Z: Curves in the Right Places

Just as he has revolutionized furniture, Kenneth Cobonpue is revolutionizing the modern space. Z, Cebu’s newest tapas bar and chillout haunt, is the first interior design project that this It boy has chosen to undertake from concept to finish and the result is a magnificent display of überchic style unseen in any other public space.

With the heady use of organic woven architecture–a groundbreaking technique that is still being explored in the international arena–Kenneth shows the wonders of using natural material in the implementation of an indoor architectural concept that began with synthetic weaves.

Beginning with his work at David Rockwell’s Nobu Fifty Seven in New York, Kenneth explored the use of fluid shapes and cascading woven interior panels made from natural material, reflecting the spontaneity and the elemental facets of nature. His collaboration with Rockwell in 2004 gave rise to the restaurant’s captivating Asian screens–panels that were made to resemble the sinuous curves of a river, along the walls and the ceilings. The screens gave a perceived snakelike "contour" to the restaurant, giving an illusion of flow and movement, an element of artistry and warmth that went well with the sophisticated Zen theme.

But it is at Z that Kenneth fully displays his design prowess by creating the framework of an entire space around the idea of organic woven material. He uses a pattern which he has invented for his screens, aptly named "KrisKros", and envelopes the lounge from floor to ceiling with a creation that works as a second architectural skin.

The process of creating this skin involved an exciting collaboration with renowned architect Ed Calma, who designed the stark modern exterior. Artist Estela Ocampo-Fernandez contributed to the design and was responsible for its management and execution. The organic panels alone took 4 months to build and weave–they were cut into sections, reassembled inside the lounge and woven again. The entire project took about a year to finish, with the ceilings being raised a few meters along the way to accommodate the stirring interior concept.

The eccentric, never-before-seen panels are a lattice of bamboo twigs and steel tied with rattan splits and shaped into irregular structures. The cavernous and surreal configuration is unusual to interior design as well as to furniture, blurring the lines between sofa, wall, screen, and décor.

The effect is uncanny, almost womb-like in the way it wraps you with a sense of security and conviviality, yet as you look around the scene is fantastic and unfamiliar, a vista of liquefied space. It’s curiously like being back in fetal amnion, cocooning and inviting, but alien in a Ziggy Stardust kind of way–fun, quirky and tongue-in-cheek outer space-y. The light-colored bamboo fragments stand out from the dark wire frame and give the appearance of heavenly bodies. Lounge music was specially created by DJ Hans Congmon, whose excellent taste draws its influence from everywhere–from deep, rich bossa nova tunes to peculiar eighties songs glossed over by the timber of classical music. The music adds its unique touch by taking the listener on an interesting psychic journey through sudden, unexpected jumps in themes and genres.

The lounge is lit from below through the onyx floor (laid down by Ed Calma)–and there is very little lighting elsewhere. The ethereal lighting scheme lends another dreamy quality to the place. Without clear visual limits from above or below, or any limits in design for that matter, everything seems to float in mid-air. (By Michelle Varron)

Z is at the second floor of The Tinderbox, Archbishop Reyes Avenue.