We arrived to find Lisette Scheers perched precariously on a ladder, hammer in hand, squinting as she carefully aligned a pair of Chinese calligraphy scrolls at her apartment's entrance. Her posture is effortlessly defiant, a study in contrasts—petite in stature but feet planted firmly in determination. It is a vivid illustration of her hyper-focus and hands-on approach to both life and design.

 

Moments later, she's seated elegantly in her living room in a demure kebaya, the afternoon sun illuminating her silhouette. Her apartment, bathed generously in natural light, opens onto a vast balcony framed by lush treetops—a tranquil contrast to her animated energy. Her work desk, at the opposite end of the balcony, offers a silent commentary on her internal world—ordered chaos, sketches mingling with antique porcelain urns and other quaint bric-à-brac, crackling with artistic possibilities.

 

 

“I’m normal. I’m the quintessential everyday person,” she insists, eyes twinkling mischievously. Lisette’s laughter punctuates the irony, because very little about her life has ever been ‘normal’. Born to Dutch parents, educated in Antwerp, and creatively baptised into the dynamic world of European advertising, her trajectory has been anything but linear. Yet here she is, rooted firmly in Malaysian soil, crafting a distinctly local yet internationally appealing aesthetic through Nala Designs, her lifestyle brand known for its whimsical prints and effortlessly chic designs.

 

As Lisette recounts her story, she moves fluidly between paradoxes—designer and storyteller, collector and ‘declutterer’, rooted yet restless. Her journey, traversing continents, cultures, and creative industries, has consistently been marked by reinvention and resilience. At each juncture, she has shifted gracefully, her ability to adapt becoming her greatest strength.

 

 

Lisette’s home expresses her story more vividly than any biographical recounting could. It’s an eclectic blend of paintings, photographs, antiques bearing old stories, and personal treasures like her daughter’s first shoes, small enough to cradle in one palm. Everything here has survived multiple migrations, packed and unpacked nine times in eighteen years—a testament to her relentless pursuit of life, purpose and meaning.

 

Many of these carefully-sourced antiques originated from Lisette’s grandparents, who were respected antique dealers. Their keen eye for art and craftsmanship shaped her appreciation from a young age, instilling an intrinsic reverence for objects that carry heritage and narrative.

 

Lisette embodies a compelling blend of contrasts. On one hand, she speaks with warm nostalgia about her roots in graphic design, her love of traditional print methods and the "old school" silkscreen techniques learned in Antwerp. On the other, she is fiercely contemporary, agile enough to transition from owning a bustling advertising agency in Amsterdam to launching a stationery brand in Kuala Lumpur.

 

 

"People saw Nala Designs as a cute sideline, never serious," she recalls wryly. But this playful start evolved rapidly into a full-fledged creative empire spanning concept stores, international ventures, and unexpected collaborations. Her path was neither predictable nor smooth, punctuated by bold leaps and unexpected shifts, her ventures ranging from exhilarating successes to daunting challenges. Her eyes glint knowingly as she recalls these chapters: each risk, each failure, each reinvention sculpting the person and entrepreneur she has become.

 

“It’s funny,” Lisette muses, “I keep running away, but Malaysia always pulls me back. Even walking down Fifth Avenue, I bump into someone from home.” Her voice trails into a softer reflection, momentarily vulnerable.“It’s destiny, perhaps.”

 

 

"There’s something grounding here,” she admits softly, almost whispering now, leaving us wondering if it is her home or Malaysia she is referring to. “I have a profound need for nature, for the soil beneath my feet. I used to spend hours lying on the grass during the lockdown, feeling the earth breathe beneath me.” It was during that time, in a moment of intuitive responsiveness, that business surged unexpectedly, propelled by Lisette’s heartfelt decision to produce masks. Amid global anxiety, she turned to creativity, transforming remnants of fabric into lifelines—a quiet yet powerful act of resilience. "It was the clearest sign yet of my ability to adapt, to trust instinct over fear," she reflects.

