Generation Next

LEAVING the turmoil of the past to move forward requires courage.

Recovering from the blows of the recession prompted the Cebu Furniture Industry Foundation to change the name of its big annual event to one that reflects the trademark Cebuano resilience.

Previously CebuX, it’s now CebuNext, and the 2010 Furniture exhibition held at the Waterfront Hotel from March 5-8 had veteran designers sharing space with the up-and-coming set. In keeping with the exhibit’s namesake, we try to answer the question: So, who’s next?

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Vito Selma

Vito Selma is on a roll. Not only did he win two out of three Mugna citations, buyers showered praises on his forward-thinking pieces.

“Wrinkle,” for example, the lamp he made out of industrial metal mesh earned him the Mugna Award for Design Innovation.

Then there’s French designer Philippe Starck—or Vito’s take on kiddie furniture. At first glance, it seems like a regular shelf. But look closer and you’ll see that they’re actually 10 chairs put together.

Stonesets International, their family’s furniture business, has not always leaned towards the modern style, though. They have been making traditional furniture until Vito and his sister turned things around in favor of simple, organic designs.

“I like to show the material, especially wood, in its natural form and color. It’s my interpretation of how things are beautiful,” says Vito.

Paula and Vikki Rodriguez

Family-owned furniture business can look up to the Rodriguez sisters as the prototype of the industry’s Generation Next. As early as high school, they have been exposed to local and international exhibits. This year, they got another head start as they debuted their pieces for CebuNext fresh out of college.

Both graduates of Interior Architecture and Design from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, Paula designs for Detalia Aurora Inc., and Vikki for Accessoria Inc.

The dynamic duo shares a preference for decorative and functional pieces in modern, bordering on contemporary styles.

Case in point is Paula’s “Pegasus” couch, which eliminates the need for an end table because of storage space underneath the armrest.

Vikki, meanwhile, drew inspiration from nature. A table called “Ent” is made out of turnsole with a pattern like that of cut logs; she accentuated a floor-length mirror with crushed capiz shells shaped into flowers.

In a sluggish economy, there may be a shortage of sales. But with these designers around, the Cebu furniture industry will not be with a shortage of talent.