Design Folder: Your Online Design and Decorating Resource

style shopping: wine story

Because of their taste and the immediate dizziness that I get from them, I’m not a fan of alcoholic beverages except for the sweet and highly diluted mimosa (with lots of orange juice). In spite of that, I have always been intrigued by the culture behind wine. You can count me as a wine ignorant until I got the assignment to cover Wine Story, a new wine shop in Shangri-La Plaza Mall.

Established by the same company behind Healthy Options, Wine Story is definitely not your usual wine store. Unlike other shops that simply sell wines, Wine Story is like your one-stop shop for everything about wine. On top of their wide selection of wines, they also carry crystal wares, wine books and tasting diaries for those wine aficionados. 

What primarily sets it apart from other stores is that it only carries high-end wines with Bordeaux being their specialty. Compared to common table wines, I was told that the high-end ones boast of a more complex taste. Their bottles are displayed like how one would display diamond jewelries—showcased in a lighted glass case (bottom photo) which, in their case, also functions as a cellar.

Because their bottles are pricey (if I remember correctly, the least expensive bottle is at Php 5,000), they allow their clients to “preview” some of their selections before settling on a bottle. Their 32-bottle enomatic machines or automatic wine dispensers (top photo) make wine tasting look and feel so high-tech. A small LED panel (above) displays the characteristic of each wine and the prices per glass. For wine enthusiasts and wine newbies alike, this feature also makes it possible to enjoy different wines without spending a fortune.

To complement its high-end identity, the store’s interior, designed by interior designer Nicky Magcase, features top of the line materials and finishes to give the brand an equally luxurious image. -ardel

style shopping: heima’s second home

As promised, here’s a sneak peek at Heima’s new home in LRI, Makati before they formally open their doors tomorrow!

Heima, which is at home in Icelandic, is a design and lifestyle store by young interior designer Rossy Yabut and her partner Bong Rojales. Just like their first store in Cubao X, their second home in LRI will also carry the same fun, youthful vibe through their signature colorful pieces, quirky art pieces, and dainty accents.

True to the meaning of Heima, the store is laid out and designed to simulate the areas within the home, where you have a foyer, a living area, a dining area, a kitchen (the store’s counter space), and a home office or study. Apart from the store, the space is also home to Rossy’s design office, Heim Interior Design Inc.

Apart from their 2010 collection, we are also excited about Heima’s collaborative pieces with Inksurge, Everywhere We Shoot, Team Manila and Folk Superlative, which will be showcased during tomorrow’s launch.

CLICK HERE for more details on “There’s No Place Like Heima” launch party. See the rest of our photos in the picture gallery below. {Thanks Rossy and Dy! }

[View with PicLens]

12►

style shopping: space encounters

For the past two to three years, we saw how the luxe style, characterized by glamorous hotel-like designs, dominated the design scene. Starting last year, I noticed that a new style is emerging—a kind of aesthetics that revives eclecticism and combines it with a youthful fun, pop attitude. This is what we saw when we visited Space Encounters, a home and lifestyle store by noted interior designer Wilmer Lopez.

The concept of the store is simple—to offer chic, fun and comfortable pieces that make a statement in any space. Their collection of furniture, decors, and lifestyle accessories is primarily inspired by Wilmer and his partner Thor’s travels. Their items are mostly Asian pop and Scandinavian retro, including several iconic pieces.

When they travel abroad, Wilmer and Thor love to go to flea markets and hole-in-the-wall stores for unique finds. For the store, they wanted to re-create that same experience of going to those places.

The design of Space Encounters has a distinctly fun and energetic vibe. There are no dull corners in the store. Vibrant colors fill the space. The walls are painted in a bold color, clad in bricks, or covered in a decoupage of interesting Asian movie posters (photo below). Their disco-like counter (first photo), inspired by the movie Saturday Night Fever, is made of colored glass blocks. A set of metallic Bauhaus pendant lamps hangs at one end to balance off the look.

To complete the design, they also made the arrangement of their merchandise to follow the same casual “flea market” concept. The pieces are all laid out in a dynamic composition.

Many of their furniture are reproductions of mid-century Scandinavian pieces using either Teak or Mahogany. Their chairs can also be upholstered in vintage European fabrics. What we especially like about their furniture, apart from being conversational pieces themselves, is their compact size which can perfectly fit the small space of a condominium interior.