 

Yet, perhaps Lisette’s most significant transformation unfolds quietly now, within the intimacy of her home. “Home,” she continues thoughtfully, “is where you find equilibrium.”

 

Lisette’s decision to settle in U-Thant is anchored as much in sentiment as in serenity. It’s an area woven intricately into her youth, having grown up nearby and attended high school here. The neighbourhood is steeped in the quiet echoes of days spent riding horses, spirited polo matches, and friendships formed. It is, in her own affectionate words, “my hood”— a place that shaped her formative years and holds memories too rich to fade. Now, with her sisters living just around the corner and family gatherings woven warmly into her everyday rhythm, returning to U-Thant feels less like a relocation and more like slipping gently back into a cherished chapter of her life story.

 

After years of collecting, creating, and curating, she's discovering an unexpected freedom in letting go. Her apartment reflects this new ethos: calm, uncluttered, yet still deeply personal—a testament to thoughtful editing over maximalist display. "I've stripped away what doesn't resonate, keeping only what's meaningful. It’s liberating. "It is a necessary purging that mirrors her professional evolution from maximalist exuberance to refined clarity. It’s a disciplined yet profoundly personal act to preserve only what resonates with my spirit,” she explains. “This liberation goes beyond the aesthetic—it feels existential.

 

 

Her newly liberated space is an eclectic canvas of personal and cultural artifacts, each curated piece sparking dialogue across eras and aesthetics. Vintage spittoons turned into vases, slices of Malaysian life captured through her lens, meticulously curated antiques, and contemporary art pieces she has painted in her signature style coexist harmoniously. Each piece, chosen with a deliberate hand and keen eye, creates a conversation between global and local, refined yet unpretentious, vulnerable yet fiercely resilient.

 

Among these cherished pieces, her favourite is a modest wooden bench positioned quietly behind the sofa. Weathered by time and stripped of grandeur, it once served a utilitarian purpose—its story lost to the quiet anonymity of everyday life. In Lisette’s home, however, it has been gently reimagined. No longer overlooked, it now anchors her living room with quiet dignity. She loves it not for provenance, but for the way it bridges movement and stillness, simplicity and intention. It is, in many ways, a reflection of her own journey: unassuming yet unmistakably hers.

 

 

For all her remarkable career trajectories and global adventures, Lisette often finds her greatest joy in life's simplest pleasures—home-cooked meals shared every Sunday on her airy balcony. She takes delight in the ritual of setting the table, thoughtfully arranging colourful plates and glassware, each item a gentle invitation to linger a little longer. These evenings unfurl leisurely, punctuated by laughter, rich conversation, and the comforting cadence of familiar voices. In these quiet rituals, amidst the clinking of glasses and shared stories, Lisette finds her grounding— simple moments anchoring her firmly, beautifully, to what truly matters.

 

Lisette nurtures a fervent longing to encourage deeper appreciation for thoughtful interior and furniture design in Malaysian homes, transforming living spaces into personal and meaningful sanctuaries. “I genuinely believe if good design is accessible, people will choose beauty every time,” she says, gaze narrowing passionately. “It’s a battle worth fighting.”

 

 

"I'm comfortable with uncertainty now," she smiles, "because it always leads somewhere interesting." And indeed, from advertising powerhouse to design trailblazer, Lisette has consistently demonstrated a remarkable capacity to reinvent, and ultimately to flourish.

 

As our conversation draws to a close, the sunlight shifts gently, casting soft golden hues across her balcony. It is a quiet reminder of the beauty she finds in impermanence, and her continuous journey toward balance. Lisette rises, smoothing the folds of her sarong. “This place finally feels right,” she says quietly, almost as though reassuring herself. “It feels happy.” The moment is brief, poignant, and charged with the weight of journeys taken and still unfolding.

 

It seems fitting, then, that as she escorts us to the door, the Chinese calligraphy— once a wee bit askew, now perfectly aligned—silently frames her silhouette. A subtle yet profound metaphor: Lisette Scheers, balanced gracefully between two worlds, finding beauty and peace in the delicate act of belonging wherever she is at the moment.