Philux evolving into a more inclusive, collaborative brand

IMPRESSIVE Philux home showroom at Shangri-La at The Fort

Philippine-made furniture and accessories are now being recognized in the global furniture industry for their fine quality and unique craftsmanship. While many brands chose to concentrate on the foreign market, one company decided to put their design efforts into the local scene.

Philux began as a passionate endeavor by its founders, Max and Zelda Kienle, incited by their love for country, fascination for local Philippine materials, especially wood, and a commitment to excellent quality.

The creation of every furniture piece is inspired by the preservation of age-old milling and assembly techniques using sustainable wood, clamps and dowels. The process is slower but more intricate and methodical. From two carpenters, Philux has grown into a hundred-person team and is one of the leading manufacturers and retailers in the Philippines today.

Initially an exporting business in the ’80s, Philux redirected its business model by focusing on offering the local market furniture pieces that can rival its international counterparts in terms of quality, taste and service. Philux currently maintains showrooms at Power Plant Mall, SM Megamall, SM North Edsa, LRI Design Plaza and quite recently, on its 35th year, it launched a new concept store called Philux Home.

Philux Home is a lifestyle showroom that blends curated accessories for the home with Philux’s furniture pieces. Made from locally sourced materials that are mostly manufactured by hand, Philux Home showcases meticulously-made furniture and décor, embroidered textiles, scents, paintings and its first line of furniture for kids called Little Philux.

Philux Home is Philux evolving into a more inclusive and more collaborative brand by working with Filipino artists and artisans who share the same reverence for design and craftsmanship. Philux Home envisions to refine one Filipino home at a time through authentic pieces that are luxury within reach.

Through this new venture, the second generation is at the helm with pretty sisters Stephanie Kienle Gonzalez as VP for sales and business development and Jessica Kienle Maxwell as head designer. Philux Home is Philux’s testament to being a dynamic and inspired brand that renders it relevant in contemporary times while remaining true to its history and heritage of fine-quality furniture making that spans three decades and beyond.

For showroom details, visit www.philux.ph.

PHILUX Home’s head designer, Jessica Kienle Maxwell, and Stephanie Kienle Gonzalez, vice president for sales and business development

Auction at Casa de Memoria

Today is the second auction of Casa de Memoria at its satellite location on Jupiter Street, Bel-Air, Makati. This latest auction includes an exceptional Napoleon III style Italian Boulle-work piece.

André Charles Boulle was arguably the most highly regarded cabinet-maker in the 17th and 18th century, perfecting the craft of adorning his pieces with inlaid brass or tortoise shell. His reputation was so undisputed that his name was lent to this inlaid style of decoration, later known as “buhl” work and even perhaps colloquially in the Philippines, “baul.” These delicate French handcrafted skills graced the imposing structures of large chests, cabinets and other pieces of furniture similar to this piece.

Other objects d’art that are really interesting are silver Judaica Torah Pointers pieces. Masterfully crafted in silver and studded with semiprecious stones, these Judaica Torah pointers hailing from 19th century Imperial Russia represented a merging of the Russian and Hebrew cultures. Directly touching the Jewish sacred text was considered disrespectful and thus demanded the use of pointers such as these. It is also interesting to note that these lavish pointers were made in an era of violent anti-Semitic riots that plagued Imperial Russia from 1881 to 1884.

All these and more will be auctioned off at The Casa or Casa de Memoria at 156 Jupiter Street corner Comet Street, Makati City. The next auction will be in October featuring exceptional paintings and home accessories.

CASA de Memoria’s auction item—a Napoleon III style Italian Boulle work