(L-R): Joseph Tay, Stephanie Coyiuto-Tay, IDr. Cecil Ravelas, Patrizio Baldi Papini. Photo courtesy of Casa Bella
A house built on the pillars of timeless design, Casa Bella Home and Living inducts Henge into its vast portfolio of European design brands
At its center, Henge is a brand built on the pillars of design and functionality. As a furniture maker, its name was established through mending traditional Italian craftsmanship with the raw beauty of natural materials, resulting in pieces that are distinct to the brand. “It’s easy to build an entire space with Henge,” says Patrizio Baldi Papini, the sales director of Henge. “It’s possible because every piece of furniture shares the same design language, a singular visual style.” Having been present since its conception, Patrizio has helped cultivate the brand’s avant-garde and unconventional identity, working hand-in-hand with jewelry designers, quarries, leathersmiths, and architects to marry each individual idea into a shared vision.
Last May 28, founders Joseph and Stephanie Tay launched a new space for Henge with Manila’s most distinguished for a night of sensorial experiences at their Casa Bella flagship showroom. A distributor for luxury European furniture, Casa Bella Home and Living developed a portfolio housing world renowned brands like Cassina, Kettal, Moroso, Ingo Maurer, cc-tapis and more. In celebration of Henge’s expansion, Casa Bella built a showroom specifically designed to highlight the Italian furniture brand, focusing on burnished metals, hand-carved wood tables, and one-of-a-kind ice onyx kitchen that invited guests to experience each living space through the senses.
Interior designer Cecil Ravelas orchestrated this launch, with a series of experiential corners on each floor that sought to ignite the five senses before ultimately leading the guests to the main launch on the fourth floor. For example, each wall of the showroom was transformed into liquid metal with visual projections that encompassed the whole floor, stimulating the visual senses. While handpan, gongs and traditional Filipino percussion reverberated through the ears of each guest for a transformative experience. On the ‘scent’ floor, guests had the opportunity to create their own candles using a variety of different scents inspired by Henge’s use of natural materials.
Henge, a brand that enriches leather, metals, and stone, brings an intense boldness; but with a curious mind and two decades of experience, IDr.Cecil Ravelas has unleashed the quiet elegance of Henge hidden in its textured glass, polished brass, and rounded edges. “The pieces are all unique, so it really needed its own stage,” she explains. “Henge is about the transcendence of materials. There is beauty in its uniform irregularity but it should also be calming and peaceful.” This sense of tranquility is what inspired the showroom, as it is characterized by a cool charcoal interior that lines its flooring and walls. Apart from this, a warm, comforting series of lights in the form of Murano glass chandeliers, Travertine lamps, and fiberglass lighting from Henge’s new collection.
Each piece of furniture is bespoke through both its materials and its construction. “Look at this coffee table for example, each one is sourced from slabs of stone that will never be used again. That one coffee table? That’s it, one of one, and it’s like that for many of the pieces here in this room,” Cecil explains.
In essence, Henge prides itself on not only its unified visual style and its unique identity, but also for its ability to become a future heirloom in itself. “It’s like a good bottle of wine, every single piece we create ages with you,” Patrizio says. Legacy stands as one of the main characteristics of good Italian design and is what allows it to stand the test of time as a piece of furniture for not only homes, but collectors, curators, and artisans.
View Casa Bella’s showroom located at 8 Jupiter St. cor Canopus, Bel-Air, Makati City.
For more information, visit their website.
