The West Australian
WRITTEN BY JADE JUREWICZ | ONLINE ARTICLE
Like many creatives wanting to make a name for themselves in a competitive industry, interior designer Leah Bennet needed to carve her own niche. She didn't have to search far to find it. Her unique take on design was hiding in plain sight within her cultural identity and rich heritage.
Bennet, a Wudjari Noongar woman with family ties to the Ravensthorpe region, quickly realised there weren't enough businesses dedicating their practices to incorporating Aboriginal culture into contemporary design. "It's something I felt was so important," she says. "There were a limited range of products on the market that were versatile enough to fit into any contemporary home, and the products that are available are often quite niche and boxed into a specific style of project. "I decided to do it myself." The result is interior design practice Leah Paige Designs as well as well as homewares business LPD Karlup. The homewares feature a range of cushions designed by Bennet with artwork by Noongar Whadjuk Ballardong artist Yondee Shane Hansen. Bennet, pictured, always had an inkling she was destined for something creative.
"'I’ve learnt so much about myself and my own culture going down this road.”
She initially thought this would be a career in acting, but in the midst of her degree at the West Australian Academy of Performing Arts she found she was more interested in the way things looked and how they made the audience feel than the performance itself. After traveling, she set her sights on interior design, graduating from Billy Blue College of Design and working in the industry for three years before branching out on her own. She's since worked with a mix of residential and commercial clients who have reached out to her because they want Aboriginal elements embedded into their homes, or because they like what she does and what she stands for, both of which she says have been very humbling.
"I'd love for this to become a really well-known Australian style... for the design industry to start recognising and acknowledging the huge opportunity that we have that is uniquely Australian and draws upon our own shared histories," she says. Reflecting on a recent residential project in Inglewood, she proudly shares the holistic way she was able to layer her design style with supporting local businesses.
From the Aussie-made furniture, Aboriginal artwork, her homewares designs and employing an Aboriginal business to hang the artwork, it showcases the multifaceted way she is able to achieve her goal of embracing culture at the heart of the home.
Growing up, Bennet wasn't aware of her heritage, and she says it wasn't until her grandfather died and the family reconnected that they discovered their Aboriginal culture. "It's something I feel I missed out on growing up and wish that I'd had the opportunity to learn from my grandad and my great-grandma to hear the stories directly," she says. This fire to learn more, and to share it with the world, is What makes Bennet so passionate about sharing these stories through her work.
She says within the design industry, in particular, it's important to pay homage to Aboriginal architecture as the oldest form of architecture in the world, which she says is often overlooked.
"For me personally it's been a huge learning curve. I've learnt so much about myself and my own culture going down this road," she says. "'It's always really nice getting on to a new project and finding out a little more about my heritage and to be able to bring that into my client's home. It's really important to me.
