Real Living Space

Real Living’s August issue is out and it’s all about your second most favorite topic (we all know your absolute first is the Makeover!): Small Spaces. This month, we’ll show you how to live big, even if you have a teeny, tiny home! Case in point: these fab condo units by designer friends Jean Paul dela Rosa and Kristine Neri…

And creative director Gwyn Guanzon chooses the best multi-tasking furniture…

…plus a hot new trend—letters and script on furniture and accessories! These are amazing.

Assistant stylist Coni Tejada shows us 3 ways to display/store our flat screen TVs (no cabinets needed!). This one’s from Sharp, their new Quottron TV. (By the way, has anyone watched Salt yet?)

And in the Real Makeover, don’t miss how designer Hannah Acab-Faustino transformed this toy-strewn (stair rail-less!) family home!

Real Living’s August issue is out now at newsstands and bookstores nationwide for only P140. (Photos by Ocs Alvarez, Miguel Nacianeno, and Jun Pinzon)

Waking up to the “dark ages” (no phone coverage, no electricity, no internet) because of Basyang somehow brought us down, so outgoing art director Arlene and I decided to check out the 1st Philippine Chocolate and Ice Cream Show at the World Trade Center, Pasay City to cheer us up.

For a measly 100-peso entrance fee, you’ll be able to get to chocolate and ice cream heaven! Gelato is my happy food, so I was thrilled when I saw these yummy flavors.

And and and, we enjoyed a cup for P50!

So we went around to check on the other exhibits and look at what we found, lovely frying pans and kitchenware that will surely prep up your kitchen! (Prices available at the exhibit booth)

Cakes by Chef Peachy Juban, who recently bagged a gold at the prestigious Food and Hotel Asia Singapore, were also showcased in the event.

We were also lucky to witness the third batch of the Chocolate Cake Battle Royale. Though still unfinished, this sure looks yum!

Then the judging of the third batch followed. Here, Chef Penk Ching of The Pastry Bin (she came up with Juday and Ryan Agoncillo’s wedding cake) takes a close look at this entry.

Here are the cakes from the previous batches.

And just before we left, we were given free Pistachio gelato by Technolux. You have to check out their Ice Cream machine!

Go experience your own taste of heaven! July 16, Friday is the last day Philippine Chocolate and Ice Cream Show so you better catch it before its gone.
(Photos by Hannah Dormido)

While Typhoon Basyang’s winds were building up along Roxas Boulevard last night, we were at the Metropolitan Museum for This French is Pinoy!, an exhibit of French expat Henri Eteve’s works while here in the Philippines (organized by Alliance Francaise with Avellana Art Gallery).

Henri has been staying in the Philippines for the past 45 years, and except for the vestiges of a slight Gallic accent, he has definitely gone native. Some of his favorite pastimes include trawling Quiapo and other parts of downtown Manila for bizarre odds and ends (buffalo horns, anting-anting); and the occasional antique book written about the Philippines by another European. He loves to talk about other famous expats who have settled anonymously in our humble country, like Charles Lindbergh and Bobby Fischer.

Henri’s curious, observant, but not-to0-serious attitude in life translates into upbeat, colorful works with organic forms that have an ebullient, almost happy feel to them. (Here’s designer Jojie Lloren surveying them.)

I’m embarrassed to admit that I haven’t been to Metropolitan Museum in a while. Last I went there was during Marlene Aguilar’s book launch, but all that is another story. So I wandered around the galleries upstairs, and there was this exhibit of contemporary Japanese photographers (“Out of the Ordinary/Extraordinary” sponsored by the Japan Foundation), which shows how Japan’s young photogs see their country in this generation. I was not disappointed. The works were amazing like these prints by Takano Ryudai of half-bodies—the subjects are so androgynous you cannot tell if they are male or female.

I got home in time before Basyang hit. When the weather’s better, I want to go out and see more exhibits and shows, and I think you should, too. “This French is Pinoy!”runs until July 31, while “Out of the Ordinary/Extraordinary” runs until September 30.

