“We always try to do something that is different,” says Julian Koh, the chief design officer of local furniture brand Commune. “That’s our tagline: to defy the norm. We create products with subtle details and focus on invigorating all of our six senses.” It could be said that a passion for furniture design is in his blood. Koh’s grandfather founded local manufacturer Koda in 1972, which produces furniture for American brands including Crate and Barrel and Pottery Barn. He grew up with fond childhood memories of visiting his family’s furniture factory, and as a teenager, he regularly visited the IMM Cologne and Salone del Mobile trade fairs in Europe with his family; Koh’s subsequent decision to study industrial design at the Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne was also a natural progression.