Ito Kish: business man turned furniture designer
“I paid attention to everything that surrounded me — the market basket and how it was woven, the construction of our dining chair, the print on my mother’s dresses — there were so many things to see and learn from.”
For years, Ito Kish has successfully used design to weave stories through beautiful pieces that are more than just decor. Kish says: “It is better to gather your thoughts first and think of a story of how you imagine your space to look like.”
From having a job that didn’t expose much of his creative mind, Kish decided to sought a job for himself. From there, he was determined to study and delve into the world of design, getting inspiration from Filipino culture and tradition. Little did he know that that was the start of his awaited success.
March 14, 2012, during the 55th edition of Manila FAME, the Philippine’s premier lifestyle and design event, Ito Kish revealed his first furniture line called “Baluster.” It consisted of chairs, tables, cabinets, and accessories that drew inspiration from the balustrade, a structural and decorative element of the colonial Hispanic architecture. This furniture line became close to his heart for its pieces was named after his five sisters and his mother, Gregoria.
The Gregoria was awarded a Katha Best Product Design for Furniture during its launch. He then took this iconic chair to several international shows, including A’Design, Maison & Objet Paris, International Contemporary Furniture Fair New York, and Salone Internazionale del Mobile, where it was lauded by critics for its craftsmanship and intricate design.
“In the five years since its launch, the Gregoria has become iconic and defined me as a furniture designer.”
Ever since the launch of “Baluster” in 2012, he was able to learn the important lessons about design from other cultures. With this, ITO KISH HOME was founded and introduced. It is a design practice dedicated to the recovery and adaptation of indigenous, colonial, and modern design of native Philippines. With all his gathered knowledge, he applied these to furniture, furnishing, and accessories. “My design will always be about who I am and where I come from,” Kish emphasizes.
Having been awarded of local and international design awards, demand for his interior design services saw its bloom. This led to the creation of KISH INTERIORS. With this, the focus of the design is the client. Ito Kish edits the space inline with the client’s personality and aspirations.
“…as an interior designer, I bring out the stories of my clients and reflect them in their own spaces.”
Ito Kish also had a showroom in Makati, Philippines, which was loved by many. Its doors opened in 2012 but was recently shut down in 2017. With all the awards that he has been blessed with and the hectic life, Kish wanted to slow things down. For Kish, he saw that having a simpler life can give one pure joy. Despite closing down the store, all his works and pieces can still be ordered and purchased online. You can view Ito Kish’s beautiful works in his website.
“As a product designer, I articulate my personal aesthetics, but as an interior designer, I bring out the stories of my clients and reflect them in their own spaces. But in both instances, I am a storyteller whose duty is to breathe life into all these stories within a space.”
