Cebu’s craftsmanship to help keep furniture industry afloat

CEBU, Philippines - The furniture export industry may continue to suffer from the shaky market abroad, but an international home furnishing designer believes that Cebu will be able to go through the challenging times, with its strong advantage in design and craftsmanship.

 â€œCebu has a special niche. It has an excellent craftsmanship, [sophisticated] design skill,” said Gregg Huettel, who has been working for international signature brands for furniture designing and engineering.

According to Huettel, the Philippines, specifically Cebu will continue to charm the discriminating home furnishing market in the world, with or without financial difficulties, as it has now moved from mass production, to personalized or customized products.

It is for this reason that Huettel, together with Cebuana wife Agnes Taborada-Huettel recently opened a retail outlet for luxury home furnishings in Cebu, mostly locally made, the “Allison Tyler Designs”, located at the Design Center building along A.S. Fortuna in Mandaue City.

In an interview with Huettel, he said that the 170 square-meter store, is design-driven furniture and home furnishing store will serve as the window for both local and foreign customers what Cebu has in terms of good furnishing products, and what Cebu’s craftsmanship can offer in terms of customized furniture making.

At present, the store is working with eight to 10 furniture makers in Cebu, and Huettel, whose other company Asian Link Design, does furniture and home furnishing design consultancy for signature brands like  Ralph Lauren, among others, said local market is now coming in strong and customized furniture making is believed to be next “big thing” for the industry.

He said from the conventional mass production, now the market has moved to customized and personalized furniture making, wherein clients and posh boutique shops from all over the world work with the designer, and manufacturer according to their design preferences.

He reiterated that Cebu’s special niche in the furniture making, is no longer the “mass production’ style, but for personalized or customized boutique service.

Huettel believes that if furniture exporters will take this opportunity for market strategy twist, Cebu’s furniture making industry is going to thrive amid difficult and competitive environment.

The “Allison Tyler Designs” will not only sell and showcase unique and rare finds of luxury furniture and home furnishing, it also accepts services for personalized design for residential, commercial and institutional clients.

In  fact, the company is up to partner with architects and interior designers in Cebu.

He said while the Philippines still has edge in the high-end furniture and home furnishing market in the world, the downtrend of the mass production demand for these type of products is also being saved by the growing number of Filipinos demanding for export-quality pieces of furniture.

“The Philippines’ middle class has emerged,” he said explaining that this development has kept the furniture making industry thrive, while the big markets in the world are still struggling.

“There is no project too big or too small to undertake,” he said.

Huettel’s design inclination is into "Biedermeier", a homey and cozy style of home furnishing. Globally, he said Cebu is known for its accent (home accessories), and that aside from promoting the high quality furniture designs made from Cebu, “Allison Tyler Designs” also boasts of the collectible pieces of home accessories made of exotic materials like sea-grass, among others. (FREEMAN)