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space matters: black walls

I find it funny that most of us are scared of using two particular colors (or technically, non-colors) liberally: white and black. With regards to white, I understand that maintenance issues keep us from using it all the way, with the dust and pollution that may turn our white rooms into gray. Apart from that, there’s the Filipino’s horror vacui, fearing that an all white room may just look too empty, boring and clinical. I guess Ana’s post of on white rooms sort of debunked that claim.

How about black?

In my five years of writing for three of mega’s design/decorating magazines, I have never encountered an interior where black was used generously, especially for the walls. Maybe it’s a cultural thing–that black for us is just too depressing, negative, and even devilish.

I find black to be an interesting color for interior spaces. Like white, it’s versatile. It can be ultra modern, contemporary, and even traditional. Plus, it adds a certain mysterious character to the room.

Just make sure that when you use black for your walls, you use a paint with a satin or eggshell finish. Semi-gloss paint still has some sheen that will make your black wall look dirty instead of the bold, solid appearance that you’re aiming for.

So, how about we give black a chance? -ardel

*images via little.green (top & bottom) and xJavierx

q&a: dealing with a high ceiling

Last week, we got an email from our reader, Kathy, asking for advice on how to deal with decorating their living room with a high ceiling.

Given our hot and humid climate, a high ceiling is always a desirable feature in a house as it provides room for warm air to rise. However, it can be quite a challenge to fill up the additional vertical space to make everything look balanced and proportioned.

Here are three things that you might want to consider to achieve a cozier space in spite of the height.

1)  LOWER THE CEILING

It’s difficult to achieve an intimate and cozy atmosphere in a room that has a high ceiling. To scale down the height, incorporate false beams and trusses  (top photo, via elements of style) into the design if you have the budget for the additional interior work.

For a quick fix, use drop/pendant lamps instead of ceiling-mounted lamps. Pendant lamps lower the light source, darkening the upper half of the room to downplay the height.

2)  HIGH CEILING = TALL FURNISHINGS

A high ceiling naturally calls for tall interior furnishings to create a balanced composition. Furnishing it with mainly low or short items will only create contrast, highlighting the height of the space.

Install longer curtains by hanging them a few more inches above the window. Add vertical items like a tall plant (photo above, via brown design), tall twigs on a vase, and a few tall furniture pieces such as an armoire or an upright bookcase. Like pendant lamps, these pieces create a middle or transition point between the floor and the ceiling above.

3)  FILL YOUR WALLS

A high ceiling also means more wall space. Avoid hanging a single row of small to medium-sized frames. They will just look tiny and lonely against the tall wall. To minimize the appearance of bare, boring surfaces, fill up at least one wall with an assortment of framed photos or artworks (see ana’s post on photo walls). This strategy minimizes the height of the room by visually dividing the height into several horizontal sections created by the display. (photo above via housetohome)

spacelift: from stockroom to home office

I can’t believe that it’s already my 6^th year in my graduate course. I breezed through my subjects, finishing all the required units in just three semesters. Why haven’t I graduated??? I haven’t finished my thesis! I already have a topic and have begun doing library work. But all these years, between projects and writing assignments, I didn’t have enough time, energy, and free brain cells to start writing the study.

Now that everything is going very well with my family, I have the option of taking a “partial leave” this semester from design work (of course, I won’t be abandoning existing projects) and limiting writing assignments to maybe two articles per month. This way, I think I can already focus on my research.

To further help me concentrate, I decided to make myself an office/study at the stockroom behind our house. For the longest time, I have been working in the dining area. I have a desk in my bedroom but I feel claustrophobic and sleepy (because of the presence of the bed) working there. Unfortunately, working in the dining area means having to deal with constant distractions and interruptions.

Last Sunday afternoon, I cleaned the stockroom and converted a corner of the room into my office/study. Here’s a list of what I did:

1) ACCENT WALL – I wanted to paint a part of the existing white wall to define my space without using any dividers. Apart from cleaning the room, this was probably the only time-consuming part of the makeover. I initially wanted a bright color like lime green or yellow for the accent wall but decided against it because the color might just cause migraines. Instead, I mixed a dark khaki paint color using white base + burnt umber + black. To make the wall less sleepy, I made a series of slim branches by sticking ½” masking tape before painting the wall.

