Friday, February 3, 2023
manilastandard.net
ADVERTISEMENT
  • About
  • News
    • Top Stories
    • National
    • World News
    • Pinoy Abroad
    • Features
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Columns
    • Soundbytes
  • LGUs
    • NCR
    • Luzon
    • Visayas
    • Mindanao
  • Business
    • Corporate
    • Economy & Trade
    • Stocks
    • Money
    • Agri & Mining
    • Power & Tech
    • IT & Telecom
  • Sports
    • Basketball
    • Volleyball
    • Fightsports
    • Active
    • Sports Plus
    • One Championship
    • Columns
  • Entertainment
    • TV & Movies
    • Celebrity Profiles
    • Music & Concerts
    • Digital Media
    • Columns
  • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Culture & Media
    • Fashion
    • Health and Home
    • Leisure
    • Shopping
    • Columns
  • Others
    • Pets
    • Pop.Life
      • Newsmakers
      • Hangouts
      • A-Pop
      • Post Its
      • Performances
      • Malls & Bazaars
      • Hobbies & Collections
    • Technology
      • Gadgets
      • Computers
      • Business
      • Tech Plus
    • MS ON THE ROAD
      • Sedan
      • SUV
      • Truck
      • Bike
      • Accessories
      • Motoring Plus
      • Commuter’s Corner
    • Home & Design
      • Residential
      • Commercial
      • Construction
      • Interior
    • Spotlight
    • Gallery
      • Photos
      • Videos
    • Events
      • Seminars
      • Exhibits
      • Community
    • Biyahero
      • Travel Features
      • Travel Reels
      • Travel Logs
  • Advertise with Us
No Result
View All Result
  • About
  • News
    • Top Stories
    • National
    • World News
    • Pinoy Abroad
    • Features
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Columns
    • Soundbytes
  • LGUs
    • NCR
    • Luzon
    • Visayas
    • Mindanao
  • Business
    • Corporate
    • Economy & Trade
    • Stocks
    • Money
    • Agri & Mining
    • Power & Tech
    • IT & Telecom
  • Sports
    • Basketball
    • Volleyball
    • Fightsports
    • Active
    • Sports Plus
    • One Championship
    • Columns
  • Entertainment
    • TV & Movies
    • Celebrity Profiles
    • Music & Concerts
    • Digital Media
    • Columns
  • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Culture & Media
    • Fashion
    • Health and Home
    • Leisure
    • Shopping
    • Columns
  • Others
    • Pets
    • Pop.Life
      • Newsmakers
      • Hangouts
      • A-Pop
      • Post Its
      • Performances
      • Malls & Bazaars
      • Hobbies & Collections
    • Technology
      • Gadgets
      • Computers
      • Business
      • Tech Plus
    • MS ON THE ROAD
      • Sedan
      • SUV
      • Truck
      • Bike
      • Accessories
      • Motoring Plus
      • Commuter’s Corner
    • Home & Design
      • Residential
      • Commercial
      • Construction
      • Interior
    • Spotlight
    • Gallery
      • Photos
      • Videos
    • Events
      • Seminars
      • Exhibits
      • Community
    • Biyahero
      • Travel Features
      • Travel Reels
      • Travel Logs
  • Advertise with Us
No Result
View All Result
manilastandard.net
No Result
View All Result
Home Lifestyle Health and Home

JJ Acuña’s trending spaces

Tet DefensorbyTet Defensor
December 5, 2022, 6:20 pm
in Health and Home, Lifestyle
Reading Time: 4 mins read
A A
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Email

JJ Acuña’s flair for re-interpreting spaces perfectly fits Hong Kong’s functional lifestyle corners. Since 2015, the HK-based Filipino designer has been giving walls and corners a brand-new feel.   

Interior designer JJ Acuña

The designer founded the Bespoke Studio, after working for a top architectural firm for several years. Back then JJ lead the team that designed and built malls, clubhouses, and towers.  

