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Creative Convergence: Kenneth Cobonpue’s New Showroom Opens in BGC
“Everything that you see here is my childhood,” shares Kenneth Cobonpue, characterizing his remarkable new showroom at the corner of the Grand Hyatt Manila Residences in Bonifacio Global City. A departure from his first space in Greenbelt, this spot revolves around a whole lifestyle concept, where creativity is boundless. It’s an extraordinary destination of coalesced design, art, and culinary experience, blurring reality with fantasy.
Inside Cobonpue’s World of Design
Outgrowing their previous location after a decade is “a natural progression” for Cobonpue. As someone whose imagination and curiosity are always in motion, stagnation is simply not an option. So, through the help of fellow creatives Budji Layug and Anton Mendoza, the new showroom is defined with flowing, dynamic spaces, allowing his ever-evolving vision to take flight.
Across its two levels, the showroom comprises three different environments, each with its own aesthetic. From the entrance, the journey to a multisensory exploration begins in the mystical FABLE Café + Lounge on the ground floor. As you veer right, the café directly adjoins the initial section of the KENNETHCOBONPUE Showroom with a dedicated VIP room. The showroom continues upstairs, revealing more of the designer’s classic pieces. And on its left lies the solemn CLOUDGREY Gallery, exhibiting similarly playful and thought-provoking displays.
Together, they unify the thread of these diverse expressions of art into a singular, cohesive experience.
“It should really flow, [and] that it should be one space with three distinct identities. That’s the challenge—that it has to be different, but it also can’t be two different departments. Because I want it to be a destination for people around the world,” Cobonpue expresses.
FABLE Cafe and Lounge
What started as a simple refreshment corner for clients gradually took a life of its own. Cobonpue thought that showcasing furniture wouldn’t be enough for this new ample space. So, he crafted his very first café in Metro Manila according to the vivid tapestries of imagination woven from his childhood.
FABLE Café + Lounge draws its name from the bedtime stories the designer’s mother used to share with him. Back in those simpler times, the absence of television and Internet allowed Cobonpue to vividly picture all the creatures, fairy tales, and faraway lands described to him. From there, he carried those fantastical narratives with him, allowing them to subtly permeate the café’s design.
Along with the Curio and KCurated collections, massive leaves and flowers fill the space. Other unique objects inspired by nature also dominate the café, particularly evident in clam shell stools and gigantic dew drops along the bar area. The designer revealed that these very details echo the setting of Alice in Wonderland. And stepping inside FABLE is similar to going down the rabbit hole that leads to that magical world.
By day, FABLE Café + Lounge is a haven of culinary delight, offering a curated menu of global dishes, specialty coffees, and brunch served from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM. But as the day fades, the space becomes an elegant dining sanctuary, where refined culinary creations and music are the main event.
Even with its dreamlike motifs, Cobonpue opted for a menu of understated simplicity. He intends the food and drinks to evolve organically, with options changing and progressing over the course of several months. In this way, the café maintains a sense of discovery and freshness, ensuring that every visit offers an exciting experience.
An Immersive Showroom
The actual KENETHCOBONPUE showroom, occupying two levels, already speaks volumes about the scale of his artistic ambition. His extensive collection provides designs for residential spaces, cafés, and hospitality venues around the world. Given that global reach, it testifies to how deeply his creations become integrated into people’s lives.
In his quest to further solidify that connection, Cobonpue unveils how he innovates his new products by leveraging alternative materials. Faced with the increasing scarcity of traditional natural fibers like rattan and abaca, he utilizes fabrics, polymers, sustainable plastics, and carbon fiber. While embracing modern materials, he remains resolute in preserving the Filipino identity by ensuring that Cebuano skills and craftsmanship remain at the heart of his works.
Stepping into the showroom is akin to walking through a living timeline of Cobonpue’s creative journey. Here, his iconic pieces from the past years that first captured the world’s attention with their organic forms and masterful weaving, stand alongside his latest explorations.
Among them is the Eclipse, which debuted in the early 2010s and is rooted in the form of the Philippine trisikad or pedicab. He additionally reintroduced his first bar cabinet design, Carabao, that is now exclusively available in the Philippines.
But in the VIP room, Cobonpue revealed a custom lighting fixture called the Abbey, which evokes a far more visceral reaction. Patterned after the grandeur of the Manila Cathedral, it features miniature monks dressed in vibrant red, appearing to descend the staircases. This unsettling detail creates a surreal and almost haunting tableau for many, as the designer described.
Compared to FABLE, Cobonpue regards the showroom as the “more conservative and commercial side” of him. He wanted it to be an immersive environment, where customers could truly imagine how his pieces would go well with each other and complement their homes and other spaces.
A Community for Filipino Art
Extending beyond his own design mastery, Cobonpue finds a place for the CLOUDGREY Gallery in his showroom. This unique addition acts as an expanded platform for the discovery and appreciation of diverse Filipino and Southeast Asian artistic expressions.
Born out of a venture between contemporary artists Ruel Caasi and Ronald Ventura, it offers a sustained program designed to cultivate artistic growth, motivate vibrant exchanges, and actively shape the progression of contemporary art. It’s a space meant to encourage artistic innovation, delve into fresh concepts and themes, and foster international conversations through art.
Caasi believes that Southeast Asia is rich in diverse history and cultural contrasts. And despite its often-perceived peripheral yet crucial geopolitical role, the region has sparked artistic evolution for centuries through different identities and collective experiences.
He states, “CLOUDGREY Gallery draws inspiration from this vibrant landscape, creating a platform that reflects the plurality of Southeast Asian contemporary art.”
With this commitment, Cobonpue is delighted to find artists “of the same caliber on the international scene” to present Filipino art to a wider audience. Currently, the gallery showcases a collection of bold and thought-provoking pieces from artists Keb Cerda, Manok Ventura, Olan Ventura, Ronson Culibrina, and Igan D’Bayan.
KENNETHCOBONPUE: A Leap Forward for Filipino Design
Venturing to something out of the ordinary is second nature for Cobonpue. This very characteristic has significantly contributed in bringing Filipino design to the world stage. And it’s a path that the designer will remain to pursue tirelessly.
“If you’re a Filipino, I want you to be proud. Because sometimes we all love these kinds of pieces in interiors, but it will take courage to do it. Some would say maybe it’s too much or something. [But] you just have to do it and take the risk,” Cobonpue asserts.
This new showroom, being at the forefront of Filipino design in the world, would offer a constantly evolving experience through regularly refreshed displays. By these means, the designer could continuously reveal the unique side and creativity of the country.
Photos courtesy of KENNETHCOBONPUE
Read more: Kenneth Cobonpue Unveils New Line of Home Accessories with KCurated
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