Profile
With a career in furniture design spanning two decades, Malcolm Harris is regarded as one of Western Australia’s leading fine wood designers and makers.
Alongside a distinguished studio practice specialising in commissioned public art works and bespoke pieces exhibited in Australia and overseas, Harris has built an award-winning commercial practice creating high-end contemporary furniture and interior features for both the domestic and corporate markets.
In February 2008, he collaborated with fellow Midland Atelier designer Jon Goulder on Western Australia’s first large-scale corporate design commission, creating interior furniture for the public reception area of Wesfarmers’ national headquarters. This major refurbishment project received national attention, with the Harris and Goulder furniture becoming the first pieces of contemporary design to be commissioned specifically for the prestigious Wesfarmers Collection of Australian Art.
Dedicated to traditional artisanal values of craftsmanship, Harris brings an extensive knowledge of Australian fine woods to his work; encompassing both free-form carving and state of the art machine-based production techniques. His work is distinguished in the contemporary market by its exacting standards of structural integrity, emphasis on finish and the marriage of form and function to create elegant and original applications for contemporary fine wood design.
In parallel with his career as a maker, Malcolm has clocked up twenty years’ experience training and mentoring the next generation of talented young designers. He has lectured at specialist fine wood industry schools across Australia and for four years held the post of Director of School of Wood at Dwellingup in the heart of Western Australia’s forest region – the state’s premier training institution.
Malcolm’s creative energy and commitment to nurturing new talent was a decisive factor in his appointment in 2008 to the inaugural role of Studio Manager at the Midland Atelier where he bases his design practice and oversees the operations of Western Australia’s first multidisciplinary and internationally-focused design centre.