Real Living Space

Yes, folks, it is true—Domino bites the dust. Apparently, popularity and a good fan base cannot even fight this recession.

Rumors about its imminent demise began late last year when it started to get hate mail in design blogs and bad flak for putting celebs on their covers. They also a started going luxe, putting in all those Park Avenue apartments, quite inappropriate for these hard times.

But Domino definitely broke ground by coming out with a shelter magazine that not only showed pretty homes, but showed readers—a mostly female audience—how to do it, all in a very friendly, very can-do manner. It actually paved the way for a lot of other shelter mags out there. We will surely miss this mag, so I will leave you with this image of their first issue, which was actually the issue that I liked best.

Thank you, fashpack and Chinggay for the tip. Shall we expect the rebirth of Budget Living in the near future?

I know the Real Living offices have improved by leaps and bounds since our move from Galleria, but this is my dream office cubicle—a Resolve workstation by Herman Miller. It’s open, but still a bit private. The “umbrellas” are actually for the overhead lighting.

But the better option, I believe, is the Sense workstation. The legs’ height can be adjusted for your working comfort, and its”plug and play” easy assembly makes it just right for home offices. If you’re getting one for the home, nix the corporate neutrals and go for candy colors instead, how cute:

Office giant Herman Miller recently reopened in Makati, though they’ve been around in the country for decades now. Who can forget their ultimate design classic, the Aeron Chair, the inspiration for a thousand knockoffs? Check out their showroom at the Citibank Tower, Valero St., Salcedo Village, Makati.

I love it when household items and accessories do not come in their usual shapes/forms/colors. This is an old designer trick of changing one’s typical perception of an object, of narrowing it down to pure form and purpose.

Take for example, the lovely glowing “bowl” above. What is it?

The “bowl” is actually the Illumesa Table Lamp by iconic designer Verner Panton. Illumesa is a wide, friendly lamp without the metal base, stems, and other bells and whistles of ordinary lamps. You can just put it on top of the table, add your fruit/flowers, and it becomes a dramatic centerpiece. Brilliant! For more authentic Panton pieces, click here.

And what about this?

Created by Turkish Designer Defne Koz, I thought this shiny thing was a cooking instrument or slick knife when I first saw it online. It’s actually the Dondola Chair for Megaron, and I think it rocks. We always think that chairs should be made of wood or upholstery, and the form and material of this one totally subverts our notion of a chair. Here’s their bench and lounger, totally unexpected:

So if you see something you can’t seem to identify, always ask first—you might have mistook it for something else!

I’ve decided to give you a behind-the-scenes peek at how we did our January/February 2009 issue last year. Now a friend once accused us of paninikil in terms of producing the mag, of doing the smoke-and-mirrors bit at shoots.

Now I’ll let you in a secret—things really aren’t as they seem in the mag (nor in any magazine, for that matter). When you shoot a home, or prep a spot for a shoot, you really have to move things around to get everything you want in the frame—not to mention to clean up the surroundings! Some rooms look better with more stuff, and some without. But occasionally there is that miraculous house that looks good as is, the lighting is perfect, and all you have to do is click the shutter.

Here’s style editor Gwyn (right) prepping Arlene Maslog’s living room for the cover shoot. He had to uproot a San Francisco plant in the garden to put a tall element in the shot! (Nope, Arlene did not get mad…)

Next, the “model” in our Decor Ideas: A to Z article is actually editorial assistant Kath Valle. I figured stylist Coni thought she had a really interesting dress on, and thank God she’s thin!

And then there was the monumental Handy Hints: Organize your Life! shoot. Part of the shoot was done in Toto Labrador’s studio, and here’s his wife and contrib Pierra Labrador doing the stand-in bit before the final shot…

…And of course a bit of background also helped. Here’s the final. By the way, that amazing vintage metal desk in now in their home! And I so love that crazy damask-covered chair!

(Photos from top: Vincent Coscolluela, Miguel Nacianceno, Toto Labrador) Real Living’s Jan/Feb issue out on newsstands and bookstores now.

