Going one-on-one with Tata Montilla

MANILA, Philippines - Tata Montilla follows a century-old tradition of hand plastering and finishes, having attended a number of courses on Venetian Plaster techniques at The School of Italian Plasters.  

He began his training 15 years ago in the United States where he studied paint and faux finishes for wood and metals and concrete, glass gilding, metal leafing, and Venetian plaster techniques.

Among the courses mastered were the art of marbleizing, wood graining, wall glazing, gilding, trompe l’oeil and color theory, while additional studies include the art of verre églomisé (reverse painting and gilding on glass) with Frances Binnington.

While Tata says he has no definitive style in the classic sense of dividing works as traditional or modern, he says it is color that defines him.

Looking at Tata’s portfolio of work, one particular project that stands out is a gorgeous Moroccan-inspired beach villa in Phuket, Thailand — a collaborative effort between an international cast of architects, engineers and designers. Tata’s role was to create walls in bold colors inspired by the villa’s Moroccan design theme.

He is quite passionate about metal leafing — silver, copper or gold, chemically stained to achieve various ranges of patina.

More than anything else Tata says he derives his energy and inspiration from the clients. It is the clients with good taste, elan and style that push him and energize him.

But how does one steer a client who has the passion but is lost in a myriad of styles, trends and the deluge of products out there?

Tata explains that when we choose a room color we need to bridge those many existing colors.

A good finisher chooses colors that won’t make the client have to change everything in the room or overpower the room entirely. It’s about creating balance. 

Tata’s goal is not to make the finish the main attraction of the room. It should still remain the background and part and parcel of the whole thing.

Trends too can be pitfalls, says Tata. Following a trend that doesn’t agree with a client’s color bias already leads itself to problems. 

Color preferences should evolve at the client’s pace. He believes colors in general have made a comeback and foresees blues coming out in new shades.

While his favored room in a house is the bedroom by nature of its intimate persona, it is the exterior walls that help to bring in the invitation. It is the extended hand that when taken, can pull you into another place.

I asked Tata if he wasn’t worried that his craft was a dying art, with countries like Italy realizing that it lacks the next generation of makers and craftsmen carrying on the standards. This, he says, is why he pursued his training in America.

Training is readily available at craft institutions in the United States where there is a demand for craftsmen to ensure the viability of the trade. The technical innovations they come up with also help ensure more efficient use of the products and the artisan’s time. 

They find updated ways of doing things. Even though Europeans invented the methods, they are stuck in their old ways. It is the Americans who have brought hand-finishing techniques to a new level, he says. They look to the future and seek to cope successfully with the new materials and today’s requirements in terms of building techniques and pollution resistance.

He welcomes all the innovativeness of his technical training in the US, but the main point is that everything must be done by hand. As he puts it, “I would never, ever own a spray gun.”

He admits though that even in the US, materials are still predominantly from Europe.

Due to the nature of hand-plaster finishes and faux finishes, specialty paints are needed because time is the enemy. 

A design has to be carried out with one fell swoop, as it’s a race against the drying time of the paints. None of the slower-drying glazes Tata needs are locally available.

Decorative concrete (chemically dyed hybrid concrete imported from the US) is another line of finishing Tata uses. But because of the Internet, ordering and acquiring products from outside the Philippines is no longer a biggie.

Tata doesn’t believe you can pinpoint the one thing that inspires you. Everything does, from things seen or read, roads traveled or people encountered.

All this helps to form his artistry and inform it with elements of magic, serenity, and mystery.

Whether to whisk you away to your own private Alhambra or your lush desert oasis palace — Tata Montilla will create it for you.

Along with many luxurious residential projects, Tata has completed several high-profile works, such as the restoration of the Hunt Phelan Home in Memphis Tennessee, the Essensa Condominium at Fort Bonifacio, the lobby and dome ceiling of the Marriott Hotel in Cebu City, and the interior finishes of the Unisys Building in Makati.

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Tata Montilla can be contacted through 0917-870-8700.