It’s quite rare these days to come across a truly interesting event, but to my surprise, there are still a few out there. One of them was the preview of Victorio C. Edades-Father of Modern Art, which I attended last Friday at the Edades Tower and Garden Villa model unit at the Powerplant Mall. In this special preview, elusive Edades works are quite aptly incorporated into the Edades luxury model units (his painting of the UST botanical gardens is featured above in the dining room—this work is my favorite). (Rockwell Land has other residential towers named after noted Filipino artists like Luna, Joya, and Amorsolo.)

A special auction of Edades’s works will be held on July 15 by Salcedo Auctions, one of the few (oh I think they are the only one) auction houses in the country. Their advisor, Richie Lerma, was on hand as curator for this special exhibit and gave us more info on the pieces we saw. Here he is in front of this small but lovely “Portrait of a Baby Girl” in the master bedroom…

Now if you weren’t paying attention in your Humanities class, Edades is one of our National Artists for painting. Though noted for his depictions of Filipino life, we can’t directly compare him to Amorsolo and his airbrushed, bucolic Pinoy landscapes. Edades’s renditions are more intimate, raw, more personal, and without any pretensions. And though he did a lot of commissioned portraits of society matrons, Richie mentioned that Edades also made beautiful portraits of everyday people, like this sfumato charcoal of a school teacher (1980) in the master bedroom…

Edades in his later years shunned the spotlight and retreated to Davao to live a simple and quite life. Here, he met Norma Liongoren, who became one of his closest friends and who procured many of the works in this exhibit. And in line with his painting very intimate and personal portraits (he did many sketches and watercolor studies of his own family), he did painting of Norma and her family as well. This painting in the children’s room shows photographer Erik Liongoren and director Avid Liongoren as children!

And I must say, the Edades model unit is one of the best model units I’ve seen in years—beautiful palette, textures, and fabrics, well-executed (from experience, a lot of model units out there are bang-up, rush jobs), this one is very tasteful indeed! I heard it was done by veteran interior designer Alice Erfe.

Visit the Edades model unit beside the Powerplant Mall in Rockwell, Makati City, or click here. For more information on Salcedo Auctions and the special Edades auction on July 15, click here.

The Samsung events I attend are usually splashy affairs swamped with a mixed-nuts-selection of guests composed of artistas, smug techie columnists, and a handful of perfumed society page-people. So it was quite refreshing to attend a more home oriented (housewife-oriented!) Samsung event a few days ago. Sam Oh hosted, while sweet chef Sau del Rosario whipped up a few dishes for the crowd (above).

Chef Sau did his demo of course to show the features of Samsung’s new French Door Refrigerator. Not like the French doors in your house, though—this is a double-door ref with double the storage space (its doors open like wings to both sides), and a twin-cooling system that ensures all parts of the ref has even temperature and everything stays fresh.

The big surprise was, they strong-armed members of the press to do a cook-off with each other to show the features of their new microwave line! Here’s Yummy editor in chief Becky Kho and Men’s Health managing ed Peejo Pilar squaring off as (unlikely!) cooking teammates. They made wine-marinated sole and an arugula-and-shiitake mushroom salad. Chef Sau was the judge and they passed with flying colors!

In the end, we ate what they cooked (well, the same dishes though, albeit cooked by professionals). And it was delicious, save for the anatomically-shaped bread rolls they served with our lobster bisque!

The book launch for Real Home Ideas 5: Small Space Solutions was a success, not just because the book turned out GREAT, but because we had the chance to meet and greet our avid readers! It was definitely heartwarming seeing the Atrium packed with RL supporters.

My mom was one of the early birds (she was already there before the staff even arrived) and all the while she was holding her own copy of the book (yes, she was excited haha).

And people just kept coming…

Those who attended got the chance to get tips from our interior designers, Grace Moslares, Kristine Neri and Frenjick Quesada (below).

Readers had their RL Book (and magazine copies) signed by Editor-in-Chief Rachelle Medina.

And of course, the RL girls had to strike a pose for a job well done.

Please get a copy of Real Home Ideas 5, available at bookstores and newsstands for P195. (Photos by Ryan Ong)