2) COLOR - After removing the tape, I realized that the white-and-dark khaki combination was too strong for me. To soften the white, I lightly brushed over the patterns with a pale blue-gray paint.

3) OLD FURNITURE + NEW ACCESSORIES – When the paint was completely dry, I positioned my old drafting table, mounted two cork boards on the wall (P88 each from The 88 Store), and brought in the new table lamp which I got for only P795 (from Robinson’s Department Store). I also added a small potted plant where I can stick reminders and to-do lists.

4) CHAIR SLIPCOVER – I didn’t want to spend on a new desk chair. To complete my one-day makeover, I just made a slipcover for an existing monoblock chair using a large scrap fabric.

For this makeover, I only spent around P1,160 for the paint colors (i used my dad’s leftover white latex paint for the base), paint roller, cork boards, and table lamp (the only expensive item).

I already started working in my new workspace yesterday! I just hope that all my efforts will finally lead me to a research proposal by the end of August and to a finished thesis by March. Wish me luck! -ardel

space matters: a minimalist home

I’ve just started clearing off papers and junk that have collected in my bedroom these past few months. And I’m finding it to be very therapeutic – the perfect de-stressor after months of thesis work! As my space gets cleaner, I feel a bit more relaxed.

That’s the thing I noticed when I first walked into the minimalist home we’re featuring today. Everything was so clean, so light and airy that I felt very peaceful and very stress-free inside it.

That’s what the owners wanted their home to be – a calming space where people can breathe. That’s why they did away with any unnecessary decoration. With guidance from their interior designer, Apple Consunji, they opted for clean lines and a simple color palette to create that sense of tranquility. Obviously, the owners of this home don’t have horror vacui.

What makes this home even more like a sanctuary is the presence of lots of natural light. The light bounces off the warm white walls and makes the space even bigger and brighter than it already is.

I especially loved their bathrooms. I could live in these bathrooms! With their sleek surfaces and soft lighting, they blended seamlessly with the overall décor of the home.

space matters: art + home

I don’t think our Cebu trip is complete if we weren’t able to visit at least one home in the city. My college friend, Zina, suggested her uncle’s home, but didn’t give any details about the design of the house. She just told me, “My uncle has a really nice house,” and I simply took her word for it. I just didn’t know what she exactly meant by “nice”, hehe.

We were pleasantly surprised to find out that the house is more than just “nice”. The design goes beyond style and aesthetics. It integrated features for sustainability (green design) and accessibility (universal design). Plus, the house is also home to an interesting collection of artworks.

This is the home of Dr. Ted Gonzales, an ophthalmologist, who also happens to be an art collector and a design enthusiast. The site was previously occupied by his parents’ house which, unfortunately, got burned several years ago. His interest in design and architecture grew during the time when he and his partners were building clinics. He learned so much about design and construction from those projects, which he later on applied into building his own home. In fact, Ted was the one who technically conceptualized and designed the house with the help of Google Sketchup. He still closely coordinated with his architect to check whether the design complies with building standards, and to draw up working drawings for construction.

A big part of his design was inspired by the book Off The Grid: Modern Homes + Alternative Energy by Lori Ryker. Therefore, a lot of green features were integrated into the design. One, which is also the first thing that I noticed upon entering the house, is the use of louver glass windows (jalousie) all throughout the house to maximize the openings for ventilation. I personally like louver windows because I think they’re the best and most appropriate for tropical climates. While louver windows are often perceived as baduy in the Philippines, they are widely used in Australia especially in the design of many modern homes (see homes with louver windows here). Apart from providing 100% ventilation, their louvers could be adjusted/angled, instead of totally closing them (like in the case of casement and sliding windows), to protect the interiors from rains and strong winds while still allowing some amount of air to flow through. The clerestory windows above the living area are also in louver type. They allow hot air to rise and exit from the interiors and provide generous natural light during the day. Another green feature is the rainwater cistern built under the garage. Water collected here is used for watering the plants and for flushing the water closets.

Because Ted lives with his parents, the interiors, particularly the ground floor, have provisions for accessibility. The parents’ room is located near the entrance-living-dining areas, convenient enough for the older couple who have limited mobility. A ramp replaced typical steps leading to the adjacent bathroom under the stairs. 

