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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