Cover Experience the first ArteFino Lounge from July 26 to August 3, 2025 at Balmori Chef’s Table, featuring food and local craft (Photo: ArteFino; stylised with Canva)
Experience the first ArteFino Lounge from July 26 to August 3, 2025 at Balmori Chef’s Table, featuring food and local craft (Photo: ArteFino; stylised with Canva)
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The new ArteFino Lounge opens from July 26 to August 3, 2025 at Balmori Chef’s Table, offering food, craft and curated local design
ArteFino has long been more than a marketplace. With its annual fair, it has become a venue for cultural dialogue, supporting local makers while exploring how heritage can move forward. This year, that conversation expanded into the ArteFino Lounge, a brand new space located at the Balmori Chef’s Table in Power Plant Mall. It is an equal parts showroom, dining area and quiet retreat designed to encourage stillness amid the fair’s bustle.
The visual concept for the Lounge was shaped by Jet Acuzar, founder of The Forewoman and a creative director for Las Casas de Acuzar, in addition to her role as Tatler Homes editor. The idea began with a conversation with ArteFino co-founder Cedie Vargas.
“I wanted to produce something joyful that we could touch,” she explains, which led her to choose bamboo and wood—materials often found in traditional homes and daily life. The specific shade of red used in the Lounge, she says, was selected by Vargas, who “has an exquisite eye for art.”
More from Tatler: Here’s what to expect at ArteFino Fair 2025: Champions of Change
Above Jet Acuzar, Tatler Homes editor and visual curator of ArteFino Lounge (Photo: courtesy of ArteFino)
Jet Acuzar, Tatler Homes editor and visual curator of ArteFino Lounge (Photo: courtesy of ArteFino)
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Acuzar focused on materials and tones that Filipinos associate with warmth, celebration and memory. These objects, especially bamboo, carried more than just aesthetic significance. They referenced practices like bayanihan, where an entire community moves a house together, and to Acuzar, they symbolised generosity. “When we help others, and when others help us is a kind of generosity, and that for me is the ultimate form of joy.”
The Lounge was also conceived as a place to pause. At a fair filled with foot traffic, product discovery and constant movement, Acuzar wanted to build an atmosphere of ease. “I like the idea that joyfulness is a kind of serenity,” she says. “I feel happiest when I am calm and my nervous system is regulated well.” That became the starting point for how the space would feel and function—not too manicured or fussy, but intentionally quiet and open.
Every item in the Lounge is available for sale. This was an important choice for Acuzar, who saw the space not only as an interior but as an extension of ArteFino’s larger retail vision. “There are some fantastic pieces by Buddy Lagdameo, Olive Tree, Golden Monstera and of course the inimitable Mark Wilson among others,” she notes.
Above A Cordillera-inspired woven bracelet by Caro Wilson, available at ArteFino Lounge (Photo: courtesy of ArteFino)
Above Jewellery by Golden Monstera, available at ArteFino Lounge (Photo: courtesy of ArteFino)
A Cordillera-inspired woven bracelet by Caro Wilson, available at ArteFino Lounge (Photo: courtesy of ArteFino)
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The selections came easily, thanks to ArteFino’s strong network of vendors who prioritise sustainability and community impact. “At ArteFino, they emphasise things that are made in the Philippines, with a leaning towards sustainable pieces, and helping not just the maker but their entire community.”
The Lounge also serves as a focused gallery for jewellery and accessories that celebrate regional identity. “In terms of design language, the fact that the materials are all somehow related allows them to work together while still maintaining an interesting dialogue,” she says. “Contrast makes for a visually engaging scene.”
See also: Inside the making of ‘Heirloom’, a collection by Jor-El Espina in tribute to Patis Tesoro
Above Jewellery by ARAO, available at ArteFino Lounge (Photo: courtesy of ArteFino)
Above Wearable art by Peewee Benitez, available at ArteFino Lounge (Photo: courtesy of ArteFino)
Jewellery by ARAO, available at ArteFino Lounge (Photo: courtesy of ArteFino)
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Arao, for instance, presents South Sea pearls in the form of marine-inspired pendants as part of its Coral Collection. Caro Wilson, spearheaded by Mark Wilson, offers a line of handcrafted metalwork rooted in Cordillera culture.
Other featured names include Golden Monstera, known for its sculptural brass jewelry made in collaboration with Siargao artisans; Peewee Benitez, a Bicol-based designer whose pieces turn botanicals into wearable art and Katha Pilipinas, a social enterprise presenting a new collection called ‘Gunitain,’ which spans baskets, wall pieces and menswear influenced by 1950s Filipino fashion.
Above Chefs Angelo Comsti and Don Baldosano of Offbeat Bistro (Photo: courtesy of ArteFino)
Above Monghe, a dish by chefs Don Baldosano and Angelo Comsti of Offbeat Bistro (Photo: courtesy of ArteFino)
Chefs Angelo Comsti and Don Baldosano of Offbeat Bistro (Photo: courtesy of ArteFino)
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Food also plays a central role. From July 26 to August 3, the Lounge will host a culinary pop-up by OffBeat Bistro, led by chefs Angelo Comsti and Don Baldosano. “Our menu for the pop-up will be composed of our bestsellers and new dishes that our loyal guests can look forward to,” says Comsti. The dishes, such as Quezon’s kulawo, Rizal’s monghe, and Mindanao’s piaparan, are carefully chosen to reflect regional food traditions.
“ArteFino is known to celebrate local craftsmanship,” Comsti adds. “I believe that culinary arts also fall under the same category, as chefs immortalize their creativity through mouth-watering dishes.” On July 28, Comsti will hold a menu talk and tasting to delve into the stories behind the featured recipes.
As ArteFino prepares for its 10th anniversary in 2026, this year’s new features serve as both a preview and a recommitment. “We were very mindful about staying true to our purpose and our essence,” the founders share. “We stand for a lifestyle that reflects who we are and what we value. Thoughtful, rooted and evolving. It’s not just about how we live, but why.”
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About
Julianna has been interested in leading a literary life since she first read Frances Hodgson Burnett's A Little Princess at eight. Before working with Tatler, she was an archive intern at The Center for Fiction in Brooklyn, New York. She is a textbook Pisces who devotes most of her spare time to her crochet projects, watching classic films, and going through her never-ending pile of unread books. She studied creative writing, global literature and art history at Sarah Lawrence College, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 2022. Toni Morrison, Nora Ephron, Clarice Lispector and Jia Tolentino are among her all-time favourite writers.
Work
Julianna writes about fashion, beauty, sustainability, and the arts. She is always keen on conducting interviews with talented women who are changing the game in their respective fields.
For event invites and story leads, hit her up at julianna.cabili@tatlerasia.com