The rail-free staircase, an interesting focal point of the interiors featuring mangkono (Phil. iron wood) planks, leads to Ted’s space at the second floor. Starting from the staircase up to the hallways, he displays his collection of artworks, from paintings, sketches, and sculptures, mostly from artist Raymund Fernandez.

[Image above: This is a replica of Picasso's Guernica which was used for a stage play in Cebu. Part of the play was a reenactment of what happened to the painting--the words "KILL LIES ALL" were spray painted onto the artwork during a protest againts Richard Nixon's pardon of William Calleyin 1974. Read about it here.]

His den at the second floor is like a mini-apartment which includes a living area with a sleeper (sofa bed), a dining area, a small kitchen and a bathroom. Apart from being Ted’s workspace, it also functions as a small entertainment room where he hosts small gatherings, and as a spare room for guests. Opposite the den is Ted’s bedroom which is also fitted with a working desk and a bathroom.

[Images above: (left) Raymund Fernandez's "Ninoy", which is part of his Alpiler Series. Read about it here. (right) Nude drawings displayed in the masters bedroom.]

Apart from the design of the house and his collection of artworks, Ted is also proud to share that the house was built within a limited budget. He did this by making the design simple and functional. Also, a lot of his furniture pieces were flea market finds, like the leather chaise lounge and coffee table at the den (photo above).

Ted’s love for art and design coupled with a realistic and practical mindset allowed him to create a beautiful, functional and equally comfortable home. [Thank you again Sir Ted for welcoming us to your home. And for introducing us to dried langka and pineapple!]

space matters: white romance

Red and pink are the typical colors associated with love and romance. Personally, I’d have to say that white is the most romantic “color” (some would argue that it’s not a color, but the presence of all colors) especially when we talk about romantic places and spaces.

I love white. For me, it’s a color that seem to have a life of its own. In a space, its shade changes together with the passing of the day as light intensity varies from morning to afternoon. White walls and surfaces have the ability to be tinted with other colors from the materials and furnishings around it. It also has the potential of creating different moods–from a warm, calm and silent atmosphere to a cold, sterile and unfriendly place–depending on the shade of white used.

So, in line with the Valentine season, instead of the typical red and pink images of valentines, df will be featuring three romantic white homes this week.

First up is a weekend home in Clark, Pampanga (Philippines). Designed by young interior designer Rossy Yabut of Heima / Heim Design Inc., white takes on an elegant look together with luxurious fabrics, fine silver and shiny crystal details.

The owners wanted a design that has a very light and calming ambiance where the family can spend their weekends together. To address their need for a relaxing environment, Rossy went for a refined cottage style with a neutral palette using antique white, creams, and beiges to render the interiors with a fresh and inviting appearance.

The living area is white, light, and comfy. Behind it is an interesting faux window, combinating white shutter panels with a large mirror in the middle to create an illusion of space

Most of the furniture pieces are custom made from Betis Pampanga, featuring a distressed/antique white finish for the furniture frames and solihiya (cane) weaving for the backrest and sides of a couple of armchairs. White decors, fabrics with classic patterns, and metallic accessories complete the sophisticated but dainty look.

While the mood of the living area is cool and casual, the dining area takes on a more formal appeal especially with the dropped chandelier lamp. The client’s existing dining set was used. Rossy simply reupholstered the chairs in a satin-like fabric to introduce the design concept into the area.

For the bedrooms, a more contemporary style was used. Instead of an all-white palette, Rossy combined white with grays and browns to create a warm, cozy atmosphere. For added functionality, the beds have a built-in storage underneath. 

A similar display of crystal/glass lamp, silver ornaments, and white painted accessories dress the sleeping area, consistent with the design theme of the house.

*Photos by Paolo Feliciano courtesy of Heim Design Inc.

[got a cool space? share it with us! email us about it with pictures of your place at mydesignfolder@yahoo.com. ]

how do i live: at home with sitti

We all know her as the Philippines’ bossa girl, making bossa nova a part of Filipino pop music. But at home, she’s a simple, laidback person who enjoys watching DVDs and playing with her two dogs. Meet Sitti Navarro and her new home!

Last month, the team got a peek at the singer’s crib and saw her world outside showbiz.

Sitti and her family moved into this three-storey house just a few months ago. The actual value of the property, the size of the interiors, plus its strategic location made her choose the house over a condominium space. “By far, it’s a bigger space to accommodate the family and a better investment for me,” she explained.

