Metamorphosis of Design

Design studio Morfosis keeps on pushing the Modernist envelope in Philippine interiors, graphic design, and art.

Written by Rachelle Medina
October 3, 2023

Modern, fresh, and forward-thinking are the words that come to mind when seeing a project created by the multi-disciplinary design studio Morfosis. Led by partners Misty Floro and Pai Edles, the design duo and their team aim to create more than just spaces, but to mold visions and concepts, be it in interiors, graphic design, brand identity, and fine art.

In the beginning: design detours

Both Morfosis founders wanted careers in design, though their journey was not as straightforward. “I have always been inclined towards the arts ever since I was a kid,” Misty shares. “True story—in high school, I loved playing The Sims, and it’s one of the main reasons I chose interior design as my course in college. I would spend more time setting up the house and decorating it than actually playing the game. It was also around high school when my family moved into a new house. It was my first time to meet an interior designer, and I was intrigued and excited by the whole process.”

Misty, however, followed her parents’ advice and took up Management Economics at the Ateneo, and eventually entered Philippine School of Interior Design (PSID) for design studies. Her management background proved to be very helpful in her practice. “I'm thankful for my parents’ advice, because I was able to build a solid business foundation, and grow my network.”

Pai’s design journey was a bit more direct. “I basically grew up at a construction site. My papa was an engineer and a contractor. He would bring me to his excavation sites starting at the age of six years old. At home, there’d be a lot of blueprints lying around and I would check them out,” she reveals. “I wanted to be an architect or interior designer. I am the opposite of Misty; I am pasaway. My elder sister wanted me to take a different course in Ateneo but I intentionally failed my college entrance exam to get into UST for architecture or DLSU-College of Saint Benilde for interior design.” Pai then continued her education at PSID.

At first, both interior designers were employed at other boutique design firms to gain experience, but they would work on side projects after hours. When their own projects took over their day jobs, the duo then decided to form their own firm called Morfosis (stemming from the word “Metamorphosis,” according to Misty) in 2013.

Modernism, in black and white

While some interior firms change their design style according to the whims of their clients, the Morfosis team’s aesthetic is very defined—bold, clean-lined, almost minimalist spaces rooted in Modernism, with a strict palette composed mostly of “non-colors” such as white, black, gray, and other neutrals.

Misty admits that it took quite some time to achieve their signature style. “We went through the tedious, and sometimes heartbreaking process of finding out what really is our ‘aesthetic’ or design philosophy,” she says. “A pivotal moment was when we won an award in 2017 for the Kohler Bold Design Awards (Leisure Category) for our design for the retail store, Shoe Salon. It was then that we realized that, yeah, our designs tend to be somewhat bold and edgy. And starting from there, we leaned into it fully.”

Morfosis’ pivotal moment was when they won the 2017 Kohler Bold Design Awards for their design work on popular retail brand Shoe Salon.

These days, even without “convincing” them, Morfosis clients seek their expertise because of their signature aesthetic. But beyond mere style, Misty reveals that they practice a design philosophy that focuses specifically on the needs of the client and the project at hand.

“We also practice Design Thinking,” Misty explains. “We empathize with clients at the start of each project by really getting to know them; conducting interviews with all the stakeholders, having them answer design questionnaires, doing site oculars and measurements. From there, we define the problem or areas of concern.”

From interiors to visual identity

The Morfosis team currently works on 70% commercial and 30% residential interior design projects. This focus on commercial projects was developed from Misty’s background in management economics. “I became fascinated with how brands, business, and companies work. Especially for new concepts, Clients would often come to us with just an idea—and we would then help them in the execution. From our past work, we gained experience in graphics and visual identity. So we started offering that.”

One of the services that Morfosis offers is brand identity, and their most recent popular project was that of the brand refresh and interiors of Lola Nena’s.

Their most popular visual identity project to date is Lola Nena’s, who are famous for their old-fashioned donuts. The owners initially approached Morfosis to work on the interiors of their branches, but the designers encouraged them to create a brand refresh. Today, the Lola Nena logo is “friendlier” with a smiling face, and everything, from the packaging to the interiors of their stores, has a crisp, modern feel that still retains the nostalgic, comforting warmth of the brand.

“Before interior design even starts, we must understand the brand itself. Having a strong brand identity and logo makes it much easier to work on the interior design,” Misty explains. “Everything must be cohesive, from the branding to the interiors to the operations. We don’t limit ourselves to just interior design—we are interested in all kinds of creative work.”

Pai Edles works on her art in her studio.

Self-care into art

With running a multi-disciplinary firm, it does not come as a surprise that the design duo has developed a strong interest in art. Misty cites these artists – with their decidedly minimalist/abstract oeuvre – as their favorites: National Artist Arturo Luz, Max Balatbat, Dex Fernandez, Gregory Halili, Eugene Jarque, Jay Ragma, and Pai.

Pai began creating art years ago, eventually joining art shows under the Morfosis identity, and collaborating with artist/muralist Wipo in his 2019 show This Way at West Gallery. In February 2020, the last Art Fair PH before the pandemic hit, Pai created three different ShuShu, in black, white, and natural wood, for Signum. In August 2020, Pai joined her first group show Objects of Desire at Aphro Gallery, where she created a sculpture of a chair with a stainless-steel protrusion called “AC-01 Thank Your For Not Sitting”—a chair that cannot be sat on.

With various unique projects in the pipeline – from a pet lifestyle center and popular DIY baking stores, to a “barcade” concept – there is much to look forward to for Morfosis, and not only with interiors. “Ultimately, we aim to produce not only beautiful spaces, but conceptual and experiential spaces that add value for our clients and end users,” says Misty. “We always aim to delight our clients with clever ideas that we incorporate into the spaces we design.”

Follow Morfosis on Instagram @morfosis_ph and on Facebook @morfosisdesign.