Playful and sustainable designs at Jak 'en Poy

"There's nothing there," said a confused lady at the information counter. I was looking for the former Super Sale Club at SM City North EDSA, which was unfamiliar territory. When I finally found the place (it's right next to the Kotse Network across The Block) I discovered that on the contrary, there wasn't nothing. In fact, there was plenty there - twenty rooms designed using twenty different materials. The deceptively small entrance to "Jak 'en Poy: An Interior Design Exhibit of Sustainable Proportions" led into a large exhibit where the work of the Philippine School of Interior Design Advanced Class 2011 is on display. On its 44th year, the PSID students were tasked with creating designs centered on ten materials that define sustainability: stone, steel, concrete, paper, glass, wood, bamboo, rubber, plastic, and clay. The exhibit's playful organization brings guests on a trip down memory lane with names reminiscent of childhood games - bato, gunting, papel, holen, goma, chato, patintero, plastic balloon and palayok-palayukan. "The analogies are based on the premise that the exhibit's beneficiaries are the future generation - children as seen through their games," reads the exhibit notes. Based on reactions so far, the exhibit also benefits today's generation, who are becoming more and more conscious about eco-friendly lifestyle solutions. "The exhibit showcases the versatility of the materials, and how unique applications can be exposed to the public. At the same time, the audience can also get ideas," says Jie Pambid, a professor at PSID. "These are very much doable. A lot of people were already picking favorites, like Semento is getting to be a favorite. 'Oh, you can use that pala with cement, just accentuate it with a little bit more plush material.' It gave cement a new look," he added, recalling the warm reception during the press review on September 22. "As far as the audience is concerned, they'll be very appreciative with the new ways they can actually use materials like bakal, giving it a new dimension," he says. The planet, too, would appreciate this exhibit, which poses the challenge of applying sustainable materials that evoke different moods and styles for rooms that revolve around the concept of designing for a better world. "This is also a way of giving back to our Mother Earth," says Batch Adviser Nicky Jardenil. Since the exhibit is also a thesis for the students, the task is actually quite difficult. "If you think about it it's a tall order...this is the only way that we can actually check if they've learned anything in their stay with us," says Pambid. The PSID students were required to utilize 60 percent sustainable materials in each room, and their final products suggest that they not only accepted the challenge but embraced it. What the Jak 'en Poy exhibit shows is an inspired collection of creative designs that look good and do good, as well. From bedrooms that befit Alice in Wonderland girls to modern-day Cleopatras, bamboo kitchens to Inception-esque living rooms, the Jak 'en Poy exhibit brims with imagination. It is like one huge playground - the materials are toys and the students have taken playtime to the next level.

In "Three to Tango," clay is the material and the inspiration at the same time. "If you look at the characteristics of clay, you can find many different qualities. It can be rough, smooth, colorful, and so forth. So we used that as our design inspiration," says Tisha Monfort, pointing out the walls made out of simulated rammed earth, the brick walls, the pots, and the high gloss finish which represents porcelain. Mirrors also complement the design, and a green wall is incorporated with live plants. "We also used old recycled items to draw a connection between earth, being the oldest material around," says Monfort, pointing out the typewriter and reused drawers. "We tried to show that despite it being such an old technique, we hoped to come up with a modern space that's very functional," she says. Some of the students even took part in executing their own designs, like the students behind "Echotechnowood," a bathroom made using sawdust, wood, and other recycled materials. "They did the mosaic tiles, and a lot of other stuff. When we were constructing, they would ask other groups for scrap wood, they they were the ones who did it. They also made their chandelier from scratch," said batch president Peaches De Guzman. Copper was given a softer feel in "Boho Glam," with a free-spirited bedroom design inspired by a peacock feather. A gentle curtain turns out to be flowing copper chains, and the room is washed in colors that bring to mind a glowing sunset, courtesy of an indigo and gradient finish on the wall. In another room, the table mimics an aircraft wing. The "De Hierro Pavo Real" dining area uses pure aluminum alloy, and stainless steel with dog chain detail. An intricate metal wall piece is a recycled iron sheet from a junk shop. Flattened tansans are used as an accent. "Our design is eclectic Neo Baroque - from trash to fabulous," says group member Pat Dizon. In one room rubber finds its way into walls, mirrors, cabinets, and even a headboard. In another, Chinese garters figure in a room that could have been in Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey." In a bamboo kitchen named "Wondergrass," the relatively cheap material is used everywhere, from bamboo slats to reeds, to baby bamboo partnered with baby logs and a nifty built-in wine rack. "The logs are usually just thrown away," notes group member Justine Villanueva. "We wanted to prove that bamboo can look expensive," she says. Bamboo is also used in a bathroom design called "Bamboozled," where black bamboo gives a chic look to the large room, where a shower and tub share a wall with recessed cabinets. "The bamboo is fresh from a local farm," says group member Aivan Magno. The project has also raised an awareness among the students themselves. "Now we have a different outlook on paper," says Maryanne Monroy of the group behind Paper View, which turns the usually light and fragile material into a structural element. Paper is everywhere - in the paper mache columns, in the toilet paper tube wall panels, in the paper shred-stuffed pillows. and the paper rose accessories. "There's a lot of d-i-y going on," says group member De Guzman. "At the end of the day, it was all about the learning process. After this we're more disciplined to segregate, we're more patient," added her groupmate Eunice Vibal. Next to Paper View is "Out of the Box," a paper-themed kitchen. This time the challenge was to make the material waterproof and fire-retardant, which was met by treating the cardboard to make the cardboard kitchen friendly. The design was inspired by different time periods and uses different prints. "It's not your typical kitchen that uses only simple colors," says Marianne Wamelda, adding that they used cardboard to come up with a sinuous design. "We wanted to show the flexibility of our material, so it's not only boxy in form. You can curve it out," adds her groupmate Love Ocampo, pointing to the cabinets and the peninsula. In "Nouvele Vie," the outdoors are brought inside with a fresh, clean green and white design where PVC pipes are bent to form a tree-like wall piece. The unique decoration gives plastic "a chance to prove to everyone that it is not cheap and it can be environment friendly if everyone knows how to use it wisely," according to the group's exhibit notes. In Jak 'en Poy, 92 students have used 10 materials to create 20 different room designs, but it's impossible to put a number on how much influence and inspiration can be drawn from the exhibit. - YA, GMA News