We eat with our eyes first,” as the saying goes. That is the precept that guides design consultant Rene Orosa in entertaining at home. He dazzles his guests with his resplendent table setting and home-cooked meals, which he personally prepares, despite his busy schedule. His attentive hospitality melts the hearts of guests who feel that each one is important.
Though he keeps a low profile in media, Orosa is known in social circles. Along with the architect and contractor, he decorates residences and getaway homes of affluent clients.
Having lived in Northern California for 30 years, he was exposed to the best designs, quality materials and products and high standards of professionalism.
“Every piece that I saw had a concept and was unique. I took inspiration from them,” recalls Orosa.
He went to the United States in 1979 and took up courses in interior design at Cañada College, Redwood City—now the center of Silicon Valley. After school, he took a day job in a bank, working his way up from teller to assistant vice president of business development. His amiable personality enabled him to win new accounts for the bank.
Layering
He got a break when a friend had a real estate development in San Bernardino. Orosa was tasked to decorate the model homes. Many of his clients were Filipinos who had homes in the wealthy neighborhoods in the Northern California Peninsula such as Hillsborough.
Hit by the Great Recession in 2008, Orosa came back to the Philippines. He started his namesake company, Rene Orosa Design.
He shuttles between his condo in Makati and his family home in Alfonso, Cavite, where he keeps his trove of ceramics, stemware, silverware, napkins and gewgaws collected from travels.
For a New Year table setting at his condo, Orosa goes elegant with a touch of gold and metallic utensils set against a fitting background of a marble table top. He brings out his 19th-century Old Gorham silverware, purchased in an antique show in Hillsborough, California, complemented by gold-rimmed china. The blue water goblets match the royal blue charger. The sparkle cut glass stemware heralds the celebratory spirit.
The centerpiece is an understated bouquet of white hydrangeas in an Art Deco vase. The rest of the table is laden with birds. Round fruits such as oranges and cherries in little glass bowls aim to attract prosperity. Orosa’s favorite New Year element—a silver champagne bucket—adds flair.
Orosa frequently entertains in Alfonso where guests are surrounded by nature, the inspiration for his table settings in the countryside. An enthusiast of maximalist tables, he is fond of layering different materials and textures.
Objects seem to float on the clear glass table. The gold pheasant bird pattern on the white china picks up the shimmery accents of the black mother-of-pearl charger. The plates, found in a vintage store in San Francisco, harmonize with the detailed silverware from Old Gorham. The Riedel wine glasses and blue goblets were acquired from the shop at the Makati Garden Club. Ceramic floral and apple pots were produced by Winnie Go, a potter. Bougainvilleas from the garden soften the look around a Christmas tree with red crystals.
The intimate New Year’s table will present the classic salad, cochinillo, seafood paella, grilled blue marlin with lemon garlic—all prepared by Orosa. The rum butter cake rounds off the meal.
“The table is not only about the plates, the china and silverware. Interesting objects make the table,” says Orosa. “In Alfonso, I fill the silver trays with candles and vases with only buds not stems. I don’t focus on putting round things for the New Year. It’s all about how the table would affect me and how my guests will enjoy the dinner with me.”