Fifty years from now: Kenneth Cobonpue

Kenneth Cobonpue

Kenneth Cobonpue (1968- ) is a furniture designer and manufacturer from Cebu City, Philippines. He graduated with highest honors from Pratt Institute in New York with a degree in industrial design. Before graduating, he worked as an apprentice in a leather and wood workshop near Florence, Italy. In 1994 he received a scholarship to study furniture marketing and production in Germany before launching his own company. He now has locations in the Philippines, the United States and in Germany.

Although he uses many materials in his designs, he is known for his use of sustainable organic material such as abaca, bamboo, buri and rattan. While these are materials that are commonly used in Asia, Cobonpue uses them to produce his distinctive contemporary furniture.

He has won five Japan Good Design Awards, the grand prize at the Singapore International Design Competition, the Design for Asia Award of Hong Kong, the American Society of Interior Design Top Pick selection and the French Coup de Coeur award.

His designs have been featured in countless international publications and have appeared in films and television, such as Oceans Thirteen and CSI. Among his clients are Hollywood celebrities and royalty. I predict he will still be as popular fifty years from now.

From kennethcobonpue.com and tevami.com

Rattan outdoor furniture
archiscene.net

Voyage bed
1stdibs.com

Tilt seating
phaidon.com

Manolo outdoor seating
kennethcobonpue.com

Wave dining table
archiexpo.com

Bloom chair (with Juniper shelving in background)
beautifullife.info

Rapunzel seating
kennethcobonpue.com

Rattan chair and ottoman
trendir.com