Our house is going to end up looking like a Philux showroom!” my husband, Jonathan Crespi, once exclaimed to me as I told him about my latest order for my youngest son’s nursery. I quickly replied “Well why not? They are so easy to work with!”
How could they not be, Stephanie Kienle Gonzalez, Philux’s head of sales and business development and eldest daughter of Max and Zelda Kienle, founder of the furniture company, is one of my best friends! I’ll admit that when it comes to sourcing things, I like working with people I’m comfortable with and Philux has always felt like family. Maybe in the past, it was the privilege of being so chummy-chummy with the owners but I’ve always found that Philux was always willing to customize pieces for me and even create models that were totally new. Some of their regular pieces were in fact originally special orders for my eldest, Sebastian’s nursery.
In its latest campaign, Philux Fix aims to show that, as special and exclusive as I felt to be able to customize pieces, Philux in fact a service open to all clients. Stephanie explains that Philux clients can indeed semi-customize their furniture by choosing from an in house selection of wood, wood finish, fabrics, and accents such as mattings, handles, and glass tops. “At the end of a hard day’s work, we ultimately want the passion to come full circle. From my parents who are founders of this brand, my sister and I who are growing it further, our great team, and ultimately to our valued clients.”
Philux Fix is a furniture and photo exhibit showcasing the versatility and ingenuity of Philux’s all Filipino craftsmen through the creation of customized, high-quality furniture pieces that are distinctly its clients’.
For this campaign, Philux collaborated with influencers of different backgrounds to customize furniture of their choosing while infusing their own sense of aesthetics. “We selected people, most of whom are friends, to collaborate with us. We asked them to choose an existing Philux piece and customize it according to their needs, taste and preference,” says Jessica Kienle-Maxwell, head designer and youngest of the Kienle sister duo. “They are a good mix of different personalities, career paths, and different tastes so it has been such a creative and exciting experience for us and for them.”
I was fortunate enough to be included in this roster and they had asked me to come up with something special for their children’s line, Little Philux. When I first gave birth to Sebastian, the selection of children’s furniture in the local market was rather slim. You went from very expensive imported brands to cheaply made, plasticky and brightly colored furniture. There was nothing in between that could still be chic and playful. Oh and tough luck trying to find neutral colors. Most of the items on the market needed to be sold with sunglasses for your child. For this project I created little club chairs for my little men. What I love is that they are so solidly made and I know that my boys will still be sitting on them till they are much older. They also love being part of the action whenever I have guests over, so these chairs can easily and stylishly fit in my living room without looking like something from a toy store.
Other design collaborators include top photographer BJ Pascual, who designed his own piece as well as photographed all the other collaborators with their chosen furniture. BJ had photos he took on a trip to New York printed on his Fulton chairs. Actress and artist Heart Evangelista-Escudero, whose artwork on Birkin bags got everyone raving, opted to paint on her chosen Philux Polk chair and added embellishments, “It’s my first time to work on furniture so this is quite new to me and I love it!” Erwan Heussaff, on the other hand, went for a simpler piece stating, “I’m all about understated elegance. I’m not too showy so this Embla chair is just perfect.”
My friend and Modern Living TV co-host, Bianca Gonzalez Intal, had her actual hand prints, her husband JC Intal’s and baby Lucia’s printed on her Marquis Meridienne. “It’s going to be placed in our play room. We wanted something very comfortable and immortalize how little Lucia is right now, thus the hand prints. It’s a nice thing to look back to when she is older. It’s really a family piece.” I love how she turned this piece of furniture into a sentimental keepsake.
Other Philux fix design collaborators include Karen Davila, Chris Tiu, Tessa Prieto-Valdes, Joey and Angie King, Pam Quiñones, Cristalle Belo-Pitt and Justin Pitt, and Jessica and Stephanie Kienle.
* * *
The Philux Fix furniture and photo exhibit is ongoing until Feb. 26 at Mega Fashion Hall, Megamall. The furniture pieces may be ordered for a limited quantity.