Watercolor Dreams

September 25, 2016 posted by Stephanie in Style

When I first met Anina during a feature we did on her for Modern Living TV, I was filled with envy. How could someone have such amazing handwriting? Seriously. Whatever boring old word she wrote looked gorgeous. I’m sure her grocery lists are masterpieces. Welcome to the life of a calligraphy artist. Even the way she stuck on the washi tape to this crafty board sign project we were doing, even the washi tape looked so artfully placed. My just looked like tape. Stuck there. I am so impressed by her ease of creation, a quick flick of the brush, a swipe her and a fluorish there and suddenly a blank canvas becomes this floral paradise.

Anina is an avid traveller and beach-lover, she is passionate about the Philippines and exploring all its hidden gems. This zest for adventure is what drew the lovely ladies behind L’Indochine, Char Carlos and Leona Panutat, to her work. “Following the success of L’Indochine’s first artist collaboration, we wanted to once again work with a local artist that shares the same vision as we do. An artist that showcases her experiences and inspiration through her work. Anina’s pieces all tell a story, are vibrant and absolutely beautiful to look at. We felt that her artwork would be perfect for a lifestyle collection we wanted to create.”

I absolutely love the pieces, how can you not? The tropical print makes you want to sing “If you like piña coladas….” and sway to the balmy breeze all day, while the underwater print captures the serenity of a pristine coral reef. Something I miss. I was an avid diver before having the two babies and this is a great way for me to remember those peaceful moments floating under the sea.

To create her collection “I got inspiration from my travels around the Philippines. I usually visit at least one province in the country every month, and every province yielded a different stroke of inspiration. The country is surrounded by greens and blues and those two are what sparked my designs for this collaboration: Underwater and Tropics.”

“During my trips, I observed that most areas have banana or coconut trees. Gumamela, or Hibiscus, is also one of the first flowers I remember seeing in a lot of gardens during field trips when I was little. I even used it to make bubbles! On the other hand, whenever I dive, I would always see urchins, seaweeds, and vibrant colors of corals. Nature has always been a top source of inspiration to me and this is why I love the country so much. Our resources are so vast!,” shares Anina.

 “Each L’Indochine piece is curated and unique from one another, but at the same time cohesive and focused on one common goal – to inspire. This partnership enabled me to tell a story of my travels, my processes, my adventures, and my perceptions of Philippine nature and culture. Now, everyone who has pieces from this collaboration can share in the experience and in turn, create their own stories,” says Anina.I particularly love all the home pieces. This stool would look perfect in a veranda or a balcony to give you a little of that resort feel in an urban setting.

Christmas is just around the corner and the beautiful paper products and little pouches would make for really great gifts! The #L’IndochineLovesAninaRubio collection is exclusively available at L’Indochine. L’Indochine stores located at the 4^th level of SM Mega Fashion Hall and at the 3^rd level of SM Aura Premier.

Love, light and tropical dreams, Stephanie

Photography by: Sheila Catilo