As Philippine Heritage Month draws to a close, I find myself thinking about the Southeast Asian archipelago – a place that keeps proving to be indefinable. Looking back at my book launch, Manila Architectural GuideTwo years later, I am still amazed by the surprise expressed by non-Filipino readers upon discovering a curving brutalist church in tropical greenery or a hulking museum with Corinthian columns from the American colonial era. Against the odds, the Philippine design scene is thriving, with key practitioners transcending categories and transmitting cultural traditions both at home and abroad.
To celebrate this legacy, I have invited three of my colleagues in the Philippines—Patrick Cussing (Editor at Kanto), Adela Locsin (Project Architect at Leandro V. Locsin Partners), and Jon Medalla (Founder of Protection)—to share their curated ideas to the teeming world of contemporary Filipino design.
Patrick Kasingsing, Editor and Kantohonors Brian Ker and Tahanan Furniture
“The Philippines has long been a furniture powerhouse, giving the world Cebuano rattan virtuoso Kenneth Cobonpue, and the birthplace of Renaissance men like Lor Calma.
The recent local launches (and there have been many!) have been interesting to say the least, and among the recent revelations that have made a mark is the reboot collection of Furniture Imprisonedwho returned after a two-year weekend with pieces that fold traditional Filipino craftsmanship into contemporary silhouettes, without one overwhelming the other.
What makes this fall particularly interesting to me it is the designer’s choice. Architect Brian Ver is known for its minimalist vernacular, with modern F&B spaces, with precise woodwork. (His chair collaboration with Lamana won a Golden Pin shortlist nod last year). Tahanan gave him a maximalist brief and an array of materials that went far beyond his usual vocabulary: fabrics, leather, marble and wood, all in the same group conversation.
That the pieces land as a cohesive, tactile collection (already gaining some attention at the recent Maison&Objet) rather than a visual cacophony is the story. This is a collection that gives even a dedicated minimalist design lover like myself reason to linger.”
Adela Locsin, project architect at Leandro V. Locsin Partners is excited about Julia Villamonte
“As a Filipino designer who recently returned home after many years, I was particularly inspired by fellow designers working to find ways to maintain a connection to Filipino materials and sensibilities while living abroad. Living away from what you’ve always known has a way of redefining your thinking about things you see every day, which is why I was so excited to see the project. Julia Villamontea native of Bicol, has established in Milan.
Formally trained as an architect, Julia makes a conscious effort to work only with what’s available — whether it’s objects from her new surroundings in Italy, materials hand-carried by friends and family across the border, or generational knowledge passed down to her from her mentors. Her sculptural lamps, vessels and mobiles, among other experiments, are the products of many hands and minds, embodying the wisdom, knowledge and materiality of a place she is clearly still connected to.’
Jon Medalla, architect and founder of Prototecture, Grasscraft, on how the Bambutka chair is redefining colonial daybeds
“What excites me most about Philippine design today is the opportunity to reinterpret our ancestral, traditional traditions for a modern world. Through my work with Prototecture and GrasscraftI explore this idea on multiple scales. In terms of furniture, the Bambutaka chair redefines the traditional colonial era Earth (Filipino armchair) through the lens of modern design, combining multiple types of Philippine bamboo with contemporary forms and precise craftsmanship. On an urban scale, projects such as Trademark Bar and Lounge and House of Lechon explore how local materials can thrive in unexpected environments, bringing bamboo into contemporary nightlife, retail and city life.
Rather than choosing between heritage and progress, I am interested in the space where the two intersect—where ancestral wisdom becomes the foundation for creating more sustainable, human-centered, future-oriented ways of life. In many ways, this pursuit is to bring buildings to life – creating architecture and objects that are not only functional, but capable of encouraging connection, belonging and a deeper relationship with nature, heritage and place.”
Taken together, these practices and their works make it clear that contemporary Filipino design is neither a fixed aesthetic nor a purely exportable category. It is a dynamic, living exchange between memory and material, local knowledge and global movement, inherited forms and fresh ways of making.
Photos of Tahanan Furniture and Brian Ver by and Carlo and Thea Yu of Tahanan. All other images are courtesy of the designers.
