Malaya Leal’s passion for exploring culture and food has become a defining element of her craftsmanship. Her boundary-pushing food arrangement is explored visually through her illustrations, which narrate celebration, connection and culture in her bespoke hand-printed mural for residential and hospitality dining rooms. 

Her adopted aesthetic reflects the visual language of barkcloth painting, bridging her ancestral cultural connection with the Pacific Islands. Her illustrations express energy and rhythm through linear shadings, interpreting ocean currents that evoke resilience, adaptability and movement, conceptualising the narrative of the significant tradition as dynamic rather than static.

With a background in textiles, Malaya specialised in surface design and colour matching, with a passion for creating dynamic and engaging colour palettes. This approach treats colour as a sensory experience, producing designs that are both aesthetically pleasing and visually appetising.