Before she turned a discerning eye to furniture and décor, Karen Santos was already making her mark in fashion. In the 1980s, she launched Kashieca, a brand she headed for over three decades before its eventual sale to BENCH.
In 1997, Karen established KASSA and started her natural stone business, collaborating with the country’s top architects and designers in the industry.
“Like fashion, linens, and furniture, the appeal of stone is visual as well as tactile, and the construction and finish, not to mention installation, are important components of any project,” Karen says. “Otherwise, the beauty of the raw material is not shown to its best advantage.”
With her design background and a desire to craft with fabrics once again, Karen started a line of table linens in 2014, bringing style to table settings inspired by traditional Philippine embroidery.
Her latest venture in European vintage and antique furniture and décor took shape about 10 years ago, when Karen was renovating her home and searching for pieces that were difficult to source locally—18th- and 19th-century furniture, with mid-century European designs that possessed the character and craftsmanship she was looking for.
Louis XVI-style gilded mirror; ca ’70s-’80s bronze Foo Dog lamps;
bronzed coconut shell vase; 18th century bombe chest
“I couldn’t find them locally,” she recalls. So Karen went looking, traveling and sourcing the pieces herself.
Karen’s travels reconnected her with an appreciation for European period furniture that began during her years as a student in England, Switzerland, and Italy. Living in these cities, she discovered homes where antiques and contemporary life existed comfortably side by side—spaces that were deeply personal, effortlessly stylish and, above all, lived in. The experience shaped her understanding of how furniture from different periods could feel entirely at home in a modern setting, bringing character and history to interiors while remaining functional for contemporary life.
Acrylic side table
Circa 1780-1790 Louis XVI-style two-seater
“I saw how people lived contemporary lives with furniture from different periods,” Karen recalls. “They were house-proud, with homes alive with the things they loved and used on a daily basis.”
It is an ethos that now defines KASSA’s latest collection of fine European period furniture and décor, gathered from her travels, and guided by a highly personal eye. Spanning different eras and styles, the pieces are united by their enduring appeal—true classics that transcend trends and stand the test of time.
For Karen, the attraction is not simply aesthetic. European furniture, whatever its period, offers a sense of permanence that feels increasingly rare.
Vintage gilt tole and crystal Italian chandelier
1970s oval dining table with brass frame
“There is a substance and solidity to it. In a way, it’s a reaction to the disposability of modern life. With my furniture, as with my linens, I try to create some permanence with pieces that are not discarded after a season.”
Karen started to showcase the fabulous furnishings and decor she was able to source overseas in pop-ups, before finally opening the KASSA by Karen Santos showroom in 2018. Since then, it has become an under-the-radar resource for discerning clients.
KASSA is for the modern homeowner, one who is confident and fearless with design, yet grounded in the art of living well and wisely. The KASSA client is also a collector in the truest sense—someone who values not only the beauty and craftsmanship of a piece, but also the stories, provenance, and sense of history it brings into a room.
This is what makes Karen’s selections particularly versatile. Though undeniably luxurious, they are not confined to a single aesthetic. A finely crafted antique can sit as naturally within a classical interior as it can against the clean lines of a contemporary home. The pieces invite juxtaposition rather than prescribe a particular way of living.
All-weather cast iron Neoclassical planter with fluted pedestal
French 19th-century mahogany buffet table with marble top and ormolu detailing
“The home, I realized, is the centerpiece of one’s style and individuality. It’s the ideal platform for self-expression.”
And perhaps that is the true art of the find—knowing that the most beautiful things are not necessarily the newest, the rarest, or the most fashionable, but the ones that continue to speak long after the moment of discovery has passed.
With KASSA, Karen brings together furniture and objects chosen not simply to furnish a room, but to give it soul with unique objects whose presence become part of a home’s story. Moreover, they have the staying power to be passed on to the next generation. This holiday season, her latest collection offers a different kind of luxury: the pleasure of finding something truly worth keeping.
KASSA by Karen Santos is at #3322 Harvard St., Pinagkaisahan, Makati City. For more information, email furniture@kassa-ph.com, or calltel. nos. (632) 7751-4413 and (63917) 703-6374. For updates, follow kassabykaren_santos on Instagram.
