Pushing the boundaries of metalwork for modern homes
The swanky showroom at The Residences at Greenbelt in Makati City may be looking slightly different these days. New items are mixed in with old ones, now done with some twists: industrial-style wall art installations, planters in the shape of origami wildlife, chandeliers resembling flocks of birds in flurried flight, frames looking like gnarled branches and felled tree trunks, leaf-backed seats, the classic hammock-inspired Loopy lounge chair made compact for more modest spaces (read: condos).
With the retirement of his partner Arthur Viray, cofounder and now sole owner Jude Tiotuico moves on to the next phase of Industria Edition, pushing even further the boundaries of what metalwork can be while remaining anchored to its core identity.
“Industria Edition is still Industria Edition,” Tiotuico tells Lifestyle. “We’re just updating it, showing a new face without sacrificing who we are as a brand.
“Now we go beyond by creating new shapes, new forms, new colors.”
Pushing the envelope
The new collection, Ultima, is more of a sensibility. Each article was designed to spark not only conversation but also the imagination.
“We try to push the envelope in hammering, forming, finishing metal to a certain feel, to a certain form without using machines that much,” the designer-entrepreneur says. Ultima is essentially a testament to what he, his artisans, and his collaborators can do.
Known for taking inspiration from the natural world or various natural phenomena, Tiotuico highlights further the unpredictability of metal in his latest creations. By manipulating the durable material in ways that make it seem almost organic, he and his team transform the cold and rigid into something warm and raw and welcoming.
New finishes
“I’ve always loved it. It’s my thing,” Tiotuico says of the challenges of working with metal, which has deep roots in Filipino culture. “There’s something fascinating to me when I see it under extreme heat, forming it into something that is exciting, and then finishing it into something that people can feel. I get a laugh when people say, ‘Ay, bakal pala ‘to!’”
Decades into his craft, he continues to learn and innovate. “You can see it in our new finishes, like our pewter dining table and the new high-hammered pieces.”
These surprisingly comfy home accents are truly functional objets d’art. But rather than have them stick out, Tiotuico prefers the items to seem like they actually belong in their intended space.
“We don’t create pieces that just stand out by themselves. We create pieces that will catch somebody’s eye but still go well with anything you put it with. That’s the idea,” he says.
One way of ensuring this is through customization. While not new to the brand, Tiotuico says they are now putting more focus on bespoke articles for clients. In fact, in creating the pieces, he hopes to also inspire other designers or clients to “get their imagination going.” Perhaps, he muses, when they like something he created—like a chair—the clients would then ask him to design a similar or matching stair rail, and so on.
