Real Living Space

I’m sure you all remember funky fashion designer Tippi Ocampo’s cool, vintage-y home from Real Living October 2007 (above). Well, Tippi’s got a new creation; her own book, titled Not by the Book: Fashioning Design, which she launched just this week.

They also had a fashion exhibit at the lobby of Greenbelt 3 of some of her gowns, highlighting where she got inspiration for them. The gown at right was inspired by the woven rugs sold at the palengke!

It’s such a cute, collectible book, and it’s supposed to show Tippi’s design process. I thought it would be an ordinary coffee table book, but instead, it’s bound in brown silk, with a clothing tag as book title. When you open it up, it becomes Griffin and Sabine-esque, with lots of interactive things like inspirational photos you can pull out of a pocket…

…Tippi’s freehand sketches and fabric swatches…

…and even DIY instructions for a lace shrug!

RL contrib Chinggay Labrador helped design it, along with Tippi’s friends Cynthia Arre and Lizza Gutierrez. Cuteness! For orders, email order@notbythebook.net or 0915-7100357.

I visited the Avellana Art Gallery this afternoon to catch the tail end of Eight Faces, a group exhibit of portraits by eight different artists (Jecky Alano, Ferdie Cacnio, Allan Cosio, Philip Escudero, Mark Andy Garcia, Elmer Panuela, Lynyrd Paras, Junjun Sta. Ana, and Tom Soliman). Now I’m sure whenever you think of “portrait” you think of some stiff, matronly, realistic rendering of someone who sat too long in a chair. Not this exhibit, as each artist has their own reinterpretation of the classic portrait, and most of the sitters are the artists’ family, friends, and habitues of the design and art world. Take a look at these sketches (above) by Elmer Panuela, who did on-the-spot portraits of guests on opening night.

Gallery owner Albert Avellana explained that it was more performance art than classic portraiture. Afterwards, the guests bought and took home their own portraits! You can see fashion designer Jojie Lloren and Albert in the caricatures above.

These are clay busts by pottery artist Jecky Alano. The woman at left is actually architect Tina Bonoan, my former boss and mentor.

Allan Cosio’s charcoal portraits sometimes remind me of Francis Bacon’s work. This one’s of architect Dinky Laperal.

The portraits by architectural photographer and RL contrib Philip Escudero are a pleasant surprise; because Philip hates taking pictures of people—so I guess he settled for eyes instead. Recognize no. 4 from left? Those are the eyes of architect Dan Lichauco.

I dropped by furniture showroom a11 next door, and checked out their fab Christmas tree! Paskong-pasko na talaga.

Eight Faces runs until November 29. Avellana Art Gallery is located at 2680 FB Harrison, Pasay City.

Want a little bit of luck this coming 2009?

Why not get some help from Certified Feng Shui expert Marites Allen? Learn how to balance the chi in your home ( and life)  by scoring some tickets to the ‘Marites Allen 2009 Feng Shui updates: conquer and win in the year of the earth ox.’

Happening on the 17th of  January 2009 at the Renaissance Hotel Makati, Feng Shui expert Marites Allen is going to teach you how to harness the chi to your advantage this coming year of the earth ox.

Buy your tickets early and you’ll get a free 2009 almanac or hororscope book. Call (02) 914-7888 or 0920-950-9390. Or visit any World of Feng Shui branches.

In response to my friend Flying Trapeze’s blog entry on Jon Burgerman’s DIY color-it-yourself doodle wallpaper (check it out here), Philippine graf artists’ collective, Weewilldoodle, did a similar thing locally for Uratex.

In this collaboration, Weewilldoodle’s tightly spaced, random doodlings are printed onto mattress covers, cube seats, and cushy ottoman stools. The look is edgy and very street but affordable.

Hope our artists will do more collaborative efforts like this. I know a few artists who are too snooty; while international artists and designers think nothing about teaming up with companies to produce their products, some of the artists here think it’s “selling out.” Well, it isn’t; and in fact, your art will reach a larger market, and isn’t that what we all want? Check out www.uratex.com.ph for stores. Thanks, Flying Trapeze

I still want to rave about Marimekko fabrics even if they aren’t available anymore locally (sniff). Their Unikko flower pattern is definitely a design classic, and people can’t stop making things out of it. Like these Fatboy (oversized cushion) pillows from Stockholm shop PID which carries a lot of yummy, modernist pieces. Look at this beanbag-like pillow:

There’s one for your doggie too. How sushal.

