La Luna by Kenneth Cobonpue
Earth and sky come together in this compact, comfortable chair. La Luna, which takes the shape of a waxing moon, is made from rattan and Philippine mahogany. With a finishing of interwoven stripes and the approximate weight of a roomy suitcase, La Luna has a relaxed, island-feel to it.
A Cebu native, creator incorporates materials from his South Pacific home into his modernistic vision of industrial design. He is a graduate of New York’s Pratt Institute and has a strong global presence, having worked in Italy and Germany, appeared as one of the 100 most important product designers in Phaidon Press’s book &fork, and won several international awards. His projects grace the lobbies and restaurants of some of the world’s most famous hotels: W New York, The Beverly Hills Hotel, Atlantis in the Bahamas, and the 1835 White Palm Hotel in Cannes, to name a few. Japanese haute cuisine giant Nobu commissioned him to design five of their restaurants.
Though Cobonpue’s projects boast a lot of pomp and grandeur, La Luna reveals a simple, subdued charm that is equally suited for a poolside café as it is for a home’s veranda. The inside back of the chair has the texture of a jute bag, the kind containing coffee beans or raw rice, emphasizing the chair’s earthy quality. The textural variety is aesthetic and utilitarian, for the smaller ridges provide better spinal support.
La Luna comes in a light, woodsy brown and a darker, almost-charcoal brown suited for a less casual mien. A crème-colored, soft polyurethane foam seat compliments the firm rattan that cradles it. The La Luna ottoman, which resembles a tablespoon measure stacked high with sugar, is perfect to rest your feet on while reading, or to sit on while playing a card game at the coffee table.
