The dining table is Pinky Pe Tobiano’s canvas of gratitude. The plates, glassware, silverware and other accessories are her colors. The vibrance of her tablescape is inescapable; it creates the imaginary lines and strokes only an artistic person like her can do. Joyful. Celebratory. Grateful.
By Büm D. Tenorio Jr.
Walking into the Opulence showroom in Greenhills, San Juan, we see Pinky Pe Tobiano’s exquisite table settings. They are artworks, classy and divine — even whimsical.
“I love to entertain,” begins Pinky, explaining how her love for table setting started. “The table setting is always a work of art. I pour all the elements together to create a beautiful ‘painting,’ so to speak. And I’ve been doing it for the last 15 years.”
Chemist, philanthropist and tablescape artist Pinky Pe Tobiano
(Second and third photos) Red Romance: A dramatic table setting starring Pinky’s extensive collection of Fornasetti plates, paired with Versace wine glasses, red roses, exquisite silverwear and embroidered napkins
To entertain guests is an art. It’s also part psychology. It’s making sure the table is beautifully set. It’s also making sure the guests are mixed handsomely. Pinky joyfully experiments on what elements to put on the table and how a set of guests will gel. She always excels in putting things and people together the way a chemist — like she is by profession — always achieves the best result. Pinky is the topnotch chemist behind Qualibet, a reliable testing laboratory for food, water, pharmaceutical and veterinary products.
The pandemic heightened her love for creating tablescapes. And it is through social media that Pinky’s love for the craft takes center stage, so to speak.
Love, love, love
Like anything Pinky does, setting tables is not something she’d do half- heartedly. So dedicated is she to the craft that she even ended up having a show on TFC (The Filipino Channel) aptly titled Table Love by Pinky. There, she tours the homes of celebrities and well- known personalities, and sets beautiful tablescapes with them in the midst of lovely banter.
She also does table settings for Rustan’s, West Elm Pottery Barn and Opulence Design Concept (home of Versace and Fornasetti homewear). She also styles the tables for special occasions of The Farm in San Benito. “I’m grateful that I am part of people’s joy, part of their happy memories, of history,” Pinky says.
As a party host, Pinky says she makes sure the experience of her guests will be beyond compare, beyond memorable.
“I make sure each guest will go home with happy grateful memories. My love language is making people happy. And when they come to the party I host for them, I am also beyond grateful for their presence,” she says.
Hello, holidays
For PeopleAsia’s holiday issue, Pinky creates four table settings to herald the season.
Her “Grateful Spring” table, opulent in limited edition Fornasetti plates, is overflowing with hope and life. “Spring is one of my favorite seasons. It comes after winter and it reminds me of all the beautiful pastel hues, especially blue hydrangeas. It reminds me of life and hope. I used my limited edition Fornasetti for ‘Grateful Spring’ to add a moment of conversation. I love Fornasetti. Each plate is a different theme, a different conversation,” she says.
“I want my table to speak to my guests. A beautiful conversation in each plate. The highlight of my tablescapes is always my plates,” Pinky adds.
The freshness of the day, on the other hand, is felt in her “Sunshine Amalfi” table. It’s bright and beautiful, and everything that is Amalfi — a picturesque, cliff town on Italy’s southwest coast. And if it’s Italy, Versace plates must be present in Pinky’s design.
(First, second, third and fourth photos) Luxe Botanica: With the help of a gorgeous Baccarat crystal candelabra, Pinky showcases her white Versace Medusa Gala plates, matching wine glasses, gold cutlery and accent pieces in this opulent setting
“Amalfi always reminds me of happy sunshine and lemons. So, I recreated this Amalfi vibe. And the table is zesty and happy and I used my beautiful Versace Medusa Blue by Rosenthal plates. The Medusa Versace series is very iconic and it makes my guests feel a sense of opulence,” she says.
Whereas the first two tablescapes are refreshing in nature, Pinky’s “Red Romance” somewhat turns the tables by showing her more theatrical and opulent style. Juxtaposed against a wall of coveted Fornasetti plates, the table evokes a dramatic conversation in the midst of fiery red roses and carnations.
Last but definitely not the least, her “Luxe Botanica” concept comes to life with sparkling crystal pieces that are paired with a variety of greens and flora. “The use of a luxury Baccarat candelabra truly creates a feel of opulence. Wow factor is achieved by mixing fresh tulips and snapdragons with my White Versace Medusa Gala plates. The fine white ivory in gold-crust details in each plate are simply stunning,” Pinky says.
A serving of gratitude
Gratitude, Pinky says, is the silent, unseen element in her tablescape. “A grateful heart is a magnet for miracles. Gratitude is also my love language,” she says. “I always am grateful to God because I am an instrument of His abundance. You cannot give from an empty cup.”
Part of her plans for the holidays is to continue her “Grateful Tuesdays” advocacy, a program she created to help feed the homeless and displaced during the pandemic. She notes that she has “spread love and kindness to 85,000 Filipino families through the donations of other generous souls.” Among them are the jeepney and tricycle drivers in Katipunan in Quezon City, who are affected by the suspension of face-to-face classes in the many schools in the area.
“People should remember to be grateful,” says the generous lady, who also established Pinky Cares Foundation, which attends to the needs of the elderly in Golden Acres home for the aged. “One of the things that will make you resilient in the time of the pandemic is to be grateful. Trials are present. But if you are grateful, you will survive,” she concludes.
