MANILA – October 4, 2013 – Internationally renowned designer Kenneth Cobonpue opened the doors to his much-awaited first store this week with a press event and series of by-invitation viewings. Located at The Residences at Greenbelt, the store is the result of over a decade of planning and preparation on the part of the designer as, previously, prospective buyers had to make an appointment to visit Cobonpue’s factory/showroom compound in Cebu to view his works.
An award-winning designer, Cobonpue rocketed to fame when his modern, often whimsical furniture creations captured the imagination of the international design community. Combined with his innovative, proudly Filipino approach to both design and the materials they were crafted from, Cobonpue’s works can be found everywhere from Hollywood productions to celebrity homes and some of the world’s top resorts.
“(Before) I felt that I didn’t have enough collections in terms of variety and function to really support a store on this scale,” Cobonpue told adobo. “Now, we have about 50 collections under the Kenneth Cobonpue brand, and that gives us the flexibility to change things around every four months or so and create new installations.”
Having the collections and securing the space at The Residences, says Cobonpue, were only the first steps, as he wanted to do everything “right”, which meant being very selective about which pieces eventually wound up in the inaugural display. The results of that selection process now occupy two generously appointed levels where visitors are invited to look, touch and yes, sit on the fanciful furniture.
“I’ve never understood that,” says Cobonpue of most furniture stores’ predilection to forbid sitting on the merchandise. “I mean, it’s easy to make something that looks good, it’s harder to make something that’s actually comfortable.”
Interspersed with Cobonpue’s pieces are light fixtures by artist collective HIVE, carefully chosen to complement the fantastic furniture. Indeed, looking around the store, one can be forgiven for feeling a little bit like Alice having stepped through the proverbial looking glass, with critically acclaimed chairs and tables artfully arranged to be as welcoming as possible.
So is this to be the first of many stores?
“We’ll see. Our strategy has always been to be represented by select boutiques and showrooms around the world, so this is a first, and we’ll see how this does. When I do something, I want to do it very well, and it took me about 12 to 15 years to finally open my own flagship store. And I knew I wanted it to be in the Philippines. For now, we’re very happy with the response, and I’m very excited.”
