MANILA, Philippines - The plush leather sofa at the far end of the showroom Nest is fronted by a marble coffee table with Lucite legs and several armchairs, and beside it a Chinoiserie secretary’s desk. If there is a word to describe this setting that architect Conrad Onglao put together for Karen Santos’ mid-century furniture show at Nest, it’s eclectic.
And that’s how Karen Santos of Kassa likes decorating a home — a mix of design eras and movements from the turn of the 20th century to its famous mid-century period, from Bauhaus to Art Deco, and even Oriental.
You won’t find famous names here — except British architect Terence Conran who designed the black sofa — but they are all vintage pieces scoured from all over Europe especially France, Belgium and Italy.
These are all original pieces, previously owned, and most of them reupholstered with modern fabrics from France handpicked by Karen. The fabrics inject a contemporary feel to the pieces, their prints ranging from palm fronds to op-art, geometric, animal print and teakettles.
The former owner and designer of clothing brand Kashieca, which she sold to Bench more than a decade ago, says, “The home, I realized, is the centerpiece of one’s style and individuality. It’s the ideal platform for self-expression. When I go on a buying trip — which could take months — I simply choose what appeals to me and fortunately that’s what appeals to my clients, too. And it also depends on the price, if it’s too expensive then I wont be able to sell them. In this collection, the chairs start at P12,000.”
Karen’s foray from fashion to home started when she began distributing natural stone flooring from Indonesia 18 years ago. Indeed, it was a natural progression for someone who’s been surrounded by design since she started her clothing brand at 24.
Three years ago, she created Kassa, a line of embroidered table linens — so gorgeous one would hesitate to use them at the table, “It brought me back to my passion for working with fabrics, and reignited my creativity. Like fashion, linens and furniture, the appeal of stone is visual as well as tactile, and the construction and finish, not to mention installation, are important components of any project, otherwise the beauty of the raw material is not shown to its best advantage.”
A year ago, when she began the renovation of her house, she was looking for furniture and accent pieces and she realized there was a niche in the market. “I wanted in particular 18th and 19th-century pieces, as well as midcentury furniture, European pieces which I couldn’t find locally. So I decided to source them myself and bring them in.”
Her first show, also at Nest in October last year, sold out quickly. This second one, running until June 15, promises to be even more so. “I have a lot of fun sourcing all these pieces and helping designers find the right ones. I don’t like run-of-the-mill furniture, I want unique pieces that they can add to their homes.”
Some of the accessories include animal skin rugs and horns from Africa.
Apart from Onglao, design consultant Tania Lichauco also put together a vignette of gold and earth palette against a green wall.
“A big trend now is going back to the 1970s,” Karen says. “People are also looking for painted furniture, so I try to bring bits and pieces of everything, including tables with Lucite legs.”
The piece she loves best is a 1970s cherry sideboard that she got from a dealer in Belgium “because it was in such a good condition.”
“There is substance and solidity to European pieces. In a way, it’s a reaction to the disposability of modern life,” Karen says. “With my furniture as with my linens, I try to create some permanence with pieces that are not discarded after a season.”
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Visit the author’s travel blog at www.findingmyway.net. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram @iamtanyalara.
Kassa by Karen Santos is on show at Nest, 40 Jupiter St., Bel-Air, Makati City until June 15.