Cebu's Mugna: Magnifico!

MANILA, Philippines - Provocative designs by world-renowned Filipino artists bagged the Mugna Awards, the highest recognition given to designers, and furniture and home accessory manufacturers at CebuNext 2011.

Mugna, a Cebuano word meaning “to create,” recognized the creativity and innovation in furniture and home accessory designs and booth displays at the Cebu International Furniture and Furnishings Exhibition (CebuNext 2011).

Among those whose work bagged a Mugna Award are Cebu-based designer Debbie Palao, Rachel Jutare, Singapore-based Jinggoy Buensuceso, New York-based Stanley Ruiz, and London-based Daniel Latorre Cruz.

Wataru Sakuma, a Japanese designer who has strong connections to the Philippines having chosen to live in Tagaytay, also bagged a Mugna for a transitional chair he designed for Stonesets International.

Vito Selma, who has been reaping local (Cebu) and national awards for his furniture and home accessory designs got a Mugna for Best Booth Design for Stonesets International Inc.

World-renowned furniture designer Kenneth Cobonpue, on the other hand, became the first designer to be installed in the Mugna Hall of Fame.

The Mugna Hall of Fame is for designers who have received at least eight major Mugna Awards.

Cobonpue has received a total of 10 Mugna Awards, including Best Home Accessory in 2009 and Best Contemporary Furniture in 1998 and 1999.

This chair’s taken: Rebaroque chair by Wataru Sakuma for Stonesets International, winner of Transitional Furniture Design

As Cobonpue has been installed in the Hall of Fame, he is exempted from the Mugna design competitions in succeeding CebuNext shows.

The CebuNext 2011 Mugna jury was composed of Maja Olivares-Co of Sonia Santiago-Olivarest and Associates, industrial designer Natalie Buijs-Meijer and TV lifestyle host Daphne Oseña-Paez, who is also a designer.

The CebuNext 2011, which ran from March 5 to 8, attracted more than the usual attention from local and international opinion leaders in furniture and furnishings designs as it highlighted the designs of international artists.

International designers — who included Buensuceso, Ruiz, Cruz, and Sakuma — were featured in the CebuNext Kagikan special setting. Filipino-Austrian industrial designer Martha Cech also joined the group, known as Epoch, for the CebuNext Kagikan project.

Originally conceptualized as the journey of international artists of Filipino descent who are trying to trace their roots in the Philippines, Kagikan is the collaboration of Epoch and members of the Cebu Furniture Industries Foundation Inc. (CFIF), organizer of CebuNext.

As if stirred by the creativity of Epoch designers, CebuNext 2011 exhibitors developed new designs and showcased these during the show. Their efforts have paid off as they began receiving inquiries from serious buyers.

“The exhibitors are happy. We got good buyers,” said CebuNext chairman Charles Streegan. He added that the Kagikan project in collaboration with Epoch designers also got good feedback.

Mugna winners and runners-up are:

• Transitional Furniture Design — Rebaroque chair by Wataru Sakuma for Stonesets International, winner; Pout, by Debbie Palao for Design Ventures Cebu, runner-up

Green is in: Hip planter chair by Jinggoy Buensuceso for Nature’s Legacy Eximport Inc., Citation for Eco-friendly Product

• Contemporary Furniture Design — Skin collection by Debbie Palao for Design Ventures Cebu, winner; Spider chair by Jinggoy Buensuceso for Heritage Muebles Mirabile Export Inc., runner-up

 • Home Accessory — Coco leaves lamp by Rachel Jutare for Catalina Embroideries Inc., winner; “Lupa” by Jinggoy Buensuceso for Cebu Natura Crafts Philippines Inc., runner-up

• Best Student Design for Furniture — Continuous three-seater bench by Veronica Louise Lazo of the University of the Philippines-Diliman for Coast Pacific Manufacturing Corp.

• Best Student Design for Home Accessory — “Simu” by Nikka Navarro of the University of the Philippines-Diliman for Stonesets International Inc.

• Citation for Material Innovation — Nimbus by Debbie Palao, winner.

• Citation for Eco-friendly Product — hip planter chair by Jinggoy Buensuceso for Nature’s Legacy Eximport Inc.

• Citation for Outdoor Furniture — rocker daybed by Daniel Latorre Cruz for Coast Pacific, winner; Stanley Ruiz’s Belma lounge chair for Coast Pacific and Jinggoy Buensuceso’s Spider chair for Heritage Muebles, nominees.

For details, call the Cebu Furniture Industries Foundation Inc. at (032)420-7109, 236-3937.