Q&A: Oggetti Presents Vito Selma: Works In Wood

Photography by Alejandro Chavarria on May 18th, 2015 in Editorials, Lifestyle, MAISON&OBJET AMERICAS 2015

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Vito Selma

Miami, FL – May 13, 2015 – In conjunction with the MAISON&OBJET AMERICAS design fair, Oggetti hosted a design talk with up-and-coming designer from the Philippines, Vito Selma. Before showing off his unique designs, Selma discussed with admirers how his native country influences and inspires his designs through natural materials, culture and history.

Though specific stimuli may shift from time to time, the Vito Selma brand is quite adamant on its focus on the natural. An examination of numerous inspirations reveal a love affair with shapes and textures that are often repeated in the earth, the sky and the sea. It is this love for nature that has driven the brand to constantly look for design components that satisfy its inclinations, while relying on wood as a primary medium. Considered as an enduring partner despite the brand’s continuous evolution, wood and its many variations and reiterations, provides avenues for Vito Selma to experiment, create and explore. This exploration has allowed the brand not only to push the limits of the material, but also to examine the results of its marriage with other organic elements. The resulting collections are those that may be quickly defined as having a Japanese or even Scandinavian influence. However, instead of being likened to a particular design aesthetic, the core of Vito Selma lies more on keen attention to detail and excellent craftsmanship. It is through these attributes that the Vito Selma brand identifies itself as not being Japanese nor Scandinavian, but distinctly Filipino.

World Red Eye seized the opportunity to catch up with Vito Selma, where he gives us an in-depth look his designs and where he draws inspiration from.

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Vito Selma

WRE: Did you always know you wanted to design furniture or is this something you stumbled upon?

VS: My parents have been in the furniture manufacturing industry for about twenty-eight years now. I grew up with the factory as my playground and I feel it’s only natural that I found my place in this industry.

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I’m trying to tell a story with my pieces, and create pieces that are more than just beautiful objects.

Vito Selma

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John West, Neil Holl, Taj Waite, & Vito Selma

WRE: What led you to choose more natural materials to work with when designing your furniture?

VS: Being form the Philippines, we are very abundant with natural materials that aren’t found elsewhere. When I start using materials that are very new and different, my pieces instantly can be differentiated from other pieces in the international market. I love exploring materials and discovering new processes for them. I was taught at a very young age that design starts from a material. I also find natural materials so beautiful and pure that you need not have to apply an extra skin or color to them.

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WRE: Your designs have distinct geometric qualities, what inspires this?

VS: Everything in this world is made of lines. My pieces are a reflection of what I see. It also just so happens that I see the world in shapes and defined, pronounced lines.

WRE: What sets your design aesthetic apart from other furniture designers?

VS: I’m trying to tell a story with my pieces and trying to create pieces that are more than just beautiful objects; objects that transform, objects that have more than 1 function, objects that spark an emotion and memory.

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WRE: What kind of customer is buying your pieces?

VS: Curious clients that appreciate and understand handcrafted objects.

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Vito Selma

Everything in this world is made of lines. My pieces are a reflection of what I see.

Vito Selma

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WRE: Why is the Oggetti showroom a perfect fit for your furniture pieces?

VS: Oggetti has always been known to offer unique pieces to the American market. I believe we are the perfect fit as I also aim to provide clients with objects that are different, well-made and thoughtful.

WRE: Tell us what a typical day in the life of Vito Selma is like?

VS: I start and end the day with family. In between that, I jump between site visits, the studio and the manufacturing facility. I am continuously designing and developing products for my upcoming collections. Design is never ending.

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