Rain Ramas is not only a local celebrity, but also a graduate of Bachelor of Interior Design from the University of the Philippines. His course has taught him “..both the basics and the complexities of furniture design, and the importance of bringing together the aesthetic and functional values in each creation.” He stated.

Despite being a graduate of the course, his career took on a direction towards the fashion industry in which Rain learned the ways of product development - design and styling, marketing, retail, and the whole business that goes behind and around it.

It was his job as head of Visual Merchandising Operations for an international clothing brand that realized the charm of novelty fixtures and furniture. Many times he found myself thinking, "Oh, I'd love to have that at home!"

It was on a trip to Bangkok, Thailand that he had the first spark of inspiration to do crate furniture. Rain observed the creative ways of using crates and pallets as main motifs and accents in fixture styling, and found them extremely adorable. Despite their simplicity, the repurposed value of these crates just oozes with so much character - rustic, casual, flexible, artistic, unexpected.

When asked how he got into the furniture business, Rain answered, "I know a lot of people also find that charming and wish to have a piece or two at home, but do not know how or where to get them. I created this line for that market. Five years ago, I decided to start my own business, and since I like to do new and different things, coming up with this furniture line and getting serious about it is really one interesting experience for me. I've developed so many different pieces in those years - mostly customized as per my clients's requirements - but this time I am working on my own personal vision. My own brand of design."

What do you aim to provide? Main objective?

Rain believes, and admired the effect of novelty and non-mainstream furniture pieces. He considers them as useful artworks, not only as accent pieces or as functional fixtures. Thats the effect that he’s trying to create with each piece he makes. He wants people to look at them, feel good about it, and converse about it.

One of the pieces Rain showed me is a stackable bookshelf that could be turned into a coffee table/center table, multifunctional indeed. His products are priced anywhere from P1,500 to P6,000 as of this time. "I want my creations to feel reasonable and accessible.” he added.

Whats next for Rain Ramas? I asked, he replied, "I've always dreamed of promoting the skill and craftsmanship of rattan furniture makers in Sarangani Province and Bamboo furniture makers in South Cotabato. It has been a passionate vision for me to someday work with them and come up with more updated designs that are aligned with international trends. I'd like to see more of these locally created furniture being used around.”

Rain Ramas is a visual artist, an events and marketing consultant, a decorator, a tourism advocate, a motivational speaker, a host, and a lifestyle writer. He can be contacted through rain.ramas@gmail.com for interests related to this article)

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