To start 2009 right, we’ve given ourselves a makeover in our January/February 2009 issue (out in newsstands and bookstores now)! The new, improved Real Living magazine has a sleeker, fresher cover, more streamlined content, and beefed-up home improvement features. This month, style editor Gwyn Guanzon will give you a sneak peek at the decorating trends for 2009, while contrib Pierra Labrador will teach you everything you need to know about organizing your home. And I know you guys all enjoy Feng Shui, so we threw in 5 important Feng Shui tips as well.

Hope you enjoy our brand new ish! And to get an actual preview of our new style, don’t forget the check out our Real Living setups in three Ayala Malls: Glorietta 4, TriNoma, and Alabang Town Center until February.

Newsflash: Dexterton is opening a new branch at the 3rd floor of Greenbelt 5, Ayala Center, Makati City this January 15. I remember the time when I had to schlep all the way to their QC (bordering on Caloocan!) store just to check out their bathroom fixtures, designer sofas, and of course, those colorful Kartell pieces (above). Now they have a showroom to those from the Great South, so don’t miss their amazing Kartell and Artemide products.

I have a talent for making my home look Grey Gardens-like in grime and clutter after a few days of not cleaning. So this long New Year’s weekend I buckled down and gave it a nice, good sweep (and wipe). But I am not a big fan of those old-fashioned, abrasive, scary, obnoxious-smelling scrubbers and cleansers. Here are my new household product faves:

Simple Green All-purpose cleaner. This is my absolute fave and I bring it everywhere! It’s my default kitchen/bathroom/floor cleaner-disinfectant, and a big plus is that it’s eco-friendly as well since it’s biodegradable and non-toxic. The subtle, pine-y smell works for me too. Around P584.75 at True Value.

Mr. Muscle Mold and Mildew Killer. I don’t like going down on all fours to de-scale my bathroom tile’s grout, so I use Mr. Muscle instead. Spray the foam on the moldy tiles, leave it while you blow-dry your hair, come back and mold is gone! But one time I forgot to open the windows for ventilation, so I got dizzy. The Mr. Muscle line goes for about P100+ up each in major supermarkets.

Miss P’s Organic Deodorizer. This product from Patis Tesoro and Patrol Ecological Agriventures comes in an unassuming water bottle, but don’t be fooled, it really works. Even if you pour or spray it on the offending material (cat puke, stinky car, basura, etc.) the smell instantly disappears! It’s biodegradable and made mostly of natural stuff (vegetable extracts) so it won’t poison your pets, and you can even use it as a decomposer if you do the composting bit. Email bggm_juan@yahoo.com.ph.

Then I asked my friend Agu for ambient, lyric-less music I can listen to while cleaning so the task wouldn’t be too awful. Of course, he said house music! Too funny. He suggested podcasts of Deeper Shades of House by Lars Behrenroth, was really cool and I really like it. To download my cleaning-up-da-house music, click here.

Happy New Year! I’ve been on blog hiatus because I spent the latter part of December hauling furniture and shopping bags full of household goods up three flights of stairs. I’ve just moved apartments, and I’m embarrassed to admit that the place isn’t even half-done. The only part that looks mildly decent is my bedroom, which I’m fixing up one wall a week. Only trouble is, it’s got a bay window.

The last time I dealt with a bay window was in the 80s. Now don’t get me wrong—bay windows aren’t “bad” per se, they’re just appropriate for only 2 things: a. A nice view, and b. Sitting by it to admire the nice view. And since I have neither (it looks out onto the neighbors’ bay window), I was stumped. I also had a bed with a headboard that cannot be placed by the window, nor positioned perpendicularly in the room but I’ll deal with that problem later.

I didn’t want to do this but I had to—I had a bay window seat built. I needed storage for my books anyway. It was affordable to do too. Here’s the breakdown:

1/2″ thick plywood P900

2 x 2 nailers Free from my flatmate’s dismantled bed

Paint One half can leftover from an old project

Curtains P700 (at P350 each at SM)

Seat cushions P198 (at P99 each at Landmark)

TOTAL P1,798

Bay window fixed, plus I have an extra spot to sit on, and no more prying neighbors.