Not available here, but go to PID if you want to order online (images from PID).

Team Manila is having a one day pre-christmas CLEARANCE SALE , up to 70% discount, on November 19, 2008, Wednesday, from 9 am to 6 pm.
Check out the merchandise at their Jupiter St. store in Makati (right beside Aristocrat Restaurant.)

CONTACT DETAILS:

146B Jupiter St. Barangay Bel-Air, Makati City

Tel. (02) 899-1570

URL www.teammanila.com

Not surprisingly, a lot of people in the industry hate superstar designer Philippe Starck, accusing him of design gimmickry, of being a media whore, among other things. Well, let ‘em say what they want to say, but I still think most of his stuff is amazing. Anyone who’s familiar with Starck’s work knows that he loves to play with scale. Here’s an example: the Misses Flower Power vase. Looks like your usual tabletop vase, right?

The Flower Power vase is actually more than two and a half feet high! It’s more of a large planter than a vase. Here it is in context of a setting; the prototypes seen here are much bigger. In online catalogs, the item is described as: “Cannot be gift-wrapped.”

Dexterton just sent this in, more new stuff for 2009. Here’s my fave, design sweetheart Patricia Urquiola’s “Frilly” chair. The striations on the surface remind me of pulled taffy:

And the deceptively simple “Honeycomb” chair by Alberto Meda. This is another take on the usual director’s folding chair; the surface is actually composed of hundreds of honeycomb openings, making the chair more lightweight. This was a featured favorite in the Salon Internationale Mobile 2008, Milan.

Check out more new Kartell pieces at Dexterton, 4/F Lepanto Bldg., 8747 Paseo De Roxas, Makati, or visit www.dexterton.com.

It’s more about couches, really. RL’s Real Makeovers are frequently being featured in this new show, QTV’s House Life. Hosted by Tessa Prieto Valdes, designers Marilen Faustino-Montenegro, Aissa Gonzalez and Tristan Jovellana, the show is a welcome break from the cheesy, badly-done local celeb-home makeover shows we see in other daytime shows (I don’t get why they give celebs a free makeover? They can already afford to hire a designer!)

Check out the trailer here. The show’s tastefully done and nicely shot—the show usually starts with Tessa’s walk-through of a media or design personality’s home, and the houses are often sprawling, very chic, Asian-inspired homes, a home makeover follows (sometimes it’s RL’s featured makeover for that month), then easy home decorating by super-telegenic Marilen and Aissa (they actually fix up the room before your eyes! No tv tricks here), and a DIY project by Tristan, their resident handyman.

I like the fact that the show improves with every episode, and I especially love Marilen’s quick and simple makeovers, where she fixes up a room without buying anything—just moving stuff around and re-organizing it. She’s done some great makeovers for Real Living, and we were happy with all of them, so tastefully done, and always within the budget! Catch House Life on QTV 11, Mondays, 7:25pm, after Sweet Life (Video snagged from knight168). More excerpts of this show to follow soon.

Isn’t this Real Living cupcake so adorable? Nikka Alejar of Veronica’s Kitchen! whipped up this special batch of RL- and home-inspired cupcakes for us. She does customized cupcakes and other baked goodies in time for the holidays, call 0920-859-1420, URL veronicaskitchen.multiply.com, and check out other kitchen tools for making holiday treats in the November ish of Real Living. Thanks, Mabes! (photo by Jun Pinzon)

And now for our high-end store…I wish that lifestyle hub Adora at Greenbelt 5 was more “out there,” more visible to shoppers, but I guess that was their point—a discreet destination luxe shoppers can head to, a lovely, cozy store where they can touch the merchandise and sniff at toiletries in a sexy interior.

The multi-level store not only carries prestigious international fashion brands like Marni, Etro, and H. Stern (in the main entrance, you are greeted by a yummy array of designer sunglasses), but equally luxurious home accessories and fragrances as well. They have their deliciously soft selection of bed linen…

…bathware…

…dinnerware…

…and my favorite part, the home scent section. They carry amazing scents like Bungalow 9 and Votivo candles (the heady Red Currant is popular), all lined up for you to pick up and sniff.

I also like the little corner with elegant snakeskin and stingray skin accessories like tissue boxes, plate chargers, and keepsake boxes. Short on cash? Well, just visit to scratch n’ sniff, the experience is worth the trip. (Photos by Jun Pinzon)