MANILA, Philippines - Inspiration, innovation and leisure find a home at Urban Abode, a new addition to Manila’s booming home and décor scene. Specializing in custom furniture design and fabrication services for residential and commercial clients, it is also a showroom for their own bespoke furniture pieces, along with one-of-a-kind home accessories and lifestyle products.
Filling a gap in the local market for furniture and accessories in the style of “warm industrial meets rustic chic,†creative couple Kristine Neri-Magturo and Mike Magturo have expanded their custom furniture design services into a charming retail space at Urban Abode.
Urban Abode offers furniture design consultations and a bevy of inspiring products that place Filipino craftsmanship front and center. Themed collections, currently comprised of the Lakeside, Riverside, and Viking lines, designed by Kristine and manufactured at their Quezon City workshop, bring international design trends home. Herringbone wood tables, vintage floral print ottomans, burlap and canvas pillows are a few of the customized, handmade products found mingling in the store.
Complementing Urban Abode’s fresh, in-house designs is a curated selection of vintage found items such as shoe forms of 1940s-era Americana in customized, mirrored shadowboxes, and antlers from Texas, Montana, and South Africa. Upcycled pieces — items given a new life function other than their original purpose — capture the imagination, from wooden wheels transformed into rustic accents tables, to reclaimed wood repurposed as distressed consoles, coffee tables, and even an aquarium stand in the stunning Viking Collection. A creative lifestyle hub, Urban Abode also believes in supporting local craftsmen and artists, stocking its shelves with beautiful products made by local hands.
“The Philippines has so much talent in furniture and accessories design. We hope to add something a bit different, unique, that ‘Oooh!’ factor,†says Kristine, licensed interior designer and director of product development and styling at Urban Abode, on their motivation for setting up shop.
Their chosen location is also ideal. “Positioned here at CW Home Depot Complex, we hope to be a support hub for professional interior designers, as well as for those non-professionals who are excited about carving out their niche in the world and are designers-at-heart,†says Mike, who oversees the business development aspect of the venture.
Synergizing the timeless and the trendy, Urban Abode’s focus on custom furniture design and fabrication services empowers each client to live the company motto: “Design the true you into the spaces that you breathe.â€
And to make shopping even more cozy, the boutique serves freshly ground café luongo style international and local coffees. The aromas of fresh coffee and vanilla wafting in the air tell the senses: relax… and enjoy life’s simple pleasures.
Urban Abode is located at the CW Home Depot Complex, Ortigas. Open seven days from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Call 586-0026, 0917-577-5683, e-mail urbanabode.ortigas@gmail.com. For updates, like it on Facebook at www.facebook.com/urbanabode.media, follow on Instagram @urbanabode.
For more on designer Kristine Neri, visit www.kristineneri.com