Architect Ramon Antonio designs a table inspired by the carabao plow

My uncle Ramon Antonio is 50 years into his career, an icon in Philippine architecture. He is an icon in our family as well. How can we not admire a man who is so effortlessly stylish, genteel and considerate? He couches his criticism in kindness and he always has something nice to say. It’s an attitude of graciousness that’s very welcome.

We would walk around his village, and he would point out heritage trees and plants along the way. He has such youthful vigor and a keen interest in everything around him.

The path to 50 years in architecture is not a straight one and my uncle can be strict as well. When he builds you a beautiful house, he wants you to maintain it with care, and he will show you how. To live in the world of Ramon Antonio is to exist in a world where beauty is always possible and within reach.

For the internationally renowned Spanish furniture brand Punt, Antonio’s vision, integrity and the legacy he has built over five decades continue to inspire. 

The Harvest Side Table he designed for Punt was revealed recently at Studio Dimensione.

“It’s still like a dream for me, like a reality come true, thanks to my friend Ben Chan. I’ve always wanted to do furniture design for an international brand, but for many years it was only a passing wish. It was in April of this year that it became a reality, to work with a very prestigious Spanish brand based in Valencia, Spain. The first thing that came to my mind was that as a child, we had a country home in Taytay, Rizal, and we would go there with our parents in our station wagon. We would pass the beautiful scenery, like an Amorsolo painting, with rice fields, mango trees and hay stacks. But what was very Filipino for me was the water buffalo, the carabao. They were sowing the fields for planting and that became my inspiration.”

The Harvest Side Table that Antonio designed for Punt has a lightness and yet also a solidity that mimics the plows used to lead the hardworking carabao. Composed of oak plywood, carefully shaped and finished in a warm walnut stain, it’s topped with a Dekton Arga tabletop whose subtle veining echoes natural stone. The Harvest Side Table transforms any space with the grace of living that Architect Antonio is known for.