Paula and Vikki Rodriguez of Detalia Aurora graciously settle themselves onto tall chairs, meant to be bar stools, in the spacious one-bedroom showroom of The Residences at Sheraton Cebu Mactan Resort. They’re modest but clearly eager as they greet guests with smiles, moments before their talk about design begins.

The afternoon sun streams in through the tall glass windows—with the panoramic view of untouched greenery contrasting the deep blue of the sea beyond—and bathes the room in a warm, golden glow. It’s as if the surroundings mirror the essence of the event on this fine afternoon, and pleasingly so, putting together things that are truly Cebuano: its natural resources, and its talent.

Detalia Aurora is a familiar presence in the homes of Cebu’s most discerning residents. For many years, the company has become a household name in the furniture export industry, having produced contemporary pieces such as the nautilus-shaped Shellf bookcase and the intricate Gaia chair.

After becoming more involved in the family business, Paula and Vikki have worked on streamlining processes and nurturing their edge in product design. The sisters are taking Detalia Aurora a step further by fostering their close-knit community, and bringing passion into everything they do.

Vikki and Paula Rodriguez

“What we do is we design, develop, manufacture and export handmade products, [using] natural materials,” Paula, who’s in charge of design and marketing, explains. “We develop designs out of these materials. We want to share with everyone the products we’ve been doing so far, and the craftsmanship that comes along with it.”

The collaboration between Detalia Aurora and Sheraton Cebu Mactan Resort comes as no surprise. Ultimately, Sheraton was designed to reflect Cebu’s design, and what better way to reflect this than to partner with and celebrate Cebu talent?

“This collaborative effort is very special to us, because it speaks to us,” Angela Emphasis, Corporate Communications Manager of AppleOne Mactan, Inc., shares. “When we were designing Sheraton Cebu Mactan Resort and The Residences at Sheraton, what we had in mind was Cebu design.” The most natural things that their designers worked with were the rocks on the shore, which greatly influenced their plan.

The first in Sheraton’s Design Series, the collaboration with Detalia Aurora highlights craftsmanship that is distinctly Cebuano. The furniture company makes use of rattan, stone laminating, and weaving, which are done by master craftsmen who’ve been with them for years.

“These craftsmen play a big role, as they work with the materials and products everyday.” Paula says. “We’re so happy that they can show what they normally do day-to-day here on the spot at Sheraton.”

For some items, the sisters share, one rattan pole may take up to eight hours to finish. One table can take two days, and weaving a chair can take up to two days as well.

“I think it’ll be an eye-opener for everyone. Imagine if we export in volume, and these people work to meet 30 pieces or 50 pieces.” Paula smiles. “Their work is very important.”

Detalia Aurora’s core competency is product development, and the company has quite a wide range of materials, with Vikki to thank for. The company is able to work with a lot of different materials, the majority of which are natural, with a specialization in indoor and outdoor furniture.

The details on these pieces are notably Detalia Aurora

“For us, material is really the star. So the simpler the shape, the more the people focus on material, and that’s how you can tell it’s Detalia Aurora.” Vikki shares.

“I think the variety is distinctly Detalia,” Paula adds. “We take pride in our quality, of course, executed by the Cebuano craftsmen.”

“You’ll really see the details, how much work was involved. It can’t be mass produced. There’s a lot of time given into the product.” Paula finishes.

While found in many Cebuano homes, Detalia Aurora’s clientele is mostly international. Their buyers travel all the way to Cebu, to be present for the entire process.

“We tell them the story, how long the product takes, how much work was involved, for them to really know the value in our products,” Paula says. “And they’ll be able to share it with their clients as well.”

The company does small demos for their visiting clients as well. “It’s for them to understand more about the items, so they know exactly what’s going on,” Vikki explains.

It was easy for both ends of the collaboration to come together. In a nutshell, the Design Series platform is meant to showcase the company and as a whole, showcase Cebu craftsmanship.

“We designed the Design Series platform to tap into different design ecosystems of Cebu,” shares Javier Marcalain, Group Marketing Manager of AppleOne Mactan, Inc. “It’s a homage to Cebu design. Cebu is known to have such great, painstaking design and craftsmanship and we wanted to highlight that as The Residences.”

Will there be more to come for the Design Series? Definitely, if Javier has anything to say about it.

“I can’t disclose anything yet, but definitely we can expect something early next year.” He promises.

Detalia Aurora’s iconic pieces were on display at The Residences at Sheraton Cebu Mactan Resort until October 23, 2019.