Real Living Space

Dear readers, I have a little secret to spill. I’m in love with our Makeover section, too! I get all giddy combing through the entries, going on oculars and meeting the potential (lucky!) winners, and presenting the photos to my editor and the interior designer of the month for their approval. It’s a pretty long process. We don’t just whip out the tambiolo and randomly pick a winner, or worse, cook it lutong Macau style (pardon the politically incorrect term) as some people might probably think.

Ultimate Makeovers are something else. You bet it’s much more nerve-wracking in terms of budget and time constraints, and a hundred and one other concerns. This year’s Ultimate Makeover was no different. Good thing we had superheroes on our side: Interior designers Hannah Acab-Faustino of IDeal Design Services, Jean Paul dela Rosa of iiideas, and contractor Nikki Bustos of Formo Homes Development.

Without them, we won’t be able to turn the Mangcucangs’ decrepit twenty-something-year-old house from this:

a not-so-appetizing dining area with a dilapidated ceiling and sad walls

to this:

a bright, clean space with lots of dainty silhouettes and a charming nook. The divider-turned-wall accent is from Crossings, while the wrought iron dining set was an existing piece Jean Paul delightfully updated.

Want more?

from a drab, cluttered master bedroom...

...to an enviably fresh, chic space by ingenious Hannah! I'm loving the Live/Love inscription and the striped details of the bedside tables

Want more? Go grab a copy of our September issue!

Terrific trio (from L to R): contractor Nikki Bustos, and interior designers Jean Paul de la Rosa and Hannah Acab-Faustino

Ready for your own makeover? Get in touch with Hannah at tel. (02) 681-4251, mobile 0917-897-1363, check out www.idealinteriordesign.net

Jean Paul at tel. (02) 920-0683 and mobile 0917-874-7184; and Nikki at tel. (02) 861-1649, mobile 0918-991-7002

This Ultimate Makeover wouldn’t have been a success without our generous sponsors: Crossings Department Store, Hanwha, Homeaid, Homestore, Nviro, Design Gold, and  Uratex

PHOTOS BY VINCENT COSCOLLUELA

Since it’s the Ultimate Makeover season for entries (read our March or April issue for the announcement), I decided to answer a few Frequently Asked Questions about entering out makeover contest:

1. Can we join even if you’ve already chosen a Ultimate Makeover Winner? Yes you can. Those who’ve entered the Ultimate Makeover contest but did not win for the Ultimate, still have a chance to be chosen for one of our monthly makeovers. Meanwhile, those who haven’t entered yet and want to join our minor (but still fab) monthly makeovers can send their entries to the addresses below.

2. In that case, where can we send our entries to? You can email it to either of both of these email addresses: smeap@summitmedia.com.ph and/or reallivingmakeovers@gmail.com (in case the summitmedia email gets full). Or send it by snailmail or hand-carry it with this address on the envelope:

REAL LIVING MAKEOVER CONTEST, c/o Marketing 2, Summit Media, 7/F Cybergate Tower 3, Robinsons Pioneer Complex, Pioneer St., Mandaluyong City

3. Do we really need to send more than one photo? Yes, sending approximately 3 to 4 photos of your desired area helps us and the makeover designer in choosing a winner. Choose your desired room and shoot different areas of it. If it has any damages or furniture you don’t like, take pictures of those too, so we’ll know what to fix, in case you’re chosen. Cellphone photos are OK, as long as they’re colored, relatively clear, and not too fuzzy.

4. Why do you have to do oculars? Even if we’ve seen the photos, we need to assess the current state of your home, if we’ve chosen you for our shortlist, especially since some entries have been sent months ago. The RL team and/or the makeover designer need to assess if the renovation of your space will fit into the current allotted budget given to us that month, and if repairs can be done within the time frame and deadline given for the makeover.

We also take into consideration your living conditions, i.e. if you have infants and need to move out during the length of the renovation, if your space needs structural repair and it fits into our budget, and also if you are prepared emotionally to deal with an ongoing renovation even while living there. Actual construction happens, sometimes walls get torn down in the course of renovation, and you would have to deal with that.

5. Kung na-ocular na ako, ibig sabihin ba ay nanalo na ako? Having an ocular on your house done by the RL team and/or our makeover designer does not mean you have won. This only means you have been included in our shortlist for that month. You will only know you have won if you’ve received an official message/email from the RL team clearly stating that you have won. And you won’t miss the message, because the next thing we’d ask you is if you’d be free on a certain date to start the renovation works.

