia, Ketupat is a traditional rice dumpling that is wrapped in a pouch of woven palm leaves. It is a rice delicacy usually served during the Hari Raya, and it inspired Aureole founder Tan Wei Ming to design a series of modern poufs! Called the ‘Ketupat’, the pouf was displayed at the Singapore Design Week 2022, held last month.
Designer: Aureole x Tanoti
Ketupat is popularly known for its palm-leaf-wrapped exterior. The pouf perfectly mimics the original dish, except for the fact that Ming replaced the outer palm leaves with a handwoven rattan. The fact that the Ketupat pouf really looks like an actual Ketupat is really quite fascinating. Ming wanted to reflect her love for food in her designs, and she did so perfectly with this pouf.
“I wanted to incorporate local or Asian flavor in the design context,” said Ming, who majored in typography design in London.
Ming collaborated with Tanoti, a Sarawak-based social enterprise team. One of Tanoti’s community initiatives is to encourage rattan craft development in an attempt to introduce income-generating opportunities that are sustainable to Sarawak’s remote forest communities. This collaboration explores “adapting traditional crafts into new variations of home products”.
The pieces are intended to be low-seating, and follow the style of Asian “floor culture”. They can be adapted into various dimensions based on the user’s personal requirements and preferences. The Ketupat pouf is a fun and amusing design, that is a great option for foodies, who want to express their love of food through their home decor!
