THE Philippine School of Interior Design (PSID) culminates its year-round 50th anniversary festivities with an exhibit that challenges the very color it has become.
Titled G.O.L.D.: Glamorous, Opulent, Luxurious, Designs, the display reimagines the application of gilt in interior design. PSID Dean Victor Luiz Pambid said at the exhibit’s recent press launch that he wanted people to look at gold in a different way.
“I challenged the exhibitors to create textures, finishes and colors without necessarily going overboard, because that’s the usual perception toward golden designs,” Pambid said. “They’ve managed to create interpretative designs that are subtle, and yet, glamorous, opulent and luxurious.”
The exhibit opened on October 1 and will run until October 31 at Uptown Mall. It caps off PSID’s yearlong celebration of its golden anniversary, which started with a coffee-table book launch in February, followed by a series of talks and displays.
G.O.L.D. is actually PSID’s 38th annual interior-design graduation exhibit. What started in 1979 with only nine students, this year’s iteration showcases works from 72 graduates, including the first batch of the PSID-Ahlen Institute, or PSID’s Commission on High Education-accredited tertiary arm that offers a four-year BS Interior Design program.
Adding to the shimmer of this year’s golden display is the first-ever inclusion of designs from select faculty members and alumni. That gives G.O.L.D. a total of 23 booths, divided into three galleries: The Student Gallery, The Faculty Gallery and The Alumni Gallery. Students were grouped and given random design assignments from a mix of three motifs (traditional, modern, indigenous/cultural) and six templates (living room, dining room, bedroom, master toilet and bath, kitchen, den/lanai). Pambid explained that this method invited young interior designers to move out of their comfort zone, while promoting their versatility and sharpening their nose for research and details.
For one, Booth No. 6 from the Student Gallery, composed of Lizelle Cruz, Sarah Uy, Alyssa Gonzales, Kristine O’Yek, Earl Palma and RJ Suyom, was tasked to create a Contemporary Egyptian Toilet and Bathroom. The group pondered who would want to take a bath inspired by the dead, but decided to source inspiration from the Egyptian queen Cleopatra and her vanity.
They installed a three-panel mirror in the vanity area to give the looker a view from all angles, while running a black and gold palate on the entire design to exude elegance and splendor. Elements of Egyptian design topped off the whole feel with lotiform-designed columns flanking the showers and pyramid-inspired walls of alternating tiles in matte and glossy finishes.
There’s also a group that received the challenge of putting up a Contemporary Neoclassic Dining Room. Bea Ortiz, Faye Tan, Trina Dumpit, Jovannah Yu and Nina Tinsay envisioned a high-class magazine editor in chief as their client, and came up with a simplified neoclassical design with thin moldings and clean lines. It’s an abode with an amplified ceiling height and a unique metallic feel, which in their words exude unimposing glamor. Their display takes Booth No. 8.
Meanwhile, the group’s neighbor, Booth No. 9, faced the assignment of incorporating gold on their Industrial Luxe Kitchen. They took the glossy characteristic of gold into their kitchenware, complimented by a textural Tanguile wood bar and GI bronze pipes around.
PSID’s faculty members and alumni also flexed their muscles on their respective designs.
Michael Pizarro, who topped the Interior Design board exams in 1995 a year after Pambid did, put up a bedroom creation where a traditional-meets-contemporary look evokes coziness and elegance with the neutral hues of gray, brown and black. There was minimal use of gold, but again the theme is not to be taken literally, as its features suffice. Pizzaro hopes his display would serve as a beacon of light and inspiration to the students that attention to details is of utmost importance. One piece of furniture in his Booth 13, for example, is what he calls “what a suit would look like if it were a chair”, with studs mimicking cufflinks.
Booth 22 hosts the design of Kat Obcema and Mike Suqui. Theirs is a Living Room inspired by a hotel lounge. In the age of Airbnb, the two propose through their design that there are people who still prefer hotel lifestyle. Their biophilic space catches the attention with a hand-painted, floor-to-ceiling gold abstract on fabric panels and a vertical garden. Reflection from gold tiles on the center wall resembles running water that goes through surrounding pebbles.
As for PSID’s general outlook, Pambid said the school continues to beef up its PSID-Ahlen curriculum. They’re also looking into partnerships with companies for OJTs, so both their degree-program and certificate-program holders will have a niche to fall into postgraduation.
He added next year’s graduating batch is sure to face pressure for the annual interior design graduation exhibit, especially coming off of this year’s grand edition.
“There’s nothing really significant about the number 51, so they really have to work hard to create enough buzz and awareness. The theme has to be solid for people to say that we’re really moving forward in the field of interior design,” he said, before shifting to a tone of confidence. “But us being PSID, I’m sure it’s going to be something that will get everybody’s attention. That’s a promise.”