The workshop offers a range of Malaysian-produced woods such as merbau, durian, melunak, light red meranti, white meranti, jelutong and rubber (All photos: Aireena Azni/ The Edge Malaysia)
In a world where everything relies heavily on machinery, colleagues turned business partners Derek Koo and Elyse Teoh aspire to revive the art and beauty of handwork. The Wood Place, a woodworking workshop located in Plaza Kelana Jaya, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, was established last year with the intention of encouraging people to create and build more products by themselves.
Woodworking was initially quite alien to the duo, whose day jobs revolve around manufacturing coatings for waterproofing and flooring in the construction chemicals industry. Picking up the skills to build products became possible thanks to YouTube. “We learnt to handle power tools, saws and such by spending lots of hours on YouTube and by trial and error. For design plans, we research online to scour for ideas and eventually come up with our own things,” Koo says.
One of their earliest builds was a multipurpose shoe bench, made using pure rubber wood, which can also be used as a table. “The reason we created such a prototype was to maximise the usage of one product and therefore extend its life cycle.”
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Sustainability is at the heart of the business. The workshop offers a range of Malaysian-produced woods such as merbau, durian, melunak, light red meranti, white meranti, jelutong and rubber. “These are the species we can source sustainably and have FSC and PEFC certifications. We don’t use pine wood — although it is highly sustainable and cheaper than local timber — because it is only widely available overseas such as in the US and New Zealand. So the carbon footprint for transport will be high.”
Clients, children and adults alike, can be sure that their learning experience at The Wood Place will be bespoke and personalised. The workshop encourages the exchange of ideas with customers to make the journey more meaningful for them. “We have a team of five to help facilitate the design and building process, but we also want to hear why our client creates something so the product can be customised specially for them and their home,” Teoh says.
The partners are constantly looking for ways to improve the customer experience. One of the things they do is make the necessary preparations prior to each session. “We do all the wood cutting that needs to be done using a table saw before the class because the tool is not beginner-friendly,” says Teoh.
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“We don’t want the class to be difficult, but it cannot be too easy either,” Koo adds.
People join classes at The Wood Place for many reasons. Some come to spend time with loved ones; others use it as a medium to alleviate stress. Personally, Koo saw a remarkable shift within his own household. “Before, if my son wanted a table, he would say, ‘Daddy, go buy or search online lah.’ But now, I’m hearing, ‘Daddy, can you build me a table?’” Having his son and daughter visit the workshop every now and then is good for exposure as they get to discover that some things can be crafted by hand at home.
After all, these is nothing like feeling proud and satisfied seeing our handmade creations come to life before our very eyes. 
For more information or to book a slot, visit @thewoodplace.my on Instagram. By appointment only.
This article first appeared in issue No. 110, Winter 2023 of Haven.