6. Kung sira-ulo ako na homeowner, pipiliin ninyo pa ba ako? Not necessarily, but you can bet that you’re not at the top of our list—yet another reason to do ocular visits, to actually meet you, the homeowner. Sorry for this last bit (it’s not an FAQ), but we have encountered more than one makeover winner run amok during the course of the renovation—like what happened a few years ago when an irate homeowner held the designer, then-managing ed Tisha and me in a room and threatened to end our lives because he didn’t like the makeover we did (the makeover was perfectly fine). Tinutulungan mo na nga, nanganib pa ang buhay namin.

Also, if your friend or neighbor has won a makeover, be happy for them—there’s a reason why they deserve it. We’ve received quite a number of scathing mail from jealous neighbors and friends saying the winners didn’t deserve it, and wishing them ill. C’mon guys, be decent citizens!

Well I hope this answers a lot of questions. Good luck, guys!

Real Living’s April 2011 issue is out! What’s in store for you this month? 36 Ways to cool your home without turning on your air-con, beautiful summer homes (with young designer Wilan Dayrit’s project on the cover), a whole section dedicated to eco-friendly living, and more!

What I’m really excited about is our very own Issa Villar’s sweet, summery Real Makeover—see the dramatic change she worked on the Luceros’ home. Here the before:

And after! Amazing, isn’t it?

Check it out in Real Living magazine, available at newsstands and bookstores nationwide for only P140! (Photos by Ocs Alvarez and Vincent Coscolluela)

It’s our color issue!

In store for you this month: Unusual color combinations and paint palettes by Gwyn Guanzon and Kaye Lopez…

…a new section—Small Space Solutions…

…oh and don’t forget our amazing makeover! Check out how drab dining turned into fine dining in this house!

Real Living’s January/February 2011 issue is available at newsstands and bookstores for P140. (Photos by Ocs Alvarez, Bahaghari, Miguel Nacianceno, Jun Pinzon

Watch our tour of this month’s Ultimate Makeover of the Baldevarona’s home on Urban Zone! Get to see up close the amazing “after” results of designers Jean Paul dela Rosa and Kristine Neri’s work.

Catch it on September 5, on ABS-CBN Channel 2, right after “Sunday’s Best.”

Hi readers! Today, May 31st, 2010 is the last day for entries of the Ultimate Makeover 2010. So if you want to make habol, do send in your entries before midnight later!!! Please read the above ad for mechanics. Also, a lot of people have been asking what a disclosure is. A disclosure is simply a typed or handwritten letter stating that you are the current owner/lessor of the home you entered (No need for notarization).

If you are having difficulty sending your entries to the official Makeover address, kindly email them to this alternative address: reallivingmakeovers@gmail.com

Thanks and good luck all!

Hi guys, the June ish of Real Living magazine is out this week, and it’s such a fun read!!! This month’s issue is all about putting personality into your space, which I believe is epitomized by the charming, blue abode of Nenet Nolasco, a.k.a. “The Tuyo Lady.” Also check out one of my fave interior designers Wilan Dayrit’s elegant take on a bachelor’s home…

…check out the new shopping spots at LRI Business Plaza, this is the ever-changing merchandise at Kish…

…the RL Notebook and Get Inspired features incredibly creative home office designs and solutions…

…and of course, get tips on how to find your style from our guest creatives, ranging from Smart Parenting ed-in-chief Mia Fausto, artists Gail and Marija Vicente (aren’t they so cute?) …

…and fashion designer Tippi Ocampo gives us advice in the RL Notebook on how to create your own cool workspace (Tippi, I know you’re busy with Fashion Week, good luck dear, you can do it!)…

..and of course, find out how interior designer Kristine Neri’s Real Makeover of this window-less bedroom turned out!

Check out also these features: the RL staff translates their fave outfits into a room, a fun poker-themed Father’s Day party, the ultimate Real Estate Listing, and more! Get your copy of Real Living magazine at newsstands and bookstores for only P140. (Photos by Ocs Alvarez, Vincent Coscolluela, Miguel Nacianceno, Ito Ocampo, Jun Pinzon; styling by Wilan Dayrit, Gwyn Guanzon, Coni Tejada; makeup of Gail and Marija by Sam Unson Gallardo and hair by Theresa Carbonell)

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)