I have always been a handyman. Growing up, I was always surrounded by my dad’s collection of tools and being influenced by his passion for collecting old wood, I learned how to work with my hands and developed an appreciation for organic materials.

As I focused my studies on environmental art as an undergraduate student at Lewis & Clark College (Portland, OR), I was exposed to the intricacies of natural materials, and at the same time helped me gain an understanding of the human form. My aim is to bring back the emotion and appreciation for furniture as a freestanding art form—differentiate it form the pure mechanical pieces influenced by 20th century mass production and modernist furniture. Aged wood carries with it a history—from branches collected from the aftermath of Ondoy to Kamagong, Narra, Ipil and Kalantas collected from ancestral houses, each piece offers a narrative that ties in with the skill, craftsmanship and process that goes into shaping an individual piece of furniture.

“When skills are applied to the proper materials, the result is unique and artistic to a degree impossible to obtain by mass production,” says master worker and artist Shinichi Miyazaki. “This is studio furniture, furniture that appeals to the spirit and enriches daily life.”

My studio furniture goes beyond just carpentry—my furniture pays homage to Philippine history and marries Filipino craftsmanship with the heightened awareness of human form and anatomy. Every chair, bench and lamp holds a story that cannot be replicated—narratives that are passed on from one generation to the next.