· So how do you make a Debbie?
   Two parts artist (freehand, starting with human figures and segueing into furniture), two parts accountant (pre-
law, pre-selected by a father), two parts precociousness and adventure (one steadily raises the influence of the other), and three parts hard work (eight days a week, for as long as memory holds). Stir in a warm heart with lots of inspiration, and pair with
a strong shot of GUS.

· How is a Debbie taken?
   A Debbie is best taken with a bit
of expectation for the unexpected.
It means looking beyond furniture frame and texture to see wood and leaf and grove; it means touching fine weaving and feeling a hand, the hand of the Maker. It means encountering
a chair or a table, and stumbling
upon a friend.

· How is a Debbie special?
   Artist. An eye for perceiving forms and understanding the swirls of colour in the natural materials at hand, re- creating such material into something

different without losing its innate beauty. A natural talent which can draw out a story from texture,
harmony from steel and wood, a chair from a single, simple shape.

Accountant. A keen affinity for mathematics and numbers, figures and calculations. Stemming from
a lawyer father’s recommendation,
now becoming a true asset in the managing of company DESIGN VENTURES’ everyday affairs.

Precociousness. Adventure. Starting from very young (an
artistic persistence to draw and
draw until there was literally no space left in the drawing board),
and cultivating one’s dream up until
it has fully flowered. The curiosity that asks, “why”; the persistence which follows up with, “why not?” and dares to do something different. A passion to do something new.

Hardwork, Hardwork. A respect
for labor, and the task of creation. Creating not only to unleash an amalgam of the previous “parts”
of a Debbie, but amidst the sket-
ches and the measurement grids
and the swatches of inspiration, a desire to serve and to contribute to the world. Coming from a family which emphasized the value of
being proactive, tried with a bit of
grit and eventually resulting in success. Beyond working for one’s dreams, hardwork is sharing it, and infusing the same desire to others
so that they may achieve theirs.

A warm heart, and lots of inspiration. Gratitude for the beauty which influences, for the blessings which the ultimate Creator bestows. Understanding where the tap which pours out creativity leads to, and giving thanks to the greatest Artist of all.

A strong shot of GUS. A Debbie’s base; cool and clear, to hold the full body of a perfervid Debbie, quietly intense to direct and guide.

· What is Debbie's flavor?
   Organic but modern, continuously evolving, influenced by grace and transparency. Distinctly Asian in sense, a very strong 侘び寂び (WABI-
SABI, Japanese thought of apprecia- ting something in its natural and incomplete state) spirit underlying the taste. A Debbie is not formu-
lated, as each design is different and unique, but carries the full
body of art for a function.

· Who has received Debbie?
   A favorite in the international palate (Japan’s GOOD DESIGN Award, 2005; international magazines such as HIGH POINT and TROPICAL LIVING) as well as the home base (1993 KATHA Award for Best Design).
Apart from furniture design, she
has also headed the DESIGNER’ GUILD (President, 2000-2002), and has ventured into other areas such as interior decorating (curator for the first Philippine exhibition in
the ASEAN CENTER, Japan, 2007)
and fashion •

Back to top