DESIGN consultant Rachy Cuna continues his love of organic materials and Filipiniana themes. In keeping with the holidays? austere mood and green design trend, Christmas at Hotel Intercontinental exploits the versatility of the coconut tree, hence the title, ?Coco Pasko.?

The place is filled with transmutations from various parts of the tree. They?re turned into everyday materials, which are then turned into embellishments. All this is proof that the coconut is the ?tree of life.?

Fronds and leaves are made into baskets, fruit trays and woven coasters, and these are used on Christmas trees and lanterns. The fronds are also made into chick cages and cribs that become bases for tablescapes.

The trunk is wood used to make buttons and beads to tie in the elements. The paper pulp extracted from the trunk is transformed into cardboard, then shaped as stars. Coconut flowers substitute for tinsel. Dried fibers of the coconuts become petals for topiary centerpieces and wreathes. The stiff leaflet midribs, accentuated by tiny beads, are fillers for arrangements.

Leaf petioles from coconut branches, made to look like boats, are centerpieces and crowns. Dried half coconut shells used in homes to buff the floors become base materials for a Christmas tree, while laminated husks are turned into little vases. Even the flower clusters from the coconut fruit are used to adorn the lanterns.

To signify prosperity Rachy used the classic red and gold. His accent pieces are strands of coco beads, red ferns, anahaw leaves, glitter, pitogo leaves, crystals, abaca flowers, dried twigs and raffia.

Folk Holy Family

At the frontage, the Holy Family bears a folkloric quality. Three giant figures are made of baskets with faces carved in Paete. Little mirrors reflect the light and add sparkle at night. They are crowned with gilt-sprayed dried, coconut leaf petioles and draped with raffia.

The Christmas trees come in varieties. The elegant gold tree in the foyer of Prince Albert, the fine dining restaurant, is a mix of geometric shapes, square mat-woven boxes piled up on a metal frame, softened by golden balls and straps.

Stiff branches of the pitogo leaves conjure the image of a tree. The tree in the lobby is a pyramid of fruit baskets, strung together by coco beads and perked up by capiz star lanterns.

At the entrance of the Jeepney Bar, the tree is made of tampipi or mini mat-woven containers painted in red, and made playful with jeepneys, coconut bead necklaces and abaca buds.

For the piece de resistance, the lowly bunot finds its way in the most exclusive part of the hotel. In the business lounge, the tree is made of red dried coconut husks, adorned with coconut woven mat coasters that form a contrast to the glittery balls.

Instead of garlands and wreathes, the staircase is a festive display of fruit trays skewered in bamboo sticks, dried wreathes, native lanterns, coconut husk flowers and anahaw leaves.

Rachy fashioned elegant topiaries made from dried coconut husks that were adorned with stones. The general manager was initially apprehensive that they were going to fall off. They did not. The next day, however, he noticed some stones missing.

Rachy replied, ?They?re being set on somebody?s ring by now.?

The heart of his décor is the exuberance, humor and resourcefulness that are intrinsically Filipino.

How to make a coconut Christmas spray

MATERIALS:
Coconut shells
Twigs from the garden
Metallic ribbon
Wire
Metallic spray paint from the Hardware store
(Christmas balls and stars are optional)

PROCEDURE
1. Spray-paint the empty coconut shells.
2. Bunch them with wire, as with the bundles of twigs.
3. Hide the wires with ribbons.
4. For accent, add Christmas balls, stars or other decorative elements.

TIP
For composition, cluster the elements in odd numbers.