Artists Kris Abrigo and Soleil Ignacio are no strangers to living in a tight studio apartment. So, when Habitat Manila, the European home brand, approached the couple to do a microstudio vignette in its showroom, they immediately said yes.
For the entire July, the two artists will show how their disparate styles blend into one cohesive whole as they interpret Habitat Manila furnishings according to their lifestyle. The show includes an exhibit of their artworks—from Ignacio’s digital prints of fashionable women to Abrigo’s abstract, geometric paintings.
There’s a long, hardwood table that Ignacio needs when she’s working on her illustrations and there’s a regular work desk for Abrigo when he makes his swatches and comes up with design ideas. The shelf displays his spray paints and paint bottles, their art books, plants and knickknacks. Beside it, a gleaming, stainless-steel garbage bin.
By the entrance is an olive green four-seater sofa. It’s smaller than the actual sofa, Ignacio said, but fitted perfectly into the vignette and matched the color palette of the exhibit.
“We like to entertain at our studio but we have so much stuff and clutter,” said Ignacio. “He has his art, I have mine, so we don’t really have a strict design style. We design according to what works for us and what looks good.”
They have seven cats, all rescued, so Abrigo decided to create the Concrete Pet to represent them. It has the basic structure of a pet, made of unfinished hollow blocks.
“I like bare materials, like wood or metal. I want utilitarian chairs. This here is the ideal version of our studio,” Abrigo said.
He has a total of nine paintings and eight sculptures on exhibit, while Ignacio has more than a dozen print illustrations.
“This is our first collab,” said Mundi Ocampo, Habitat Manila marketing manager. “The French called it the Design Lab, but here we focus more on lifestyle. Habitat France has always encouraged local art to complement home spaces, like how do you make a European brand relevant to the Filipino home?”
The exhibit also highlights the sophistication and versatility of Habitat furniture and accessories when placed alongside works of art.
“For us, design is lifestyle,” said Habitat director Walter Lim. “Artistry and personal style are expressed most comfortably in our homes and most private spaces. We look forward to having more collaborations with original minds through the Habitat design program.”
Habitat Manila, 3/F Abenson, beside The Ascott Residence, on the corner of 5th Avenue and 28th St. Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. Follow their Facebook and Instagram pages. Visit www.habitat.com.ph.