The Color Conjurer
Wilmer Lopez pulls outrageous combinations out of his wizard’s hat and makes them work

Story Judith Torres
Photos courtesy of Wilmer Lopez and MyHome Magazine

Wilmer Lopez says that an interior designer should be like Superman with super speed and strength, or David Blaine who can do magic. Browsing through his furniture shop, Space Encounters, on Emerald Avenue in Ortigas Center, you quickly see that his words are true—the David Blaine part, at least. It is magic how he combines odd color combinations and prints—oranges, greens, blues and browns with stripes and army camouflage; and Sixties and Seventies Pop Art with graphics of Chairman Mao and Shanghai maidens. Then there are the materials—traditional teakwood and mahogany side by side with plastic, lacquered wood and glass mirrors. His settings are vibrant, articulate, out-there but never kitsch. Young people love the rebellious retro look, while older people are drawn to the classic lines of his reproductions of iconic Danish and Scandinavian pieces from the Fifties and Sixties.

He is a fan of Danish furniture design. He loves their clean, flowing lines and sculptural forms, and that they are like art pieces that you can feel and touch and use, and not just display in safe corners. “Safe” isn’t at all part of Wilmer’s design vocabulary. Just read our piece on his condo unit, “In an Out of the Box Space,” in Condo Living’s December 2009 issue, and you’ll see that Wilmer’s design language is about unforgettable, undiluted self-expression.

Read more about Wilmer Lopez in Spotlight, Condo Living Volume 5, No.1, 2010.