Local crafts. More Fun in the Philippines

CEBU CITY — How fertile is Filipino creativity? You might see something plain, say, fishermen hauling their catch. But he sees the weave and pattern of the fishing net, the light bouncing on it, and creates a knitted stainless steel chair called “Dragnet.”
You probably gawk at ancient sailing ships. He transforms them into a lounge chair named “Lolah” and a romantic bed called “Voyage.”

Such is the imagination of this award-winning Filipino industrial designer, Kenneth Cobonpue.
He sees forms and patterns around us and creates unique furniture pieces that have made him win prestigious design awards in Singapore and Hong Kong. Hollywood also took notice, commissioning him to design the furniture in the movie set of Ocean’s 13.
Creativity is something innate in Filipinos.

Our designers are considered the best in Southeast Asia — neighboring countries try to pirate them. But Kenneth points out, “the complexity of many of my designs ensures that these can only be made in the Philippines.” His workshop is where our inherent creativity meets our world-class craftsmanship.

Kenneth epitomizes Filipino design talent, and there are many more in the country like him. That's why Kenneth has helped put together Hive, a collective of local designers who design for the world but use local craftsmen.

So if you want to buy a truly unique furniture piece, walk around and visit Hive and Kenneth's showroom in Cebu. Chances are, you will have many wonderful choices to pick from. But that’s a beautiful problem.