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- Apr 25, 2025
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Catering to all interior design students of University of the Philippines, UP Design Core has once again held its educational affair at CW Home Depot Makati Events Hall last February 21, 2015. Themed as “ Relish: A Design Symposium on Hotels and Restaurants” , the seminar aimed to inform students and young professionals about the different design fields in the hotel and restaurant industry and to show that the field of design is diverse and can be celebrated through various sub-fields.
Attended by over 100 design students from University of the Philippines and other schools like University of Santo Tomas, Polytechnic University of the Philippines and Mapua Institute of Technology, it was graced by four prominent speakers namely: Ms. Kookie Santos and Mr. Lester Cruz of Serious Studio, an independent creative agency dedicated to creating compelling experiences designed to build stronger and more competitive brands; Mr. Frenjick Quesada of Design HIRAYAMA + QUESADA, an interior design firm in Manila that collaborates with other associate architects, designers and creative staff for commercial and residential projects; and lastly, Mr. Jo Claravall, a professional stylist of different sophisticated weddings and events.
Ms. Santos and Mr. Cruz were the first to give their lecture on designing the interior space of restaurants. According to them, the very first step in creating ideas is to understand their client’s story and to know who they are talking to. Moreover, both reminded the students that during brainstorming, everyone should keep in mind that a restaurant should look good and ambiance makes good food taste better.
Meanwhile, Mr. Quesada talked about how they keep their designs modern, fresh and relevant for their clients. He has also showed some of their successful projects from various clients like Black Pig and Geisha Restaurant, to name a few. According to him, the important thing in designing an interior space is to always make the customer feel welcome. Furthermore, a designer should also recognize that each of his/her clients is unique in style preference.
Lastly, event stylist Mr. Claravall joyfully shared his valuable insights about designing event interiors especially weddings. He explained as well how color composition and choice of decorations are very important in designing an event. Some of his celebrity clients he mentioned were Erwan Heussaff, Mike Concepcion and Bea Soriano.
Inspired by the talk of the prominent speakers, UP Design Core was very grateful to CW Home Depot in helping them make their event a success. The organization also plans to conduct similar projects in the future to continuously upgrade their skills and knowledge.