At the “Architecture of Silence” Book Launch, a Sophisticated Seating Paid Homage to Mindful Design

On Wednesday night, BluPrint celebrated the release of its highly anticipated book, Architecture of Silence. The work examines 18 purposeful dwellings from around the Philippines that present the modern design principles of tropical homes. Top creatives and friends from the interior design and architecture worlds convened at Y Space, the moody location inside Yuchengco Museum.

Aside from the fact that the venue’s curved walls are lined with a trove of artwork by the late National Artist Fernando Amorsolo, there was also the star-studded guest list, which included artist Ramon Orlina, designer Milo Naval, and architects Ramon Antonio and Royal Pineda, that made mingling at the event feel like a dazzling affair. Adding to the evening’s ambiance, Furnitalia provided a respite with its sophisticated seating area.

Silence and Contemplation

Furnitalia co-founder Florence Ko arranged two open benches flanking the Poltrona Frau Arabesque Armchair High, positioned in front of a bookshelf displaying copies of the newly launched book and alongside a selection of furniture varying in height, including the Cestlavie Storage Basket, Bob Coffee Table, and Poltrona Frau John-John Pouf. This meticulously curated setup offered guests a physical place of solitude, and in so doing, encouraged a contemplation of feelings.

“Silence evokes emotion,” expressed Nikki Buensalido of Barchan Architecture (Buensalido Architects), who thinks of architecture as both art and science. “If you have something that evokes silence in a piece, your whole person is moved. You exercise the right and left [sides of the] brain. It’s the tangible and the intangible put together.”

Moreover, Camille Muñoz, a consultant for a US-based company, described the feeling as something that naturally arises. “There’s no one genre or style for me. It just depends on how it speaks to me. It’s how I feel when I see a specific work.”

All 18 dwellings featured in the book “engage [the viewer] in a more spiritual sphere,” said Architect Geewel Fuster. The BluPrint Editor-In-Chief lauded the industry’s “shakers and movers”: “These meaningful projects have catalyzing forces that are able to refine spatial dimensions. [They showcase] the intangible experience of silence through architectural spaces built around the Philippines.”

For more information, visit Furnitalia’s website here