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Cebu furniture
Cebu, dubbed the Philippines' second-largest
city, is located in the Central Visayas group of islands. Tourism brochures
boast of sun-drenched beaches lined with coconut trees. However, those who
venture outside the resorts find a different place. The sun, sand and
tropical fruit are certainly part of what is Cebu, but the general reality
is that it is an industrial town. Cebu lives off the trade that goes on
inside the squat, uninspired and often unattractive buildings of the
downtown business district, and off the cargo hauled on the backs of the
large trucks that rumble through its main streets.
A lot about the city is not pretty in the way that one would expect of a
place that promotes itself as a font of innovative design. But in the last
few years, Cebu has become known within international interior design
circles as producing unique world-class furniture. Despite a lack of locally
sourced wood — or perhaps because of it — a small but vibrant export sector
sells tens of millions of dollars' worth of furniture to buyers on five
continents. Cebu's most creative workshops have thrived, producing fine
furniture for the world seemingly against the odds.
An executive director of one furniture manufacturer says the local output
has made a mark at the annual U.S. furniture exposition at High Point, North
Carolina. "There is such a thing as the 'Cebu look,' coined by buyers. There
is a certain look to Cebu-made furniture."
That look is more improvised than traditional Asian work: the chunky
Indonesian, the colonial-style Indian or even classic Chinese, which
showcases exotic timbers from its forests.
A design consultant to a Cebu furniture manufacturer says: The Cebuano were
the first in Asia to introduce different materials into a very unique style
of mixed media. The designers are able to create a real and innovative
look." It further adds, The designers merged the knowledge of
indigenous materials with their penchant for experimenting with new
applications.
Several exhibition organizers are proud that Cebu designers are known for
incorporating unusual materials into their designs to some success.
Creativity has inspired the use of termite mounds, coconut twigs and bark,
eggshells, crab shells and animal skins, among other unexpected things.
While easily 80 percent of output remains in more classical Western
furniture for the U.S. market, a new generation of designers is gaining
recognition and trying to take the industry into a bolder, more contemporary
and more original direction. While once the Philippines' cheap labor was the
main selling point, Cebu, faced with a China that can manufacture cheaper
than anyone else, has made the move up the design value chain, offering a
future for its factory owners.
A prominent designer for Cebu furniture introduced his own contemporary
sensibility. Under his own name, he has received accolades, and orders, for
meticulously handcrafted modern designs. In London, his Yin and Yang sofa, a
metal skeleton wrapped in rattan splits evoking a tropical reinterpretation
of the classic, boxy Josef Hoffman chair. Other pieces, like the Cauayan
cabinet, feature bamboo twigs encased in oak wood frames.
His work slowly replaced the fussy, 1980s-style bent rattan pieces in the
factory, and in 2002 he became the first Filipino designer to be included in
the authoritative International Design Yearbook.
One local designer produced graceful wrought iron furniture with touches of
stone craft well received in Europe. Another enterprising businessman
operates a factory specializing in the ultra-luxurious shagreen, Asian
stingray skins, has made items for Armani's home ware line, Christian Dior
and the Saudi royal family for
Cebu furniture show.
Such is the prestigious design quality and ingenuity of Cebu furniture.
Global Outdoor Furniture Supplies Inc.
Address:.
777-B.Cuizon Compound, Upper San Vicente,
Lilo-an, 6002
Cebu, Philippines
Landline:. +63
32 4018767
Fax:. +63 32 4246690
Mobile Ludwig:. +63 917 6244667
Grace:. +63 929 5308459
Email: globaloutdoorfurniture@gmail.com
Skype: contractfurniture
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