With Healing, Passion, and Purpose
Newly-elected PIID President Cecil Ravelas leads forward with a sustainable, resourceful, and meaningful campaign within and beyond the design community.
Words Rica Mae Labbao
Photos courtesy of Philippine Institute of Interior Designers
December 23, 2025
In today’s world, how do we build spaces that restore?
These words are interior designer par excellence Cecil Ravelas’ exact question as she ponders and expresses her plans as the recently appointed head of the Philippine Institute of Interior Designers (PIID)—revealing an objective of change inclined with reconnection to nature, healing, holistic wellness, and conscious leadership.
Sustainability headlines her campaign with a motivation of using design as a way to reconnect with nature. “Nature. Nature holds the answer,” ultimately answering the toppled question.
PIID President and Founder of RED Design, IDr Cecil Ravelas
"I would like to keep lobbying for sustainable design as a standard, not just an option. I always encourage clients to add features in their homes that support a more sustainable way of life-water and energy saving mechanisms, designated areas for rain water collection, intelligent lighting, better insulation, just to name a few,” Cecil shared.
She also acknowledges the slight downside of sustainability being costly, with an optimistic solution: "This is where the creativity and resourcefulness, especially of Filipino designers, come into play."
Along with it, Cecil also aims to continuously upgrade training and workshops by outgoing officers, citing the importance of developing technical know-how of designers, maintaining competence and professionalism.
The significance of overall well-being and its interconnection to a designer’s performance is also highlighted by her, "Innerwork is an important tool for navigating the profession in a healthy way."
Art Caravan. A space for healing with art.
Healing As A Space
Cecil has always incorporated healing in her design journey, starting with quiet spaces refined by emotional materials: color and texture. “They define the psychological temperature of a space and offer subtle cues of comfort and grounding.”
Her style usually navigates between contemporary, restraint, and warmth. She’s had experiences in designing both for monastic structures and retail spaces which had her signatures, despite her not exactly being able to pinpoint it.
“Intuitively, I’ve been building healing spaces. But for a long period of time, I couldn’t fully identify or characterize my style,” Cecil recalls. “Clients would always tell me that the spaces I’ve designed for them carry a profound sense of balance and inner peace.”
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Moreover, Cecil found indispensable help in designing restorative spaces through the utilization of art, lines, light, color, and curvature.
“These are contrasts that I like to play with. Structure meets soul. Linear geometry establishes discipline, rhythm, and clarity while curves soften the space and invites emotional openness. Lines structure the mind while curves open the heart. The interplay creates harmony, a quiet tension between precision and flow.”
Designing with Meaning
“After the Sovereign Soul retreat in Ubud, Bali with Lia Bernardo and Malou Araneta, I came to the realization that my calling as a designer has always been to do projects with purpose and meaning,” Cecil reflected.
Color, texture, and elements from nature come together in the lobby of Lagun in El Nido.
For her, sensibility matched with reverence to imagination and personality upholds a standard of design towards healing and intention. Designing doesn’t end with itself, Cecil is keen to breathe restoration in a space way beyond building living places.
“We are all called to lead as designers,” Cecil introspects. “To spark conversations on mindful thinking and design not just among us in the practice but also for our clients. Every space that we co-create with our client holds the potential to heal. Every project that we are presented with is an opportunity to respond to the call of the times.”
