Carlo Cordaro
Raised in a culture where tasteful and clever design is a growing standard, Italian furniture designer Carlo Cordaro takes part in shaping the furniture design industry in the Philippines by providing avant-garde designs made with the hands of Filipino craftsmen and unique natural resources found in the country.
Discovery
A financial analyst by profession, Cordaro started as a consultant in the early 90s for Cebu-Fil Veneer Corporation in the Mactan Economic Processing Zone. Having discovered the beauty of veneer technology, he developed a strong passion to pursue the art of transforming raw materials like coconut palm and bamboo into extraordinary pieces of furniture that last for years.
Process
“I like to leave and give emotions when creating a masterpiece, and it all starts with two powerful tools which are the pencil and paper,” said Cordaro.
“I focus and imagine everything about the product then materialize it to be able to offer emotions; when you visit a house or building, you may forget about the pieces of furniture it has, but you will always remember how visiting that place made you feel, and this is exactly what I was made to do,” added Cordaro.
Carlo Cordaro
Highlight
In 1994, a real turning point in the Italian’s artist’s life began with a phone call from a businessman in Italy who thought he was doing furniture in the Philippines when he was just supplying veneers at that time. Cordaro said yes to the project without hesitation which was a bit of a challenge for him at first because he had to start from scratch, but with a lot of help from his team and partners, they successfully provided remarkable furniture designs for Hotel Concorde in Verona, Italy.
Contribution
Possessing a gift that adds beauty and inspiration, Cordaro contributes to the Philippine design industry by training Filipino craftsmen in the fundamentals of producing high-end furniture made from natural resources and strengthening relations with furniture designers in the country.
“The design-oriented mentality in the Philippines is coming out strongly. The Philippines is under transformation and the design part is always there, and so we are in a suitable environment to maximize our potential in furniture design and create a lasting impact for the rest of the world to follow,” said Cordaro. /PR
