Welcome to Lessons From the Veterans, a series that goes behind the scenes with industry icons. Through their stories, we highlight the defining moments, lessons learned, and guiding principles that have shaped their careers and influenced their industries.
Zenas Pineda answered our call from Milan—calm, unhurried, wrapped in a hoodie at four in the morning.
Milan felt like the right backdrop for her. Zenas is a creative’s creative—a designer whose reputation was built long before Instagram mood boards and viral wedding ceilings. Her name circulates in rooms where taste is taken seriously, passed along not through marketing, but through the steady recommendations of people who know good work when they see it.
She brushed off our apologies for the early hour, noting that she had a full day ahead—calls, errands, a bit of sightseeing in between. It was classic Zenas: disciplined, curious, and perpetually in motion. And it offered the first clue to why she has remained one of the country’s most trusted stylists and designers for nearly four decades.
“I enjoy working, I enjoy working with my hands, I enjoy seeing nice things and putting them together,” she shared. “Sometimes at night, I’m awake because I can visualize what I want to do for events or for Christmas. I try to compartmentalize, but I can’t. So I just have to let go.”
Zenas sharpened her eye and developed an unimpeachable sense of style by working with some of the country’s most respected design pillars—starting out as an event designer with the Design Center of the Philippines under the mentorship of National Artist Arturo Luz. His modernist sensibilities shaped her clean, timeless aesthetic and nurtured her love for natural and local materials, a signature that continues to show in her refined floral arrangements.
After her stint at Design Center, Zenas went on to become the head of visual merchandising at Rustan’s, another career-defining moment where she discovered her true niche in working with florals.
“At that time, I started as a visual merchandising manager. We were like five or six in the team. And then a few months later, they made me the head of that visual merchandising,” she said, adding that she was eventually pulled into Rustan’s Flower Shop after her boss, Carmenita Lopez, took over the reins from Nena Tantoco of the Tantoco family, founders of Rustan’s.
“When she took over, she pulled me in and said, ‘Can you also do this?’ So outside of merchandising, I was doing the flower shop, too. Natuto ako from the ranks (I learned through the ranks),” she recalled. “I was pulling the florist—he was probably in his 50s. Every day I would visit him and I would ask him to teach me. I learned a lot from him.”
Her tenacity, passion, and creativity continue to shine even after nearly two decades of running her own event and floral styling business, Zenas Pineda & Co.—and it’s these very qualities that led The Beauty Edit to collaborate with her for The Beauty Edit Gallery at Spatio. It was a concept—a space—that had never been done before: a digital platform brought to life as a physical, shoppable gallery. When the team first met with Zenas, there were no exact pegs, no clear precedents to follow, because nothing like it existed. But Zenas rose to the challenge with characteristic grace and ingenuity, and the result was nothing short of stunning.
We sat down with this style maven to talk to her about her evolving creative career, and what it takes to ensure longevity in an industry now filled with TikTok trends.
Let’s talk about your career beginnings: You studied interior design at the University of the Philippines. What were your early dreams as a designer, and how have they evolved over the years?
When I started, actually, that wasn’t really the plan. I was in either political science or philosophy—that was my course, I don’t really remember. But then I realized it wasn’t really meant for me.
So I decided to transfer to interior design. What was my ambition then? My aunt was an interior designer in New York, so I said I wanted to be like her. But things weren’t that easy at that time—you know, that was the peak of the revolution.
The one thing that really picked me up, because I was genuinely interested in interior design and in doing and creating things, was when I joined Design Center. That’s when I finally started to have a path. Because in college and right after college, the path was kind of blurry. But fortunately, after around a year of having no work, I was able to get a job at Design Center.
How did you discover your passion for floral and event styling?
At Design Center, I was exposed to a lot. My passion for designing came out there, especially for exhibits, where you have to be innovative and at the same time very creative because it’s a government entity. The problem with that is the budget is also very tight. So we had to make do with whatever we had—but it was a good experience.
When it comes to florals, I’ve been interested in them ever since I was young. My mother was so interested in flowers, especially orchids, and she grew them in our garden. She would rarely pick flowers from the garden, but when she did, she would create flower arrangements and hold parties. My mom really inspired me—with her love for plants, flowers, and nature.
But the one who really inspired me creatively was Arturo Luz, our big boss at the Design Center. He was the head of everything. And so his direction was: clean, clean lines, very simple. Walang arte. (No frills.) Very zen, very Japanese in a way.
When I was there, I was also exposed to local materials—weaves, rattan, bamboo, raffia. We traveled from north to south of the country, and we were shown all these locally produced products that were not too well-designed. We were asked to make use of them and develop them into beautiful products.
Seeing Filipino products and artistry thrive today, how does that compare to your experience working with them in the past?
It wasn’t really mainstream back then. They would say, “Huh?” But we were trying to level up. We had very good weavers, very good craftsmen, and we were just trying to help them upgrade their designs. That was the start.
The makers of today have come a long way, and I’m happy that their work is now used as regular products and no longer treated as ‘ethnic.’ That’s a big difference from when we first introduced it.
