Real Living Space

Can you believe that this living room…

…is actually the same room here???

Check out designer Grace Moslares’s amazing makeover of this entire house—plus other jaw-dropping befores and afters (!)—in the May 2010 issue of Real Living magazine, out in newsstands and bookstores now for only P140!!! (“After” photo by Vincent Coscolluela)

Real Living’s May issue is now out, and I must say, it’s one of our favorites. Aside from the fact that we went to Negros to create this issue (that’s the museum/ancestral house Balay ni Tana Dicang on the cover), the other articles are just as lovely! We started it off with Tisha Alvarez-Angluben’s beautiful Mother’s Day party story…

…Gwyn Guanzon and contrib Arlene Maslog’s elegant piece on how to prettify your medicine stash in the bathroom…

…while we’re on the topic of bathrooms, check out Arlene Sy’s and Katherine Lopez’s special RL Notebook features on bed, bath, and beyond…

…plus Coni Tejada’s typically upbeat story on how to get up and out of the house in 15 minutes (the secret is all in your bedroom!!!).

And I have to say that architect Bernie Sason’s Negros house is one of the most beautiful homes I’ve ever seen!

Check out Bernie’s amazing home, as well as a special on Negros heritage, shopping, and travel in Real Living’s May 2010 issue, out in bookstores and newsstands for only P140. (Notebook photo by Louie Aguinaldo, all other photos by Miguel Nacianceno; styling by Gwyn Guanzon, Tisha Angluben, Coni Tejada, and Arlene Sanchez Maslog)

I’ve been loving the stuff that specialty home accessory shop Quirks has been putting out recently. Most are on-spot with the cute/flora/fauna trend these days. And almost all are very price-friendly. Case in point, tweet-tweet…

This adorable Hook Sparrow costs a mere P545. And what about when Autumn leaves begin to fall (sorry I can’t help it)…

They’re actually door stoppers, P550 each. These came in the nick of time when interiors have begun slipping from “New Pretty” to just plain droll. Visit Quirks at Stall 320-a, Level R3 at the Powerplant Mall in Rockwell, Makati.

I dropped by the first day of CITEM’s Manila FAME show this morning. Though missing from its former, sprawling SMX venue, and currently located at the World Trade Center in Pasay, FAME now sports a tighter, better edited selection of exhibitors and products. This is apt since CITEM has re-christened it as “Asia’s Boutique Show.” Quite a bit of interesting stuff, I noticed there was a trend in transparency, open-weaves, translucency.

As a matter of fact, its return to World Trade has made me wax nostalgic, and it now reminds me of the earlier FAME shows of 2001 to 2003-ish. I think it must be the numerous Special Settings of different products located amongst the exhibitors like the dramatic one above featuring Robles Heritage’s amazing, geometric-Capiz lamps. There were also setups by Rachy Cuna (in the lobby), and Dutch designer Natalie Buijs…

Oh and don’t forget to swing by the booth of fashion icon’s Mang Ben Farrales’s work…

Worth the trip to Pasay, I must say. Though I do miss those shuttle buses going to PICC. Manila FAME will run until April 25 at the World Trade Center in Pasay. Click here for more information.

We’ve been loving all things from Negros recently (you’ll see why in a couple of weeks), so it’s no surprise that Negrense online store Domesticity caught our eye. Aside from selling very tasteful Asian-inspired home accessories and furnishings mostly made of woven pandan with cute clay accents, they run a politically correct business too—Negros-based Domesticity employs the wives and family members of their sugar workers. Here’s a sampler of the (very reasonably-priced!) goods for sale:

They have few pieces of furniture, but most of them I like! Esp this Retro Stool (P5,500) in gold pandan and faux leather. Very 1940s-Hollywood! It’ll look good paired with a vintage dresser …

…their home accessories are amazing, such as the tableware, like these disco-fab Warhol Coasters in gold, nice price too (only P55 each)…

…ditto for the silver Warhol Tray (P700)!

And I so love their charming selection of gifts, such as these Pandan Notebooks (P370) with Oriental cabinet accent…

…and their romantic Tassel Bookmarks (P105 each), which remind me of stuff I’ve seen in tiny Shanghai shops.

They sell spa kits and oriental tea, too. Click here to see more Domesticity products and to order online. (Images from the Domesticity website. Thank you, Tish, for the lead.)

I caught RL creative director Gwyn and new mommy Topaz Horizon huddled together over this new Multiply site: Nu Dekor Wall Stickers. I know a lot of you are dying to find affordable and versatile wall stickers (and believe me it is hard to find ones that are easy on the pocket!!!), but Nu Dekor is just right. I esp love their fun designs, just right for kids, but not too “kiddy”…

…they have wonderful glow-in-the-dark patterns, too!

…and this one was captioned as: “Goes with any decor!”

Check it out. They have several pick up points around the metro.

Happy Easter!:)

I had so much fun working on this month’s Entertaining section, “The Grill-out Project”! Summer is in full swing, and what better way to celebrate these sunny days than with a good old-fashioned barbecue?

When we were trying to figure out where to shoot this section, I immediately thought of Laya Personal Dining, a by-reservation-only resthouse-turned-restaurant in Antipolo.

I first heard about this lovely place from photographer Miguel Nacianceno, who wrote about it for Yummy.ph. I decided to celebrate my birthday there a few months ago, and had been raring to go back. This shoot gave me the perfect excuse!

Laya, owner Irene told me on my first visit, used to be the family’s rest house. “But it didn’t make sense because we live just five minutes away!” she said. They thus converted Balinese-style house into this wonderful restaurant. Chef Ricci comes up with different set menus every so often, and you can enjoy the sumptuous food in the midst of a relaxing setting.

Imagine sipping some hot tea at that cabana (above) after a six-course meal!

They’re open every weekend, and the place can be reserved for a private group. Laya is located at Sierra Madre Street, Grand Heights Subdivision, Antipolo. For more details (including the latest menu), click here. For inquiries and reservations, email layapersonaldining@gmail.com, or call or text 0917-846-4322.

Photos by Miguel Nacianceno