A reflection on my internship journey at Plume Design House where I learned that good design goes beyond aesthetics and becomes a language of clarity, empathy, and intention.

My internship under Plume Design House is a formative experience that I am fairly certain I will cherish for the rest of my life. As someone who has never been anything but a student prior to this internship, I was nervous about leaving my comfort zone and entering the “real world”, but with this being an academic requirement for graduating Ateneo I soldiered on. I do not regret a thing.

As part of the Cruz group of companies, Plume Design House owes its existance to the N. A. Cruz woodworking factory. The N. A. Cruz story is one of hardship and perserverance, where a small family-owned establishment built by a community of close neighbors becomes one of the premier woodworking brands behind much of Manila’s doors and furniture.