As Halloween festivities approach, we look at black, a brave choice for decor and paint in any room. Bright and airy interiors are always welcome, but cladding a room or pieces of furniture in black brings sophistication, giving our dwellings that much more bite. We withdraw into the remaining cooler months of the year, momentarily saying goodbye to long days in the sunshine, welcoming darkness.

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What better way to do so with DTI-CITEM’s ITIM, an exhibition in Aphro Living that pushes the boundaries of local design and craftsmanship. In washing the pieces in black, ITIM attempts in uniformity and instead calls for the recognition of presence in texture and form in the absence of color.The pieces are shadows of the seemingly mundane; once only in our peripheries now refocused through the lens of materiality. Philippine designers collaborate with curators, Rita Nazareno and Gabby Lichauco to make narratives tangible.

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“ Step into the shadows with us. “ Creative Directors @ritanazareno and @gabriellichauco invite you to ITIM: Material Manipulations in Black, an exhibit that spotlights Filipino ingenuity and innovation. Featuring artists and designers who create a dialogue between heritage and the contemporary, and push the definitions of design beyond the functional and into the conceptual. CSM x Nazareno/Lichauco E. Murio x Patricia Eustaquio Industria JB+ x Nazareno/Lichauco Nature’s Legacy x Josef Crisanto Schema x Leeroy New Victor Balanon Vito Selma Wataru Sakuma for Masaeco Weave Manila x Gabriel Lichauco ZACARIAS1925 ITIM will be shown in Aphro from Oct. 3 to 31, 2020. Presented by @citemph @manilafame

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Nine Philippine brands breathe contemporaneity into heritage, among them: CSM, E. Murio, Schema, MASAECO, Nature’s Legacy, Zacarias1925, JB Woodcraft, Vito Selma, and Industria. ITIM features memories meant to be held: from the ridges of crumpled paper sculpted from fine bone china, to false shadows created by suspended maps. It brings to life unthinkable theses manifested into a space: blackened cloud formations, reflections of impossible undulations on wicker, and lengths of tangled noodles.

Once only concepts, passion projects hidden in storerooms, ITIM allows pieces to come out of the shadows, blurring the lines between what is considered to be design and conceptual art. In this exhibition, Design Philippines champions imaginations and craftsmanship, injecting the Philippine consciousness into the global eye through thoughtful design.

Candelabra Stool - JB x Nazareno/LichaucoKiln Dried Mahogany Wood Hand Carved 2018@aphroliving

Candelabra Stool - JB x Nazareno/LichaucoKiln Dried Mahogany Wood Hand Carved 2018@aphroliving

CSM x Nazareno/Lichauco - Crumpled PorcelainCrumpled PorcelainFine Porcelain Slip Casting 2020@aphroliving

CSM x Nazareno/Lichauco - Crumpled PorcelainFine Porcelain Slip Casting 2020@aphroliving

Zacarias 1925 by Rita Nazareno - Monolith SedonaWicker with leather details Handwoven Wicker 2019@aphroliving

Zacarias 1925 by Rita Nazareno - Monolith SedonaWicker with leather details Handwoven Wicker 2019@aphroliving

E. Murio x Patricia Perez Eustaquio - Irooo Dog HouseRattan and SolihiyaFlame bent rattan and solihiya 2012@aphroliving

Wataru Sakuma for Masaeco - Milan Paper MapMulberry Paper Pulp Drawing 2018@aphroliving

Wataru Sakuma for Masaeco - Milan Paper MapMulberry Paper Pulp Drawing 2018@aphroliving

Industria - Luglug StoolMetal and Rubber RopeMetal Forging and Rubber Rope Weaving 2020@aphroliving

Industria - Luglug StoolMetal and Rubber RopeMetal Forging and Rubber Rope Weaving 2020@aphroliving

E. Murio x Patricia Perez Eustaquio - Irooo Dog HouseRattan and SolihiyaFlame bent rattan and solihiya 2012@aphroliving

Prado x Nazareno/Lichauco - Black Coral Hanging LampGI Wire Handcrafted similar to filigree work 2020@aphroliving

Wataru Sakuma for Masaeco - Milan Paper MapMulberry Paper Pulp Drawing 2018@aphroliving

JB + Nazareno/Guerrero Column Stool - Column StoolKiln Dried Gemelina Wood Hand Carved2018@aphroliving

JB + Nazareno/Guerrero Column Stool - Column StoolKiln Dried Gemelina Wood Hand Carved2018@aphroliving

Nature's Legacy X Josef Whisky Side Table - High Polished Marmorcast Model and Wet Sanded from Grit 24 to Grit 2000 2018@aphroliving

Let this gallery of ideas on decorating with the absence of color inspire you:

10 Decorating Tricks With Black - As a backdrop to heirloom furniture, painting the walls black pulls the pieces together and allows them to pop in a space. Oftentimes, our hand-me-down furniture are a mish-mash of time periods, styles and colors. Styling them in a black room allows each one to standout on their own.@joansmoss

10 Decorating Tricks With Black - In the kitchen, highlight the natural veining of gorgeous stone slabs in lighter hues when yo set them against black cabinetry.@plushcoutureinteriors

10 Decorating Tricks With Black - Black and white is a bold and timeless combination that will make any room a classic. Use each of them in solid fields. Here, black is used to define the entertaining unit, and white is used for the coffee table. A rug with both shades in a subtle graphic pattern pulls both together. You are sure not to run the risk of dating your interiors with this combo.@livingedgeinteriors

10 Decorating Tricks With Black - Let warm tones like rusts, ochres and oranges provide a complement to black walls and dark-stained furniture.@ourhomeonperrone

10 Decorating Tricks With Black - Black walls play host to contemporary furniture slip-covered in white linen. Drama is heightened by a striking black and white art work in the background, echoing the silhouette of the stone bust in this setting.@livingedgeinteriors

10 Decorating Tricks With Black - In a child's room, let them express their sentiments by using black chalkboard paint on a wall where they can write with white or colored chalk. Primary colors add to the bold playfulness of this room.@tinylittlepads

10 Decorating Tricks With Black - Natural materials lend themselves well in a black room. Black heightens wood's graining, and makes its natural color standout. @nerointenso

10 Decorating Tricks With Black - Black frames the Viennese caning in this room's furniture pieces. A nod to the art deco period, black makes powerful datum lines used this way in a space. It frames the art work on the wall, making it a stronger focal point. Neutral shades from the pampass grass in vases and the wicker swing shine against a black background.@bealach_uig_bothy

10 Decorating Tricks With Black - On walls as a backdrop to textiles with jewel tones, black makes for an enchanting and theatrical setting. Add an exotic rug and antique pieces to amplify the mystique. In this setting, black is both romantic and magical.@tiki.toni

10 Decorating Tricks With Black - A room decorated with a black accent wall allows those sitting in it to focus on textures and materiality of the elements that decorate it, like the sheen on the tropical plants and the shimmer on the crystal chandelier in this room.@suszi_saunders