Their home and lifestyle accessories are sourced from different countries, mostly from Asia. There are colored Buddha figurines and heads, framed prints, vintage home items, original movie posters and even fashion items like colorful watches and wallets.

If you want a personal encounter with Space Encounters, visit them at Unit B, Mezzanine, Padilla Bldg., F. Ortigas Jr., Ortigas Center, Pasig City. You can also check theirFacebook  here for more information.

style shopping: dl design

Our photo shoot on Dr. Balisacan’s studio brought us to this fascinating lamp store in Kamuning. 

DL Design, short for its owner’s name Doy Lagos, is a small shop that’s home to interesting, one-of-a-kind lamps. Doy was the one who designed the Moses lamp, the wicker and steel droplight in Dr. Balisacan’s living area.

Doy’s designs are really interesting. Very unconventional, I must say. One thing I like about them is their sculptural form. They can make a statement in a room without looking too overpowering.

DL Design has lamps ranging from the classic contemporary Filipino pieces…

… to pieces that are rather playful and quirky.

In designing interior furnishings, it’s quite tricky to strike a balance between being sculptural and being able to blend harmoniously with the rest of the space. Probably Doy’s background as an architect gave him the kind of sensitivity for both aspects of design.

If you want to see more of Doy’s lamps, visit his website at www.dldesign.multiply.com.

His shop is located at 51 Kamuning Rd., Quezon City, but is open by appointment only. Better contact him before dropping by. He could be reached at 09205624075.

*photos are by Jerome Albrando for DL Design.

style shopping: the beadlady craft cafe

After our visit to Heima, we saw another quaint shop in Cubao X–The Beadlady Craft Cafe. Actually, what initially attracted us to this store is its bold red door.

I must say, it’s a unique take on the design concept of a craft store.

The ice cream parlor-/French cafe-inspired shop carries all sorts of materials for bead crafts: different types and sizes of beads, metal charms, chains, locks, etc. They refer to their merchandise display as the “bead bar”.  What’s better is that the items are priced very reasonably. Like Heima, another young entrepreneur is behind this concept store, who started her business making bead accessories and selling them to her classmates. Smart!

For those who are not so artsy-craftsy, the staff can assemble your chosen charms and beads to create a necklace or a bracelet. Ms. creative director and ms. cfo each got themselves a charmed necklace.

Miniature mannequins for holding necklaces, and interesting flats are also sold here.

The Beadlady Craft Cafe is located at Shop 54, Cubao X, Cubao, Quezon City.

style shopping: heima

Two weeks ago, the designgeng (me, ms. creative director, and ms. cfo) dropped by Cubao X to check the place for new finds. Cubao X, formerly Marikina Shoe Expo, is now a spot alive with a distinct creative indie culture. Apart from the shoe stores that Marikina Shoe Expo has been known for, there’s an addition of new shops, boutiques and art galleries that lend the area with a fresh upbeat spirit.

Among all the shops, one immediately popped because of its colorful storefront–Heima. At home in Icelandic, Heima is a design and lifestyle store by young interior designer Rossy Yabut and her partner Bong Rojales.

The store has a fun and youthful appearance. It sort of reminds me of the designer stores in Ann Siang Hill in Singapore. Although the store is filled with brilliantly colored merchandise, the interiors’ white, light gray, and cool charcoal walls and floors balanced off the palette.

I love their way of giving traditional furniture a quirky twist. Rossy calls their pieces “upcycled” furniture—old furniture made more contemporary by painting them with bold trendy colors plus adding whimsical fabrics for the upholstery. This look is a refreshing change from the modern/minimalist styles.

This wall even has a funky Betsey Johnson vibe.

Aside from their furniture, the store also carries lamps, mirrors, pillows, originally designed wall decals, and other small home accessories. For the fashionistas, they even have cool shoes, umbrellas, and eco bags.

Probably influenced by Bong’s passion for photography and lomography, Heima carries a range of lomo cameras as well.

The second floor is Heima’s Kolektib Shared Space, a venue for small classes and workshops. Unfortunately, there was an ongoing meeting upstairs so we were not able to check it out. Maybe next time, when we come back for their holiday collection

Visit their store at G/F Shop 33, Cubao X, Cubao, Quezon City or their website www.heimastore.com . They accept indent orders for furniture and lamps, especially helpful if you want the piece in a different color or fabric.