Design
“Star Wars” furniture collection isn’t only fitting for galactic lovers
Kenneth Cobonpue, the Filipino industrial designer, has created a line of furniture that is sure to please anyone who loves Star Wars… and everyone who appreciates fine furniture. The U.S. launch of this line of furniture and home accessories was recently announced, and this collection is something the Star Wars loving designer has been planning for years.
Cobonpue left home to study Industial Design at the Pratt Institute in New York. Upon completing his studies, he apprenticed for a leather and wood workshop in Florence, Italy. Then, he studied Furniture Marketing and Production at the Export-Akademie Baden-Württemberg in Reutlingen, Germany, under a private and state scholarship program.
In 1996, Kenneth returned home to Cebu in order to manage the furniture and manufacturing company founded by his mother, Betty Cobonpue. It was during this period, that Cobonpue discovered that modern design could be updated by using natural fibers and materials. The rest is history.
Each piece in the collection takes after Star War’s most known characters and spacecrafts. Each item in this collection was created in collaboration with Disney. The pieces are made from modern materials and technologies and put a modern spin on traditional Filipino craft techniques.
“We wanted to incorporate the essence of each Star Wars character into the designs, while staying true to our aesthetic and process of creating by hand. We reimagined the Star Wars universe through the lens of the Filipino craftsman and creative. Finding the balance was a bit of a challenge, but it was also a lot of fun,” said Cobonpue.
What’s not to love from this galaxy far… far away?