A COMMUNITY UNITED BY FILIPINO CRAFT: ARTESANIA OPENS NEW SHOWROOM
The bespoke furniture and lifestyle brand Mozaic Living now goes by a new name: Artesania.
What started in 2015 as a furniture showroom and cult coffee destination in the middle off Mandaluyong has now relocated to a new and larger showroom along Arnaiz Avenue, Makati. The company has built a community of artisans and craftspeople based in a factory in Angono, Rizal. Specializing in woodworking, metalworking and rattan weaving, the company designs and manufactures high-quality custom furniture and interior fittings for homes and businesses.
Artesania means craftsmanship in Spanish, a word that also evokes skill, dedication and artistry. Working with an in-house team of industrial and interior designers (not to mention a curated eco-system of small business committed to furthering Filipino craft), Artesania builds unique bespoke pieces that are designed to feel “truly yours.” It’s furniture built to feel at home in each and every space.
With a new and larger showroom, Art es ania formally opened on Aug. 16, with a daylong event. Together with Artesania’s furnishing and crafts partners along with in-house third-wave cafe and restaurant Caffeined and its food and beverage partners, it was truly a celebration of Filipino craftsmanship.
Truly bespoke, truly Filipino
A live demonstration of Solihiya weaving by one of Artesania’s specialized craftsmen was the main event: a look at how each custom-made piece is truly handcrafted with the highest quality and standards in Artesania’s factory and workshops in Angono, Rizal.
Solihiya is executed with a contemporary flair in Artesania’s latest collection, a nostalgic line of essential and accent pieces perfect both for homes and businesses. Artesania’s in-house team of industrial and interior designers are inspired by Philippine heritage elements in a traditional Filipino home such as Solihiya and steel patio furniture Batibot.
While specializing in fully custom-made furniture, Artesania releases a bi-annual collection to demonstrate their capabilities in design and craftsmanship and to highlight endemic materials, working towards the bigger picture of sustaining the local furniture industry. This same level of excellence is also practiced by Artesania’s partners.
‘Pakikisama’: Artesania and Caffeined’s partners
Sisters Francesca Gacrama-Herring and Francine Gacrama dove in heart-first when they acquired Mozaic Living in November 2015, growing it into Artesania with the help of industry pros. They pay it forward with the same ethos of pakikisama (fellowship). Artesania is all about letting its team and partner brands shine.
“The easy way to describe us is a community of like-minded individuals,” Francesca says of Artesania’s unique approach.
In the showroom, stylized with the look and feel of a modern Filipino home are ceramics by sculptor Mia Casal; furnishings by Grit and Bevel (wood), Rada Collab (knit and marble), Marmol Stonework (marble), and NVC Foundation (recycled materials); abaca rugs and carpets by Weave Manila; paper sculptures by Colony 677; sculptural indoor plants by Happy Plant; and handmade soy candles by Saan Saan. Its walls serve as a gallery for visual artists. The painted works of Carmen Araneta, Tammy de Roca and Luis Lopa are currently on view.
Rounding out the showroom’s lifestyle offerings are quirky stickers and patches by Patatas, minimalist stationery by Sunday Paper, risograph prints by Bad Student and patches and pins by Polly Patch, baskets by Rada Collab, reusable straws by Sip Ph, raw-edge leather wares by Liana Rosa, and handwoven Inabel products by Beyond Borders. Crystal wellness company Hima conducted personalized psychic readings while the visual artist Pau Tiu of patch company Polly Patch created risographs during the launch.
“We want you to be able to sit in a piece and imagine it in your space while you’re having a cup of coffee. We want the showroom to give you a full experience — feeling, touching, seeing and tasting what a Filipino home is like,” says Francine.
The event formally launched Caffeined’s expansion as a restaurant, serving Le Cordon Bleu Sydney-educated Arvin Gacrama’s take on elevated comfort food prepared with the best artisanal local produce. Known for its third-wave coffee by talented baristas led by licensed Q Arabica Grader Sha Montealegre plus their grilled cheese sandwich when it was based in Mandaluyong, a fully-equipped kitchen in Makati allows Caffeined to expand its food offerings into fresh pasta, salads, steaks and Filipino grilled and soup viands. Caffeined uses bread by Manila Bake and milk by Silver Bell.
Caffeined fueled the daylong affair with canapes. Caffeined’s specialty coffee provider, Kalsada Coffee, performs a coffee cupping session while alcohol partner Proudly Promdi introduced guests to its Bugnay and Tapuey rice wine.
A big giveaway from Artesania and Caffeined awaited two lucky guests: one guest won a custom-accent chair, while another won a year’s supply of free coffee.
Sustaining the industry
Artesania began with the stars of the show: its carpenters, craftsmen and artisans. “We provide a livelihood, not just a job or contract. We want them to be proud of their craft and feel a sense of ownership in what they do,” Francesca emphasizes. All regularized, Artesania’s factory doubles as a platform for them to move on to teaching their specializations and pass on the trade. “They can’t do what they’re doing forever because it is hard on the body. We want them to feel like there’s a future in this industry for them to want to pass it on.”
“Craftsmanship begins with education. It starts with laying the foundation right for children,” Francesca continues, reflected in Artesania’s partnership with Mano Amiga Philippines. A part of the proceeds from furniture is donated to support and provide international standard education for students below the poverty line.
Artesania uses primarily wood — mostly mahogany and gemolina — in its bespoke furniture. Wood is beautiful, aesthetically versatile and highly durable, but its use in any industry is not renewable or sustainable. Artesania’s initiative with Haribon Foundation changes this. For every two pieces of furniture made by Artesania, Haribon plants five seedlings of mahogany and gemolina into their nurseries. Francesca explains, “For the craftsmanship to live on, we want our industry to live on.”
Artesania is located at 2nd floor, 910 Arnaiz Avenue, Makati. Visit @artesaniafurniture on Instagram.