In a mall atrium designed for movement, seven young interior design students asked people to slow down and look more closely.
At S Maison in Pasay City, “The Palimpsest: In the Afterimage of Time” transformed a public space into a gallery of memory, culture, and identity. The student-led exhibition by Enderun Colleges’ Interior Design program showed how the next generation of Filipino designers is thinking beyond pretty rooms and polished furniture. They are using design to tell stories, question history, and imagine how people might live, gather, and remember.
Held from May 15 to 19, 2026, the exhibition featured works by student designers Mayi Nguene-Ibog, Tasav Hanji, Juliana Asencio, Lovely Garcia, Vanessa Marquez, William Go III, and Miguel Lim Catacutan. Their pieces drew from personal heritage, lived experience, and cultural memory, turning furniture and spatial concepts into something more intimate: a record of where they come from and what they hope to build next.
The title itself, Palimpsest, refers to something written over but never fully erased. That idea shaped the entire show. Each work carried layers of meaning, from ancestry and migration to community, faith, resilience, and belonging. Instead of treating interiors as mere decoration, the students approached space as a living archive.
For young creatives, that shift is vital. Contemporary design is not about making something look expensive or Instagram-ready but purpose, identity, sustainability, and the emotional connection between people and the places they inhabit.
Interior Design program head IDr. Cecile Hufana said the exhibit challenged students to move past imitation and develop their own creative voice.
“We want to produce students who are courageous enough to create something original, something new, and something different,” Hufana said. “This exhibit really brought out the creativity of our students because it challenged them to develop designs that are authentic to their own vision and ideas.”
That authenticity gave the exhibit its strongest pull. The student works were not presented as school requirements tucked inside a classroom. They were placed in front of the public, industry professionals, government representatives, and design leaders, forcing the young designers to defend their ideas in the real world.
For student designer Vanessa Marquez, the experience felt like a turning point.
“Enderun helped me by providing opportunities like this to showcase my work publicly,” she said. “Honestly, being part of this exhibit feels like I’m finally starting my career.”
The event also highlighted the larger role young designers could play in the country’s creative economy. DTI Assistant Secretary Nylah Rizza Bautista said platforms like this help prepare students for professional practice and expose them to the realities of the industry.
“The event is very inspiring because it features our future interior designers who are truly promising. We are on the lookout for the next Kenneth Cobonpue and the next globally recognized Filipino designers,” Bautista said.
But the exhibit was about more than talent. It was also about training students to understand the full design process. From concept development to production, the participants had to source manufacturers, coordinate with collaborators, refine prototypes, and bring their pieces to completion. The result was a hands-on lesson in both creativity and commerce.
That balance is becoming increasingly important for young Filipino creatives. A good idea is no longer enough. Designers must know how to work with materials, manage production, collaborate with makers, and bring a vision into the market without losing its soul.
Bautista described this kind of support as part of the “triple helix,” or the collaboration among government, academe, and the private sector. For students, that means exposure to mentors, institutions, and industries that can help turn creative potential into real careers.
In that sense, The Palimpsest is a preview of where Philippine design may be headed: younger, more personal, culturally aware, and confident in claiming space.