Elaine Coper Launched High-End Furniture Gallery
family name opens oneself to great expectations in the public eye. Elaine Cooper bears this with exceptional artistic talent and a grateful heart for
the successes she reaped all these years.
At the launching of high-end furniture gallery aptly named Elaine Cooper Interiors and Gallery last Feb. 18, the soft-spoken
interior specialist shared to friends and colleagues her passion in designing and the life-long dream of owning a space that promotes Cebuano artistry and craftsmanship.
“I’ve always wanted a gallery, but I think this is the perfect time to have this as the demand for high-end furniture pieces is on a steady rise. Cebu has the products… it only needs to be more visible to the market,” Elaine said.
elaine cooper
Elaine trained at the Slim’s School of Fashion in Manila, created and built a brand around her name which sounds foreign and expensive.
“We haven’t really found out where Cooper came from. We haven’t traced any American or foreign connection, but I’m happy with it. Clients, meeting
me for the first time, think I’m foreign, and when they see me, they are surprised,” she said.
Inside the gallery are furniture pieces—veneer beds, dining tables, living room ensembles, among others—made in Cebu and are masterfully designed and curated by Elaine to give clients and gallery visitors a glimpse of how these pieces fit in their homes.
She has come a long way from her high school days at the Cebu Eastern College when she used to design her classmates’ prom dresses and earned money from her talent.
Her parents saw her potential and supported her in the field that she chose to build her career. Elaine opened a boutique under the name Harvest, and a flower shop called Centerpiece. All these built her name and reputation as a trusted brand in the lifestyle business. In 2008, she established Elaine Cooper Interiors.
Her clients, with specific needs and tastes for furniture and home decors, travel to Manila and abroad to look for pieces that cannot be found in Cebu.
But Elaine noticed that there are manufacturers in Cebu who produce top-of-the-line veneer beds, dining sets, wooden mirrors that are at par with international brands.
“I look at some of the international brands and in terms of design, there is nothing that they can do that we can’t. We have world-class designers, artists and mastercrafters in Cebu,” she said.
On the 12th floor of the Link Building inside Cebu IT Park, clients get exclusive preview of these pieces on a by-appointment basis. Elaine makes sure she personally handles and answers questions of each client who may wish to tweak the designs according to their taste.
The paintings of Cebuano artist Fred Galan enlivens the gallery. Elaine emphasized: “I believe in him and the works that he creates.” Also found in the gallery are collaborative artworks of Elaine and her children, a proof that creativity and artistry abound in the Cooper household.
The Cooper brand is expanding as her daughter is also finishing a degree in interior design at the University of San Carlos.
Elaine Cooper is largely responsible for all these… for bringing all things art under one roof.