After Design Center, you moved to Rustan’s and wore many hats. How did you navigate those transitions? And when did you know it was time to move forward?
When I was working at Design Center, it was really economics. I was married with a child, so I said, ‘It’s not going to be lucrative in the future.’ I couldn’t stay, even though I was very happy with my job and it opened opportunities. I didn’t want to leave, but I had to go.
So I looked around and found my niche at Rustan’s, and that’s where I became a visual merchandising head. That was fun because all these creative juices were just flowing—I was in the midst of all these designers, similar to my background in design.
The only frustration was that everything is temporary: when you do visuals, after a month, you take it out. But I enjoyed it and stayed for 15 years.
“As soon as I quit, people started coming to me—after finding out that I left Rustan’s. ‘Can you do the wedding of my friend? Can you do the wedding of my sister?’ The old clientele from Rustan’s started reaching out. I wasn’t even ready.”—Zenas Pineda
Eventually, though, I got burned out and frustrated. I wanted to do more, but I couldn’t. I thought I was just going on sabbatical leave—to be a stay-at-home mom and probably design on the side—but it didn’t work out that way.
As soon as I quit, people started coming to me—after finding out that I left Rustan’s. ‘Can you do the wedding of my friend? Can you do the wedding of my sister?’ The old clientele from Rustan’s started reaching out. I wasn’t even ready. I was alone; I didn’t have people with me when I quit, so I didn’t know what would happen.
One thing led to another: I started with just one wedding, and then ang dami na! (There were a lot!) I never stopped from then on, and I never advertised.
I don’t know what happened, but in 2011, somebody just said, ‘Can you get that person who used to do the visuals of Rustan’s to do Ayala Avenue for us? Can you find out who did this?’ I think there was a time when they were so frustrated with their Christmas decor.
So they said, ‘Look for this person.’ They didn’t know me from anywhere. They just said, ‘There’s someone who quit Rustan’s who can probably do this.’ You know who recommended me? She just passed on—Susan Joven (PR maven and founder of PR agency Visions & Expressions).
It’s amazing how you became a floral stylist especially since you just learned it on the job.
Yes. I just know visually what I like. But I don’t know the techniques, the technical parts, or how to take care of the flowers. So the guys (from where I used to work) taught me how to prepare things like ribbons and taught me all of the techniques. My boss also asked me to take lessons with a German florist.
I did a lot of things just to learn the ropes. But the influence of Arturo Luz was still there: simple, clean. I still liked Filipino materials—so, instead of doing ribbons, I would go for raffia.
I would go out and look for things that I like to use—if it’s not from the earth, I don’t want it. So, sometimes it’s old wood. Or rocks. Or sometimes just the seed pods. And everybody would be looking at me and saying, ‘Why are you picking those twigs, etc.?’ I’d tell them I can use them, and they would finally see it.
I don’t like doing these large, maximalist arrangements, even if they will give me more money. And I never liked artificial flowers or plastic flowers. So when a would-be client would come to me and say, ‘Can you do this for the ceiling? And I’d say, and if I’m gonna do that, I might have to use fake flowers, and I don’t like to use fake flowers.’ So I would rather give the project to another supplier.
My staff would say, ‘Ma’am, sayang yung project. Bakit mo binigay sa iba?’ (Such a loss—why did you give the project to someone else?) I can only go so far, but there are times when I really don’t.
Looking back, were there any turning points or challenges that changed the way that you approach your work today?
In the beginning, I was like, go do whatever you have to so you can earn money. Of course, you’re still eager. Fortunately, I was able to get good projects. But after a while—and lately—I thought, maybe I should just choose my battles. I don’t need to prove anything anymore. If I don’t like the project, I would just get out of it.
My client would say, ‘Can you copy this?’ And I’d say—and now I’m bold enough to say—especially if she keeps asking me to copy something I’d done for another client: ‘This isn’t your personality. That’s your wedding. Let’s make it different for your wedding.’
The creative scene moves so fast now, especially with TikTok shaping trends left and right. How do you balance staying relevant with staying true to your design philosophy?
I never bothered with staying relevant because I have a niche. I’ve noticed that most of my clients have a certain ‘taste.’ I have an Instagram and a Facebook account, but that’s it. I don’t even advertise. My Instagram speaks for myself. I have two IG accounts—one is for work, one is for personal use. Whatever we’ve done that I like, I post it there. And that’s it.
I think being true to yourself, being true to your design philosophy, is the better way to go. Parang sa akin, kahit uso to, hindi ako nakikiuso. (For me, even if something’s trendy, I don’t join in.) Like, remember, there was a trend where the entire ceiling was covered. Lahat may bulaklak, but amoy plastic naman. (Everything had flowers, but smelled like plastic.)
So I would tell them, “Do you want the ballroom to smell like plastic? And then, I would even say, “Why did you choose this place when you have to cover it all?” It’s better to work with an area that’s already beautiful so you don’t have to complicate things.