“I led the business development efforts and secured accounts that cost millions of US dollars. I learned about drafting contracts, doing pitches, designing projects from concept to completion, building and running teams of people from around the world ” he shared.

And while the job was challenging and very exciting like any creator, JJ yearned to create something that will carry his mark. 

“I couldn’t show off my work to my closest friends and family. There’s a point in a career when everything has been learned, absorbed, and digested, and then you look back and ask yourself about your achievements,” JJ stated.

ADVERTISEMENT

After years of working for the firm, he finally decided to take a break. He saw himself relaxing under a palm tree in Palawan for about a year or two before seriously considering his next career move.

As he was planning a life of leisure, a friend tapped him to design a soon-to-open café. In a few weeks Elephant Grounds Café was born, an indoor-outdoor establishment that became an Instagram sensation with its smart space usage and wooden interiors. With a serving counter facing the busy street complete with stools on the sidewalk, the design managed to remove the imaginary wall between the café diners and the busy pedestrians. Diners can openly interact with anything and everything outside, while passers-by cannot help but stop and bask in the café’s uniqueness.  

JJ had so much fun doing Elephant Grounds Café, according to him he almost did it for free.  The store became a favorite destination for Filipinos visiting Hong Kong. One day, the team behind the Tokyo Tokyo restaurant chain, visited the café and was very impressed with the interiors. The team sought JJ’s recommendation for the Japanese chain’s new look.  Bespoke, JJ’s design studio was tasked to rebrand Tokyo Tokyo’s graphic direction as it shifts to bigger and more spacious dining areas in malls. 

A more spacious reimagination of Tokyo Tokyo

Elephant Café, JJ’s first project opened another outlet in Hong Kong and eventually found its way to the Philippines with stores in BGC and the Podium. Since designing his first café, JJ’s workstation has not taken a break. His website reads like a restaurant guide with design details of his works like Castellana in Duddell, Heimat, Coffeelin in Happy Valley, XiaoTing at Four Season Macau, Hanbo Harbour City, Studio City by Cali Mex, and many others.  And while re-imagining Hong Kong’s vibrant retail scene continues to excite him, he is setting his eyes on doing more work in the Philippines. 

Coffeelin in Happy Valley also boasts features from Acuña’s creative mind

“I think that Manila and the Philippines in general lead the conversation in contemporary art. Designers are doing so many amazing things in the world of furniture and product design. In terms of interiors, Filipinos are traveling, and what they see in their travels they want to bring into their spaces,” he explained.

“Now, this is completely different from seeing a photo in a magazine and having the designer copy exactly what is in the photo, that’s the old generation. Today’s market wants authenticity, truth, spirit, soul, heart, and nuance. They want the spirit of a place rather than the place copied and pasted in. They want a story that is, humanistic, high quality, and bespoke- and that is where we come in. We promise, what we design for one person will never ever be repeated for another. Or else what’s the point in investing in your aspiration, Right?” he carried on.

Born in Manila, and raised in Texas JJ moved to Hong Kong to work as an intern for an architectural firm. 

“They were doing big huge projects in China and also pre-Beijing Olympics so there was so much optimism, compared to what the United States was going through pre-Obama and I personally felt it was a more positive solution to leave. I also liked Hong Kong because it was only an hour and a half away from the Philippines, where my Mom lives,” he said.

For now, the designer has been effectively managing his work schedule so he can attend to his projects in both cities. Aside from creating stylish interiors for food and retail establishments, he also does private residences. 

Tags: ArchitectureBespoke StudioJJ Acuña
ADVERTISEMENT
Tet Defensor

Tet Defensor

Related Posts

Real talk with the real deal

byKate Adajar
February 2, 2023, 9:50 pm
0
8
Put on your dancing shoes

When it comes to matters of the heart, it takes a real friend (or a pushy one!) to knock some...

