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giveaway!: biksa coffee

Remember our feature on Biksa Coffee last October? It’s the laidback, not-too-commercial coffee shop that’s making a buzz in Marikina. This afternoon, I dropped by Biksa for a cup of almond mocha coffee. Yum!

It’s definitely Christmas in Biksa! After being submerged under the chest-deep flood of typhoon Ondoy, it’s good to see that the coffee shop is back in it’s usual “happy and creative” self.

What’s even more interesting is Biksa’s effort in going green for the holidays–all of their Christmas decorations are made from the coffee shop’s ”trash”. This just shows that one man’s trash SHOULD ALSO be his own treasure, hehe

They have a paper mache Santa Clause using Biksa’s old newspaper,

… a colorful Christmas tree made up of empty Torani bottles,

… a relief wall art using painted milk cartons,

… and poinsettia trims made from cut softdrink bottles.

After being one of the hard-hit victims of the flood, it’s very inspiring to see that Biksa still has its creative drive to put up wonderful handmade decors, rendering the place with a warm Christmas atmosphere.

Here’s another good news. Biksa is giving away two (2) P500 gift certificates to our df readers! Yey!

To join the draw, just leave a comment on this post with your email address (will not be published). This giveaway will end on Tuesday, Dec. 29, 8am (manila time). Two winners will be drawn through a random number generator, announced on this post, and will be contacted via email.

For their complete menu and contact details, visit Biksa’s website here.

UPDATE 12/29/09: Giveaway is now closed. Thank you to everyone who joined and gave their wonderful comments! Congratulations to the winning commenters: #7–Daniel and #3–Lesley. The Design Folder Team will contact you through email on how to claim your gc.

in good taste: charito’s delights by heidrun milan

[I know Tacloban, Leyte as the home of Imelda Marcos. I also love their delicacies, especially that suman that has a chocolate-like filling. Yum!

I have been to Tacloban once, last year, when I was invited to be a resource speaker for a design seminar. Apart from being rich in history and heritage, Tacloban is also rich in design talents. In fact, this is the hometown of noted interior designer Leo Almeria.

Our friend, and df reader, Heidrun Milan is another talented young interior designer from Tacloban. Ms. Creative Director and I met him during our review classes for the board exam (Heidrun finished fourth!). Apart from his design practice, Heidrun also teaches interior design in Eastern Visayas State University.

Today, he shares with us his design for Charito’s Delights, a delicacy shop in Robinsons Place, Tacloban. Using indigenous materials in non-traditional applications, he gives the rustic Filipino country style an updated look, making it more relevant and appealing to today’s contemporary taste. ]

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Charito’s Delights is a delicacy shop that sells cookies and pastries. Pili nuts are the main ingredient for most of their products.

When I designed their shop, one of the major considerations that we had is to create a cozy home-like ambiance. The owner wanted to adopt the appearance of a home interior as a reminder of its humble beginnings as a cottage industry. The look is rustic with an old world Filipino charm to preserve the brand’s identity as a homegrown product. However, the design gave the traditional look a modern twist by integrating unconventional applications of indigenous materials like bamboo and coconut shells. These are not typically seen in most commercial spaces.

The circular bamboo sections add an interesting pattern to the counter front while its countertop is finished with polished coconut shells.

These are also used for the open display shelves on the wall. To promote regional identity, Ticog mats, a major product of nearby province Samar, were used to clad the door fronts of the cabinets. They also serve as the inspiration for the flooring, with the tiles following a woven banig (mat) pattern.

Instead of using harsh exposed fluorescent lamps, indirect lighting fixtures are designed to make the interiors “glow”. Panels of laminated skeletonized leaves with back lighting are used for the ceiling to illuminate the whole space. Large droplights and wall lamps, also made of skeletonized leaves with abaca, provide accent lighting.

*Photos courtesy of Tricia Ann Ramirez Pagpaguitan

in good taste: biksa coffee

Going to coffee shops has recently become an integral part of our lifestyle. Coffee shops have been a favorite hangout among friends, a relaxed venue for small meetings, and a more accessible place for relaxation. Now, with laptops and the wifi technology going mainstream, these spots are now a favorite extension of the workplace.

Biksa, from a play of the Tagalog phrase “saBIK SA coffee” (excited over coffee), is a new coffee shop in Marikina. Its design is centered on creating a relaxed environment with a special attention to providing an alternative setting for work. Managing partner Dr. Ephraim Brizuela has always been a patron of coffee shops. Together with his wife, Dr. Grace Brizuela, they frequent coffee shops and treat them as an extension of their workplace. This personal relationship with these places became their starting point for the concept and design of Biksa Coffee.

From the beginning, they told their designer that they envisioned the shop to be an alternative office—a relaxed space that encourages productivity and creative thinking by allowing their customers to work while enjoying good food and good coffee. The goal was to come up with a functional yet creative space, which has a simple design to minimize potential visual clutter and distractions.

The interior is quite different from your usual coffee shop. It is bright, white, and spacious.

The curved lines on the floor and ceiling, and the round form of the lighting fixtures and accent chairs soften the rectangular shape of the space.

The floor is an interesting combination of polished concrete and wood planks. Also, instead of applying them onto the walls, color is introduced through the upholstered furniture.

Various indigenous materials, like capiz and wicker, lend the interiors with a familiar Filipino character.

Unconventional artworks in the form of framed photographs and mounted “junk art” set a creative and inspiring atmosphere.

These relief art by the talented Jun Tolentino are made of cut pieces from several phone cards he gathered from Dubai. The interesting color combinations and detailed patterns of the cards were pieced together to create new patterns in 3-D abstract forms. 

Their dining tables are big enough to let you work on your laptop while eating or drinking. On top of that, they have fast (and free) wifi, as well as strategically located convenience outlets near every table so you can plug your computer (for free) when you run out of battery.

Biksa was one of the establishements in Marikina affected by the flood during typhoon Ondoy. After three weeks of cleaning and putting the whole place together, the coffee shop is now back in business!

Biksa Coffee is located at 18 Gil Fernando Ave. cor Dragon St., Marikina City. Check out their website here for their menu and other information.