I recently wrote about jeweler Jul B. Dizon’s new collection, Simbolo, which bolsters pride and admiration of Filipinos’ abundant talent and natural penchant for art and beauty.
Last February, local furniture manufacturer Philux held a furniture and photo exhibit. The event—“Philux Fix”—is the brand’s latest campaign showcasing the versatility and ingenuity of Philux’s all-Filipino rosters of artists and creators through customized, high-quality furniture pieces that reflect the clients’ lives and personalities.
Philux collaborated with some of the biggest names in food, publishing, show business, fashion and more.
“They are a good mix of different personalities, career paths and tastes, so it has been such a creative and exciting experience for us and for them,” said Philux head designer Jessica Kienle Maxwell in a press release.
It was inspiring to see how the participants injected their personal tastes into the aesthetics of their customized pieces.
Refreshing
From chairs and cabinets to beds and buffet tables, there was a diverse mix of personalized furniture in the exhibit.
Once deemed too traditional, Philux has reinvented itself to become more experimental. This campaign proved that, indeed, even a household name could still be refreshing.
Of course, I had to first check out the Kienle sisters’ creations: sutter commodes with clean, sleek lines (Jessica’s) and playful, dotted textures (Stephanie’s).
There was also photographer BJ Pascual, leaving his (im)prints on his Fulton chairs.
Heart Evangelista-Escudero, an actress and artist known for getting crafty with her Birkin bags, painted on her chosen Philux Polk chair. It reminded me of Austrian painter Gustav Klimt’s pieces—a romantic mix of fancy and the realistic.
Understated elegance
Restaurateur Erwann Heussaff also dabbled in the design process, resulting in a simple Embla chair that’s all about understated elegance.
Tessa Prieto Valdes injected vibrancy and color into her Mason wing back chair. “This chair is so me! I selected a few rich fabrics from Philux and everything just blended together,” Tessa said.
New mom Bianca Gonzalez Intal added a touch of sentimentality to her piece using her husband’s and their baby Lucia’s handprints, along with her own, on her Marquis Meridienne. The piece, she said, will find a place in the child’s playroom, where it can be a unique family piece.
Other Philux design collaborators were Karen Davila, Chris Tiu, Stephanie Zubiri Crespi and her sons Sebastian and Maximilian, Joey and Angie King, Pam Quiñones, Cristalle Belo Pitt and Justin Pitt.
I left the exhibit feeling upbeat and inspired by these insights: One, like the featured personalities, you can customize Philux furniture by choosing from an in-house selection of materials; and two, the country is overflowing with outstanding talents.
