Jonathan Matti Maps Out Filipino Art, History, and Culture in Latina Manila

In the latest edition of Latina Manila, Jonathan Matti continues to draw from an abiding interest in Filipino art, history, and culture.

Tastemaker is an overused word. But few people may embody it as fully as Jonathan Matti.  The week before Vogue Philippines visited his home, he had opened an exhibit of antique Philippine maps at Vetted, his creative space. The show culminated in a lecture on Jesuit cartography by an expert flown in from Hong Kong, delivered to a circle of culturati with whom he seemed entirely at ease. They are, after all, part of his natural milieu, a world shaped by an abiding interest in Philippine art, history, and culture. 

His own home, on a quiet street in Makati where he grew up, and where he still lives with his mother, reflects this sensibility. Teal walls serve as a backdrop to Philippine modern and contemporary paintings hung salon style. They set off a mix of antique wooden ecclesiastical pieces, French-style commodes, and coffee table books spilling into every available corner. Glass sliding doors open onto a plant-filled lanai. The overall impression is of a home appointed just so, of layered interiors that flow so naturally.

Matti himself is impossible to miss. Often dressed in crisp linen guayaberas, he is a familiar presence at gallery and museum openings, and various cultural get-togethers. His friendly presence belies a sharp wit that keeps dinner conversations lively.  

“The first things Jonathan requested when we asked him to help us with our home were photos of our art, our antiques, and our existing furniture,” says art collector Stanley Chan, one of his longstanding clients. “We knew we shared his love for the old world, and he would fix our home to reflect our personality. He understood how to put together our pieces. They feel balanced, done with symmetry.” 

Matti’s gift lies in not merely assembling beautiful objects. Because of his long-standing immersion in the art scene, also as a collector, he possesses an innate understanding of the works of artists, a number of whom have become his friends. His association with experts in the decorative arts, the likes of late Ramon Villegas, have provided him with the scholarship needed to place pieces in their proper context. He understands how art, objects, and architectural elements converse with one another. 

“Jonathan creates spaces that never feel merely decorated,” shares lifestyle editor Alicia Sy, who worked with Matti when she built her family home. “Instead they feel collected, personal, and deeply considered. His approach is always nuanced and highly individual, shaped by the sensibilities of each client. His command of color and gift for layering brings character and refinement to every room.”

It is perhaps this rare combination of instinct, connoisseurship, and cultural fluency that made Matti a natural collaborator for de Gournay, the international design house revered for its hand-painted wallcoverings and bespoke decorative panels. 

“Jonathan understood de Gournay very quickly,” says Patricia Liang of Elements Fine Furnishing Fabrics, the luxury label’s Philippine distributor. The storied house has long transformed walls into immersive landscapes, fully customizable images that result in a unique set of panels for each client.

In 2016, after several projects, de Gournay wanted to thank Matti for the various collaborations he initiated on behalf of his clients. “If you really wanted to honor Jonathan,” Liang recalls telling the house, “you have to allow a creative to create.”

The result debuted a year later. Latina Manila, a panoramic design developed with de Gournay’s London studio, unfolds across multiple panels. It traces an imagined, romantic journey through 19th century Philippine life.  

Matti approached the commission with extensive research. Pulling volumes from his own library, he points to the references that informed the imagery: author Jonathan Best’s book on 19th-century photographs, Philippine ancestral houses, antique prints, indigenous flora and fauna, religious ornaments, and period dress. From one of the books came the silhouettes of junk ships and views of Intramuros; from another, bahay na bato facades and vernacular architecture. A variety of personas, reminiscent of Damian Domingo’s Tipos del Pais, also animate the Latina Manila narrative: women carrying palayok on their heads, men in loose camisas and salakots taking a stroll. Images incorporate scenes of farm life, carved filigree, and varied species of trees.

The first edition of the wallpaper design now graces a residence in Madrid. Designer JJ Acuña interpreted another version as  a three-panel screen for his family home in Manila, “We came across Latina Manila serendipitously. The house I designed for my sister takes inspiration from the bahay na bato. When de Gournay showed us their series designed by Jonathan Matti, we thought, perfect! We asked for the panels to include elements from town life rather than rural scenes. A tree spread out over the plaza, with Casa Manila as the backdrop, works so well to tie the room together.”

The latest edition, unveiled earlier this year, weaves in historical structures surrounding the presidential compound in Malacañang. Among them, the Goldenberg and the Laperal Mansions, heritage properties whose restorations Matti also oversaw. Malacañang Palace, as seen from the Pasig River, makes an appearance. 

That a storied international house carries something rooted in Philippine history says much about the distinction earned by Matti. “You need a lot of research and a dose of fantasy!” he declares with a laugh.  

The same philosophy carries over to what occupies Matti now. He transformed his former storage space into Vetted, a collaborative creative venue. Originally, he simply wanted to offer a pop-up space for rent. But when its first event featured Elmer Borlongan’s sculptures, he felt compelled to get involved in both the content and the running of the space. 

Since then, he has introduced a varied program encompassing fine and decorative art, as well as special cultural projects, while also working with more established names. In March, Plet Bolipata exhibited small-scale collages for The Time Has Come, looking back at her years living in New York City. He also speaks of working on a photography show.

“Jonathan isn’t a minimalist”, declares Patricia Liang. ”One wouldn’t call him contemporary at all.  But I do feel his homes, they age beautifully. They feel like they’ve always been there.  Yes…timeless.”

The same might be said of the world Matti continues to build around himself, one shaped by scholarship, a continued curiosity about contemporary art, and lively discussions on history. If Latina Manila brought Filipiniana onto walls, Vetted creates a space that keeps culture alive and evolving.