Read more

Conrad Manila appoints new GM

byManila Standard
February 2, 2023, 9:40 pm
0
8
Put on your dancing shoes

Conrad Manila welcomes the New Year with well-curated touches of luxury, inspired stays, and culinary offers, led by General Manager...

Read more

Put on your dancing shoes

byManila Standard
February 2, 2023, 9:35 pm
0
8
Put on your dancing shoes

Sunshine Place takes Line Dancing a notch higher as it introduces American Line Dancing (LDVALI) workshop that will be conducted...

Read more

Hair story

byNickie Wang
February 1, 2023, 8:20 pm
0
8
Emerging home trends that you’ll be seeing everywhere in 2023

Making women feel confident one hair extension at a time “Borrowed confidence” is the phrase that always comes to mind...

Read more

Emerging home trends that you’ll be seeing everywhere in 2023

byManila Standard
February 1, 2023, 8:10 pm
0
8
Emerging home trends that you’ll be seeing everywhere in 2023

Working with top designers and industry insiders, Antoine Besseyre Des Horts, Leader (VP), LIXIL Global Design, Asia at LIXIL, shares...

Read more

Around the museum

byGlaiza Lee
January 31, 2023, 9:00 pm
0
8
Antipolo-based artist holds nature-inspired exhibit at Gateway Gallery

Paseo Museo Loop trains spotlight on communal artistic spirit and collaborations “Is that a new component?” asked a media friend...

Read more
ADVERTISEMENT
Facebook Twitter Instagram Youtube

ABOUT US

Manila Standard

Manila Standard website (manilastandard.net), launched in August 2002, extends the newspaper’s reach beyond its traditional readers and makes its brand of Philippine news and opinion available to a much wider and geographically diverse readership here and overseas.

Digital Edition

In tone and content, the online edition mirrors the editorial thrust of the newspaper. While hewing to the traditional precepts of fairness and objectivity, MS believes the news of the day need not be staid, overly long or dry. Stories are succinct, readable and written in a lively style that has become a hallmark of the newspaper.

Download – Today’s Paper

Search

No Result
View All Result

6th Floor Universal Re Bldg., 106 Paseo De Roxas cor. Perea Street, Legaspi Village, 1226 Makati City Philippines

Trunklines: 832-5554, 832-5556, 832-5558

© 2021 Manila Standard - Designed and Developed by Neitiviti Studios.

No Result
View All Result
  • About
  • News
    • Top Stories
    • National
    • World News
    • Pinoy Abroad
    • Features
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Columns
    • Soundbytes
  • LGUs
    • NCR
    • Luzon
    • Visayas
    • Mindanao
  • Business
    • Corporate
    • Economy & Trade
    • Stocks
    • Money
    • Agri & Mining
    • Power & Tech
    • IT & Telecom
  • Sports
    • Basketball
    • Volleyball
    • Fightsports
    • Active
    • Sports Plus
    • One Championship
    • Columns
  • Entertainment
    • TV & Movies
    • Celebrity Profiles
    • Music & Concerts
    • Digital Media
    • Columns
  • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Culture & Media
    • Fashion
    • Health and Home
    • Leisure
    • Shopping
    • Columns
  • Pop.Life
    • Newsmakers
    • Hangouts
    • A-Pop
    • Post Its
    • Performances
    • Malls & Bazaars
    • Hobbies & Collections
  • Technology
    • Gadgets
    • Computers
    • Business
    • Tech Plus
  • MS ON THE ROAD
    • Sedan
    • SUV
    • Truck
    • Bike
    • Accessories
    • Motoring Plus
    • Commuter’s Corner
  • Home & Design
    • Residential
    • Commercial
    • Construction
    • Interior
  • Spotlight
  • Gallery
    • Photos
    • Videos
  • Events
    • Seminars
    • Exhibits
    • Community
  • Biyahero
    • Travel Features
    • Travel Reels
    • Travel Logs
  • Pets
  • Advertise with Us

© 2021 Manila Standard - Designed and Developed by Neitiviti Studios.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Install Manila Standard Web App

Install App