From Tanseco?s ?Suzi? (key)-inspired pieces to Cobonpue?s ?knit? creations, our designers roll with the punches of the global financial crisis
IN LIEU OF ORNATE, LARGER-THAN-LIFE designs, majority of exhibitors in the CebuNext furniture show held in Cebu City two weeks ago went for contemporary pieces that combined mostly local materials such as rattan, Philippine mahogany, laminated coco shell, pinewood and fiberglass.

Instead of intricate carvings, exhibitors experimented with materials and processes to achieve subtle variations in color and texture.

Despite the bleak global market for furniture, close to 50 members of the 120-strong Cebu Furniture Industries Foundation Inc. (CFIF) unveiled some of their best and most streamlined pieces.

Organizers, led by Angela Figueroa-Paulin, president of CFIF and owner of Casa Cebuana, also decided to change the name of the annual show, now on its 21st year, from Cebu X to CebuNext to reflect the group?s renewed optimism.

?Membership has shrunk by almost half,? said Paulin. ?During the industry?s peak in 2005, CFIF had 200 members. Many have had to downsize operations, while some had to close shop.?

Still, CFIF was able to fill the Waterfront Hotel?s two huge ballrooms with exhibitors although the grand ballroom and a smaller ballroom on the hotel?s second floor weren?t as crowded with sellers and buyers on opening day, as they were last year.

?This year, we mixed woven rattan with linen upholstery to make our chairs,? said Alice Streegan-Cruz of Pacific Traders. ?Our buffet table is also a sample of the use of mixed materials such as Philippine mahogany, walnut and shagreen accent.?

More streamlined

The lines, Cruz added, are more streamlined and simpler than in past collections. This is the result of market demand for less frilly and more functional pieces.

Designer and businessman Clayton Togonon also saw the need to literally lighten up as seen in his handcrafted designs combining local materials with traditional components such as metal.

His table used a thin, irregularly cut sheet of wood with inlaid vines formed into neat patterns, for some texture. Its stainless steel legs made for interesting juxtaposition as they echoed the table?s seemingly delicate material.

In lieu of chairs with backrests, Togonon had off-white stools made of fused rattan. He also used inlaid vines to produce a huge, floor-to-ceiling mirror and console table.

?I?ve been doing this for the last 20 years,? he said. ?My current inspiration came about in my desire to produce a collection that looks light and easy to carry.?

Having catered to environment-conscious markets in the US, Europe, Australia and even the Middle East, JLQ International wasn?t about to abandon its commitment to produce environment-friendly pieces using sustainable materials and processes.

The company drew from its heritage to produce semi-outdoor pieces made from recyclable and recycled materials such as old newspapers, coco shell, pandan and crushed seashells.

?These chairs and tables, for example, are made from newspapers, which we coat to strengthen and give them some color. A steel frame, which is also biodegradable, holds everything underneath,? said John Quisumbing, president of JLQ.

He then pointed to a series of opaque dividers adorned with crushed seashells. But instead of using fancy varieties, JLQ sourced its shells from scraps discarded from dining tables.

?The recession has been very tough on everybody,? said Quisumbing. ?Since the market has less disposable income, we?ve had to come up with more innovative and better-priced pieces. We can?t compromise on quality and size.?

Guest designers

Guest designers like Carlo Tanseco produced what he calls ?jewelry for the home.? The Manila designer produced conversation pieces inspired by keys and the abacus for Kirsten International.

Tanseco used abalone and red pen shells to fashion giant abacus on the sides of each chair. For his ?Suzi? collection, he used carved wood that mimicked the shape of old-fashioned keys on the back and sides of upholstered chairs.

?I can?t even remember the name of the trend that inspired me to come up with these pieces,? he said. ?They?re basically accent pieces meant to add a touch of whimsy to a particular corner of the room.?

Others like Kenneth Cobonpue combined natural and manmade materials such as nylon, wool and polyethylene to produce steel-framed woven pieces in the form of ottomans and side tables inspired by knits.

Cobonpue?s two-seater had backrests that resembled a knitted sweater, but magnified a million times, while his ottoman-cum-coffee table took inspiration from the dream catcher, an ubiquitous American Indian emblem. He also did a pair of back cushions wrapped in plaids.

?Everything is meant to look textured and casual,? he said. ?We worked with a lot of colors and for the first time looked into fashion to help us choose colors.?

Cobonpue, also an officer of CFIF, coined the term CebuNext. It has nothing to do, he said, with Manila Now, the name of a new rival show held annually at SMX.

?Traditionally, Cebu has been known for starting trends,? said the world-famous designer. ?In the ?50s, we started with rattan furniture. We brought them from the garden into homes. In the ?70s, we introduced the use of stone, buri and abaca. Then we worked on mixed materials and wrought iron. People always look to us for trends.?

This long tradition of starting trends, CFIF members hoped, would help the country?s ailing furniture industry get back on its feet as major established markets emerge from recession.

Members lamented the fact that sales in 2009 were down by as much as 50 percent, to 4,000 containers. In 2006, the province?s exporters were able to ship 14,000 containers worth of furniture. Sales have been steadily declining ever since.

At its peak, the industry also generated total annual sales worth over $300 million. Last year?s sales were down to $130 million. It?s not only furniture makers who are feeling the pinch, but also a big downstream industry of raw materials and components.

?We?ve been experiencing some activity since the year started,? said Paulin. ?But many in the industry believe that it would take at least two years for the market to fully rebound.?

If there?s another thing CFIF has learned from the recent crisis, it?s never to rely on one or two markets to sell its products. Since 70 percent of their output used to end up in the US, exporters felt the recession?s full impact soon after it hit North America.

?For the longest time, the industry has been so focused on the US,? said Paulin. ?There have been recent moves to strengthen other established markets and to tap into non-traditional markets such as Latin America, the Middle East, China and India.?