For me, my priority is my design, and then my clients usually come to me because they have seen my work. So that’s how things have been. I would be referred to clients that way. I would have a bride who was very happy with me, she would recommend me to another bride, and that goes on. The common factor among all of them is that they would say, “We don’t want a complicated wedding. We don’t want you to cover everything. We just want a simple, clean, straightforward wedding.”
How would you describe your creative philosophy?
I just want it as clean and simple as possible. And if you don’t need something—if it’s just going to be a mess—I remove it. I read something that said, when you’re putting on jewelry, you start with one or two pieces, then add more, and finally edit. That’s how I work. I edit. So when I don’t like the flower arrangements, I take things out until it feels right.
I try to still keep everything simple and natural. And then if I can work with local materials—products, flowers—I would.
Can you walk us through your process from concept to execution, and what you prioritize in each project?
If it’s a wedding, usually I ask my client, ‘What are they like?’ Or I would ask them to share some pegs. Not necessarily flower pegs, but more like, ‘What’s your favorite color? How do you see your wedding?’ And then from there, I move on and I work on designing.
I also need to know the venue—I work around the venue. If the aesthetic is very modern, I try to keep my design also very modern.
From there, we do our presentation: We work on layouts, floor plans, and the elevations. If necessary, mood boards. If approved, we will start doing our quotation, and then we will do a mock-up. For me, that’s very important. I don’t want to skip that mock-up because that’s the only assurance I can give myself, not my client, that we’ll do what we’ll do for her.
Where do you find inspiration, and how do you recharge your creativity in such a demanding industry?
I try to travel every year. That’s where I get my inspiration. I also get out of the city—whether it’s the beach, whether it’s the farm. I get my inspiration from whatever I see—the composition, the color scheme. It’s not just always looking at other events or flowers. You can get your inspiration anywhere.
For example, I’m here in Milan now because I had to accompany my daughter, who’s going to take her master’s. I’m just helping her prepare.
But there are a lot of reasons why I’m here. I was in Barcelona, then Madrid, and now Milan—our last stop. Since I’m here, I might as well make the most of it and get some inspiration.
I also go through books and Pinterest—I will never deny it. But only to get color schemes for my clients. So, I just get the colors—the nice colors that work together.
What do you think is the key to building a long and lasting creative career?
Be true to yourself. Be true to your passion. You have to make sure that your design philosophy is still intact. To last in this business, you have to be honest with your clients. You have to tell them what you feel. You just don’t say ‘Yes, we’ll do it.’
You also have to have a good sense of accounting. You cannot just be designing and designing and not thinking of your financial capability. There are designs that can cost a lot, and there are designs that can be very minimal in terms of cost. So you have to have a good balance between the two: the business side and the design side. You can’t go all the way over the top only to be shut down because they don’t have the budget for it. You have to be very practical as well.
“At Rustan’s, one of the big bosses said, ‘Some people were not born rich,’ which is true. Some people were never exposed to the arts. Some people were never exposed to the good life or to entertaining. So you do your research—she handed me magazines, books, all that for me to absorb. ‘This is Gucci. This is Prada.’ I was in visual merchandising, so I had to know what I was displaying. I went through it all and learned.”
Learn your craft. You have to learn. You have to do a lot of research, a lot of study. The basics are very important. You have to learn your products or your materials, whatever you’re using.
Of course, you have to have good taste. With Design Center, I learned to be critical and curate, because you can’t put everything. With Rustan’s, I learned what nice and quality products looked like.
At Rustan’s, one of the big bosses said, ‘Some people were not born rich,’ which is true. Some people were never exposed to the arts. Some people were never exposed to the good life or to entertaining. So you do your research—she handed me magazines, books, all that for me to absorb. “This is Gucci. This is Prada.” I was in visual merchandising, so I had to know what I was displaying. I went through it all and learned.
Let’s talk about your work on The Beauty Edit Gallery at Spatio. How was that experience for you?
Everything was very smooth for me, but the challenge was when they said months ago, “Can you do this?” I said, “Oh, that’s easy.” But I didn’t realize there were a lot of elements required, such as the visuals (for the editorial displays). That was a challenge.
The space was limited, but I always work with whatever space you have. And it’s not something that I will back out of—it’s actually a nice challenge.
The design went through a lot. I had to break it down, because it was a lot—the areas were different, and so I thought, ‘Okay, let’s see how we can make them look like one, but not exactly one.’ That’s what I did. I created islands. Each island had the same overall look, but its own personality. It was tricky because it had to be free-flowing—the customers should be able to move around comfortably. So with so many displays, I decided to cut it up and put it in segments.
After working with The Beauty Edit, are there other creative challenges or collaborations that you’re excited to take on next?
I don’t mind doing something like that again. It was fun for me—actually, anything that will make my mind move and excite my senses, I would go for it.
I’m working on something for Ayala again, but I can’t say yet. It’s totally different from this one.
I’m always excited when it comes to designing. Whether it’s a small project or a big one, as long as there’s a challenge that keeps my mind active, I’m in. I think that’s one of the reasons I’m still here—almost 40 years of experience.
