Bigkis is the act of binding. In Tagalog, the word can refer to something used to bind or encircle, as well as a bundle formed by tying several separate elements together. Figuratively, it can also mean a bond, union, or unity. The meanings move from the physical act of joining things together to the connection […]
genteelhome Builds on the Excellence of Filipino Craft
Bigkis is the act of binding. In Tagalog, the word can refer to something used to bind or encircle, as well as a bundle formed by tying several separate elements together. Figuratively, it can also mean a bond, union, or unity. The meanings move from the physical act of joining things together to the connection that results from it.
For genteelhome, these ideas take form in the Bigkis Collection. Four Southeast Asian designers bring distinct approaches to material, form, and culture, while Filipino furniture artisans translate their ideas into furniture through a shared language of craft.
The collection grew from genteelhome principal designer Katrina Blanca de Leon’s experience presenting at FIND Singapore in 2024, where the response to Filipino craftsmanship encouraged her to look farther afield. The Pampanga-based furniture atelier subsequently brought together Lai Siew Hong of Malaysia, Eggarat Wongcharit of Thailand, Keat Ong of Singapore, and Ivy Almario of the Philippines.
The Bigkis Collection made its international debut at Maison&Objet Paris in September 2025. But for de Leon, bringing the designers together was about more than appearing on an international stage. “This collection magnifies the Filipino trait of being collaborative,” she says. “When you say collaboration, you just don’t limit yourself with people you work with. You collaborate and adapt with people no matter how different they are.”
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Four Southeast Asian Perspectives Take Form in Bigkis
Lai Siew Hong Finds Form in Togetherness
Lai Siew Hong, co-founder of Malaysian design firm Blu Water Studio, explores togetherness through the idea of a pair. His bench for Bigkis, composed of two seats with a backrest and a tray between them, draws from the Chinese character shuang, meaning “pair.” Woven rope and interlocking timber further express the relationship between separate elements within a single piece.
“It has been a dream for us at the studio to have a bespoke collection of furniture that we could offer, extending our creativity and lifestyle to a larger community who appreciate well-crafted pieces as their collections,” Hong says.
Eggarat Wongcharit Finds Common Ground in Material
Eggarat Wongcharit looks for connections through material. While developing his pieces for Bigkis, the Thai designer visited the Yuchengco Museum for guidance on the tinalak used for his upholstery and traveled to La Union to observe local artisans creating wickerwork.
His collection draws from materials and forms familiar to both Thailand and the Philippines. “Both Thai and Filipino cultures share material influences like bamboo huts (nipaNipaA mangrove palm, Nypa fruticans, whose fronds are dried and woven into shingles for thatched roofs and walls. Lightweight, insulating, and naturally cooling, nipa defines the bahay kubo and remainsGo to Nipa Glossary in Tagalog, kratob in Thai). I incorporated thatch from these rooftops for the chair’s backrest, while cushions—designed to look like rocks—are covered with tinalak or woven fabric from fine abaca fibers,” Wongcharit explains.
Ivy Almario Turns Furniture Into Functional Art
Ivy Almario approaches Bigkis as functional art, incorporating the colorful work of artist Clairelynn Uy into her pieces. Her oversized coffee table, Dala Dala’y Buslo, takes the form of a pineapple and two round watermelons, its title drawn from a lyric of a Filipino children’s folk song.
“Everyone makes a coffee table. But not everybody makes oversized coffee tables,” Almario says. “Coffee tables in the market don’t have the scale to balance the huge pieces that are very much in vogue.”
For Almario, bringing art into the furniture gives the pieces a purpose beyond function. “Mine has always been an understanding that if I wanted to put out more furniture in the market or if I were to add to whatever is existing, I want it to be very purposeful. What does that mean to me? So I thought perhaps if I did functional art, perhaps if the furniture doubled up as artwork, then the reason for its existence is deeper,” she explains.
Keat Ong Makes Furniture Adapt
Keat Ong approaches Bigkis through movement and adaptability. Inspired by a mobile, nomadic lifestyle, the Singaporean designer created furniture that can fold and transform, combining Eastern craftsmanship and materials with the principles of Western campaign furniture.
“My design ethos focuses on the binary relationship between opposing elements and how we can harmonize them into systems,” Ong says. “For Bigkis, I fused the beauty of Eastern craftsmanship and materials with Western camping furniture. The collection is a completely new design based only on the idea of ‘transformable furniture’ from the past era.”
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genteelhome’s Collection Binds Bigkis Into a Whole
genteelhome’s own designs complete Bigkis, sitting alongside the distinct approaches of its four collaborators. Made with natural materials in a neutral palette and shaped through organic forms, the pieces draw from the diversity of textures found in the Philippines. Within the wider collection, they provide a point of connection between the different design languages.
“The genteelhome collection shows that whatever designs from whatever country, this collection can blend in perfectly with them,” de Leon says.
The connection across Bigkis, however, goes beyond the pieces designed by genteelhome. While its collaborators bring ideas shaped by different cultures and approaches to design, each piece is realized by Filipino craftsmen. Through their knowledge of materials, fabrication, and craft, these separate ideas are bound together as one collection.
For de Leon, this is where the strength of Philippine furniture making ultimately resides. “It is through these artisans that I came to believe: the true edge of furniture making lies in their gifted hands. Their craftsmanship is not only the soul of our work but also the force that will shape the future of Philippine furniture making.”
In Bigkis, ideas that begin in different places are gathered and bound through the hands of Filipino furniture artisans.
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The Bigkis Collection is being presented at Manila FAME, running until October 17, 2026.
The Bigkis Collection is available for pre-order through genteelhome’s Instagram and Facebook pages.
Atelier:
124 Fil-Am Friendship Hwy, Calibutbut, Bacolor, 2001 Pampanga
Manila:
3rd Floor, The Podium, Ortigas, Mandaluyong City
About genteelhome
Established in 2013 in Pampanga, genteelhome is a Filipino furniture atelier grounded in local craftsmanship. Working closely with Filipino artisans, the brand creates bespoke furniture that brings together design, material, and craft, and has presented its work at local and international exhibitions.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Bigkis Collection is a furniture collection by Filipino atelier genteelhome that brings together four Southeast Asian designers and Filipino furniture artisans. It explores collaboration, cultural connections, materials, and craftsmanship through distinct furniture designs.
The Bigkis Collection features Lai Siew Hong of Malaysia, Eggarat Wongcharit of Thailand, Keat Ong of Singapore, and Ivy Almario of the Philippines, alongside designs by genteelhome.
Bigkis is a Tagalog word associated with binding, tying, and bringing separate elements together. In genteelhome’s collection, it represents the connection between designers from different Southeast Asian countries and the Filipino artisans who bring their ideas to life.
Filipino furniture artisans produce the collection’s pieces, applying their knowledge of materials, fabrication, and traditional craft to the designers’ concepts. Their work connects the different design approaches into a unified collection.
The Bigkis Collection is being presented at Manila FAME until October 17, 2026. It is also available for pre-order through genteelhome’s Instagram and Facebook pages. Readers can visit genteelhome’s atelier in Bacolor, Pampanga, or its location on the third floor of The Podium in Mandaluyong City.
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