The house was already fully finished when they moved in, inclusive of the basic built-ins and lighting fixtures. All she had to do was to bring in the furnishings to complete the interiors. For this, she got some help from an interior designer friend who accompanied her when she shopped around.

Sitti’s style leans more towards the clean minimalist kind. For this reason, she appreciated the dark wengue finish and rectilinear details of the house and initially wanted to maintain the “bare” look of the space. However, the minimalist style seemed quite impersonal to her mom. Being the one who is more inclined to decorating, Sitti’s mom added some personal details to give the interiors a warm, intimate character.

It was also her mom’s idea to turn the stairway into a display area for her album sales awards. Together with the recessed halogen step lights, the potentially boring transitional space became one of the interesting places of the house.

Among all the areas in the house, Sitti particularly loves two spots. One is the balcony by her bedroom where she spends most of her quiet “alone” time over a cup of coffee. The other one is the entertainment area where the whole family bonds together, watching movies.

To see more of Sitti, visit her Facebook here, her official website here and her multiply site here.

As an early Valentine’s treat for our readers, we are raffling off an autographed cd of Sitti’s latest album Contagious! To join the draw, just leave a comment on this post together with your email address. This giveaway will end on Valentine’s day, February 14, 9am (Manila time). One winner will be drawn via a random number generator, announced on this post, and will be contacted by email.

Have a great weekend everyone!

*special thanks to MJ and TangerineSkies Artst PR

[got a cool space? share it with us! email us about it with pictures of your place at mydesignfolder@yahoo.com. ]

UPDATE 02/14/10: Giveaway is now closed. Thank you to everyone who joined and gave their comments. Congratulations to the winning commenter: #7–Gian! The Design Folder Team will contact you through email on how to claim your cd.

space matters: a modern, animal-friendly house

Form follows function is like the one of the most popular tenets that many modernist designers try to live by. The idea behind it is to come up with a designed form and a kind of aesthetics that are based on functional needs rather than just products of an artistic expression.

This modern house, designed by Frenjick Quesada and Hisako Hirayama of Design HQ, is a classic example of how form could actually follow function. Owned by a veterinarian who constantly adopts stray cats and dogs from the streets of Metro Manila, the design primarily called for minimalist, low-maintenance, and animal-friendly design features. Apart from the house, there is also an additional requirement for a kennel housing for six dogs and a cattery for 40 cats.

The client wanted a modern minimalist house of clean geometric lines and a basic palette of gray, black and white. Later on, he agreed to add one accent color to the original achromatic scheme. So, the designers added three red vertical elements to provide a splash of color from the entrance of the house (photo above). Apart from being a focal point, the columns actually function as cabinets for the kitchen behind it.

The ground floor areas are laid out in an open plan. Both the dining area and the kitchen face the garden to allow the owners to cook and dine while enjoying the verdant view of the garden, and, at the same time, to keep an eye on the animals outside. With its open plant layout, multiple large window openings, and plain off-white walls, the house receives a generous amount of natural light during the day and is passively cooled through cross ventilation.

The flooring is finished in polished cement with stainless steel strip inlays to keep the ground floor area animal friendly and low maintenance. Aside from the three red columns, the industrial-looking skeletal stairway dividing the living area from the dining area serves as another focal point.

The dining table, like the flooring, is made of a concrete base in polished cement finish plus a clear glass top. It was the client’s idea, initially intended as a way to cut cost. In spite of being a “cheaper alternative”, the unconventional table became one of the most interesting features of the modern house.

Photos by Erik Liongoren courtesy of Design HQ

[got a cool space? share it with us! email us about it with pictures of your place at mydesignfolder@yahoo.com. ]

space matters: southbay home

A couple of weeks ago, my googling directed me to the website of Frenjick Quesada and Hisako Hirayama, principal interior designers of Design HQ. Their portfolio is impressive! I particularly appreciate the fact that their works feature a range of design perspectives—from traditional Filipino interiors to modern minimalist spaces—demonstrating their ability to come up with interesting design concepts instead of simply altering popular styles.

Their approach could be attributed to their design philosophy that acknowledges the important role of the client in the whole design process. “We believe in listening to the client. We recognize that each project has its own unique design and functional requirements. Our emphasis on communication results in a true collaboration between the designer and the client. We make every effort to design with a fresh look reflecting the client’s taste and individuality.”

