Illuminating Tradition: 9 local lighting brands balancing craft and creativity

World-renowned for his innovative designs, industrial designer Kenneth Cobonpue continues to push the boundaries of Filipino creativity with his lighting fixtures and home furnishings. Over his four decades of bringing Filipino design onto the global stage, Cobonpue has received numerous awards and accolades. 

Many of his lighting fixtures feature the forms and features found in nature. One of his most recent creations is the Biba Hanging Lamp, the design of which was inspired by anthropods. The lamp is made of hand-dyed rattan over a steel frame with dynamic orange and black accents. The Barnacle Hanging Lamps are handmade from rice paper, with each lamp uniquely created to allow light to shine through each opening.

Mirei Monticelli balances Filipino craftsmanship with Italian innovations through Studio Mirei, where she creates luxurious lamps and sconces. These ethereal structures balance an organic flow with a blend of banana and abaca textiles, resulting in undulating shapes that add elegance to any space. 

One of her most notable creations is the Aphrodite table lamp, which emulates Sandro Botticelli’s painting of Venus birthed in the sea. Gentle light exudes from the lamp’s core before enveloping the room in a warm glow. Another masterpiece from Studio Mirei is the Anemone pendant lamp, which has a voluminous shape that evokes memories of the seaside.  

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Each piece by Home + Aspects is crafted with care by Filipino artisans, who use the highest-quality materials to balance longevity and style. Whether looking for durable creations that can withstand the elements or sophisticated lighting indoors, this brand has a wide range of selections to suit any taste.

Home + Aspects lamps are made from high-quality clay, adding a rustic twist to any interior. These handmade and hand-painted lamps add depth to any living room, from the Finn lamp with its minimalist design to the Zelda lamp with its ribbed texture in earthy tones. 

Since 1994, the Laguna-based Finebone has been hand-crafting porcelain homeware with exquisite details. They manufacture their clay in-house from dried cow bones, which create the pure white surface characteristic of fine bone china. After a long fermentation process, Finebone’s artisans carve breathtaking designs onto each lamp. 

Among their most recent creations are the UFO pendant lamps, a collaborative design project with the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM) and the artist Wataru Sakuma. These pieces balance Finebone’s porcelain artistry with a coloured woven base, adding dimension wherever the lamp illuminates. 

Lija by That One Piece adds a contemporary spin to lighting and furniture, creating handcrafted pieces out of natural materials found locally. Over the years, this company has received various awards, including the G-Mark from the Japan Industrial Design Promotion Organisation (JIDPO) and the Katha Awards at Manila FAME. 

Their lamps feature playful colours like indigo and lime, encasing lights in woven capsules that add whimsy to any space. Another fascinating creation is the Carley O’s! lamp, which features a vibrantly-coloured spiral shape. 

Since 1994, Cebu Homecraft has championed using natural and repurposed materials in their home and office furniture, and interior accessories. Over their three decades in the home design industry, they have partnered with artisans such as the sculptor James Doran-Webb. This collaboration has resulted in such collections as their driftwood pieces. They continuously innovate their designs with recycled denim, scrap metal and tyres. 

Their floor light is created with unique pieces of driftwood burnt with the Japanese Shou Sugi Ban wood technique, creating a strikingly sculptural finish. Their Fillet floor lamp is another elegant piece made of curved driftwood slices, which add artistry and warmth to any space. 

Established in 1993, Indigenous PH has created sustainable home accent pieces and accessories from Abaca fibres, pineapple leaves and wild grass. Their experiments with abaca paper pulp and natural starch have resulted in a solid yet light material that they use for creating tables, side tables and hanging lamps. 

Their modular lamps feature leathered handmade paper, composed of white abaca cogon, ringed with multiple layers of bamboo. These paper clay lamps create serenity in the home with their gauzy yet graceful material. 

In 2000, the team behind Rafael Lighting realised that there was a shortage of locally manufactured lighting. Their goal was to prove that Filipino craftsmanship extended to contemporary lighting fixtures. Since then, Rafael Lighting has extended to the global stage, lighting homes, hotels and resorts all over the world. 

Their pieces feature sustainably sourced wood with lamp shades from local materials, such as raffia, rattan, abaca and jute, handcrafted by women-led social enterprises and local artisans. One compelling design is the U Table Lamp, which has a subtle gleam complemented by its unexpectedly playful form.  

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