KUBO ACCENT TABLE
DESIGNER / SHERYN BALDAS / 2025
A love letter to pre-colonial Filipino architecture, sharing a glimpse of the cultures innovation and heritage before colonial influence.
SIZE
24 x 20 x 15 inches
PROJECT RUBRIC
To design an accent table considers past the necessities of form and function, incorporating how detailing and every manufacturing method pushes the narrative and value of the design. Designing based on a company, I choose Nazareno/Lichouco an internationally acclaimed Manilla duo, challenging traditional design norms to make space for Filipino designers.
RATIONALE
To share the pre-colonial symbolism and ideology of 'animism' or an innate connection and belief in the natural world through the traditional Filipino temporary housing called the 'Bahay Kubo' or 'Stilt House', known throughout Filipino culture. The accent table completely deconstructs and can be re-assembled, while the repeated rounded pill shaped forms are taken from the formal qualities of 'rattan', creating a fluid and modular 'fabric' out of solid wood. This exploration bridges traditional Filipino culture, to make space for pre-colonial design.
EXECUTION
The manufacturing process came in three phases: the creation of a timeline and manual guide (with orthographics of the table), the creation of proper tests and capabilities of the wood (alongside creating working jigs) and the shop work.
SKILLS
Wood Working
CNC
Concept Development
Ideation and Execution
CAD Modelling
3D Printing
OUTCOME
The design offers a look into architecture of temporary housing units in pre-colonial Philippines, shown through the disassembly and reassembly of the stilted legs, modular 'rattan' influenced casing and the drilled pressed table top and supporting bottom. The importance of tolerance and interactivity became an integral part of the process, exploring the ingenuity of Filipino design through the intersection of practicality, durability and creativity. Overall the accent table offers a nod to quintessential Filipino history, while appealing to the international audience through the playful and sleek design.
IMPROVEMENT
Planning and testing became the utmost important before entering the shop, creating a thorough manual on the timeline, assembly and waste. The preemptive planning was highly useful and regularly referenced, it became difficult to distance myself apart from the desired aesthetic and lean into the values of Filipino design, that being, finding innovation and ingenuity through frugality. Waste is always an issue in manufacturing and design, although a prototype, it still produced an immense amount of waste through the amount of failures and testing. Such as rerouting from plywood to cherry wood and testing if my design would be feasible.
Overall, this project became a guideline as to what is possible with solid wood and how I can incorporate these skills moving forward.