For our next Space Matters features, Frenjick and Hisako will share with us three of their residential projects here in Manila. First up is their east-meets-west design for a home in Southbay, Paranaque. Enjoy!

[Because the family enjoys spending as much time outdoors as they do indoors, the interior was laid out in an open plan, minimizing room divisions to maximize the verdant views outdoors. Even the main entrance is  partially screened off by a set of 6x6-inch posts functioning as a see-through partition which sets the foyer from the rest of the interior space.]

[The interior space at the ground floor includes the living area, dining area, and the kitchen, all offering views of the garden.]

[The house’s 260-square meter floor area feels much bigger because of design’s use of an open plan layout, a continuous visual flow from the interior space to the outdoor garden, and the double-height ceiling at the living area.]

[The den/guest room behind the living area also has sliding doors that are kept open when no guests are occupying it, therefore allowing for additional cross ventilation.]

[The furnishings are an eclectic mix of modern western pieces with contemporary and traditional Asian furniture. Antique pieces, such as the mid-century lounge chair and the traditional Chinese cabinet, make great conversational pieces in the living area. Their similar colors allow them to exist harmoniously in spite of their contrasting styles.]

[The design incorporated a lot of wood components throughout the house, such as the custom made front door with kamagong wood inlay, the wooden staircase, and the solid wood furniture pieces, all of which help tie the different design elements together.]

[The large masters’ bedroom consists of an ante room with a lounging area and an entertainment system, and the sleeping area which has a view of the garden below.]

*photos by Erik Liongoren courtesy of Design HQ

space matters: the heirloom manila

History is one feature that things from the past can boast of—the stories from the generation where it came from, and the patina that chronicles its journey to the present. This is the same element that renders a nostalgic appeal to The Heirloom Manila.

Design folder found this little Intramuros at the heart of Quezon City. Home to the Juco family, Heirloom Manila proves that old is, without a doubt, beautiful.

Built in the 1970s, the architecture is designed by Noli Bernardo, an architect who is known for designing churches, such as the St. Peter’s Church along Commonwealth Ave. in Quezon City. The property’s site is rich in adobe. This made it possible to extensively use it as the main building material throughout the house. The structure’s adobe stone construction gives the architecture its Spanish Colonial look coupled by the familiar church details, such as the gargoyles on the façade, the arched doorways, and the ornate wrought iron gates, that Arch. Bernardo usually integrated into his religious designs.

The outdoors is a fresh composition of lush tropical plants, mossy stone walls, and old kalesa wheels that, together, create an old world setting. However, the garden is not only meant to be ornamental. In fact, many of the species planted around the house are edible—lemon, thyme, turmeric, ginger, and lemon grass, to name a few. Most of them are potted on stone-like containers made of recycled plastic bins and worn-out refrigerator compartments that are simply covered with roughly finished cement to simulate stone.

To our surprise, no landscape architect was hired to design the gardens. It was all made by the artistic hands of Mr. Juco. He says that his art comes from innovating and making something out of what is available. He believes in recycling and transforming “waste” into a useful and more appealing object. His projects are found everywhere in the house, from the cement-covered plant containers, and the outdoor table that has a base made from an electric fan stand, to the spiral tendrils that decorate the exterior gates, and the round gate valve handles that were made into the knockers of the red garage gate.  

The nostalgic theme continues into the interiors. The furnishings and décor follow the “old house” theme such as the grand father’s clock and the antique piano in the living room as well as the family’s collection of antique jars and santos that are displayed high up the walls.

Early this year, the Juco family opened their house, The Heirloom Manila, to the public as an atypical venue for concept photography and small gatherings by artists, musicians and horticulturists. The Intramuros-like atmosphere with its rich texture and bold color accents against its rustic setting make Heirloom Manila a favorite venue for pre-nup and fashion editorial shoots.

 Andrew & Doris by Paul Vincent Photography

Jayson & Mary Tess by Nep Almonina Photography 

Alan & Tina by Francis Gil of Pat Dy Photography

Mike & Jackie by Split Image Digital

We love how the place provided a romantic backdrop for these pre-nup photos! With all the different areas of the house, you cannot run out of interesting locations and angles. Best of all, everything is within the home’s compact surroundings.

For more information (and pictures!), you can visit their multiply site or add them on facebook.