Real Living Space

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)

Real Living has always prided itself in featuring ordinary, “real-life” homeowners. But once in a while, a quiet homeowner that we’ve featured in the past sometimes turns out to become someone famous (or infamous!) in the future! Case in point: P-noy’s erstwhile “first girlfriend” Len Lopez’s charming, Euro-themed condo was featured back in our March 2o06 ish (re-featured again in this month’s Yes! magazine). Here she is with her doggie…

…and we couldn’t forget shooting congressman Ronald Singson’s home in Vigan back in April 2007. We were so shocked last year when we heard the news that he was arrested in Hong Kong for drug charges (currently convicted). Here he is on the second floor of his reconstructed bahay-na-bato…

And most shocking of all was when I turned on the news last year and saw a shootout between then-homicide suspect Jason Ivler and the local police in front of these same doors…

…these were in the home of Jason’s mother, art patron and bon vivant Marlene Aguilar, which RL shot back in 2004.

We also featured Malu Fernandez by the way in ’04 (famous for her ill-received “OFW rants” in her column a few years back), but can’t seem to find the pics, and sweet-natured now-QC vice mayor Joy Belmonte in 2005, when she was a lowkey archaeologist. (photos by Ocs Alvarez and Bahaghari)

In my past design mag life, my colleague Chiquit had the privilege of writing an article about award-winning Japanese architect Shigeru Ban. Architect Ban is famous for creating ingenious, temporary, earthquake-proof shelters made out of rolls of paper, tarp, cardboard, and Kirin beer crates as foundation to house refugees of the Great Kobe Earthquake back in 1995. Here are the shelters:

He also made an entire church out of cardboard and paper rolls to replace the Takatori church that was also damaged in the earthquake:

Architect Ban’s theory is that these materials are lightweight and flexible enough to withstand earthquakes, and if they do topple down, will not cause any harm to the tenants. They are also cheap, easy to assemble and pack up. I was wondering if their office had responded to the recent March 12 earthquake, and I checked their website and they did, giving out simple cardboard partitions for the victims and soliciting donations.

Kudos to you, Mr. Shigeru. With all the little earthquakes we’re feeling in the country, I do hope a local architect can come up with something like this! (Images from wikimedia.org)

Good news, storage seekers! Our fave storage specialty store Howards Storage World just came closer to us (well, me at least) and opened a brand-new branch at the 6th floor of  Shangri-la Mall, next to True Value. They’ve got all the standard Howards stuff, like their Elfa line of shelving…

…their super-cute jelly catchall bins…

…and more! I love their sleek, eco-friendly bamboo bins and organizers…

…BPA-free water bottles in jewel colors…

…and of course, their kitchen accessories. Too many to mention! They have everything from egg timers to Brabantia spice containers. Cool!

Howards Storage World is located locally at Shangrila Plaza mall and Robinsons Ermita. (Photos by Dagny Madamba)

I’ve met abstract artist Lao Lianben only a handful of times. He is a reticent man, who’d rather  stand quietly outside with very close friends—or by himself—rather than mingle in a cramped gallery packed with art patrons.

So it was quite a surprise that this introspective man recently launched No Past No Present, a book filled with Neil Oshima’s photos of Lao’s works, all quiet yet complex, deceptively minimalist in rendering, but very deep in meaning once studied. Case in point, “Zen Cloud”:

Though my favorite amongst the works exhibited was “House,” for obvious reasons:

No Past No Present is available at National Bookstore.

In RL’s March ish, creative director Gwyn Guanzon chose the 10 Best Beds for 2011 (styled by Jean Paul dela Rosa), in terms of design, comfort, and value-for-money. This is actually a take-off from RL’s 10 Best Beds way back in 2004! Check out what styles were hot back then, how much it cost (quite pricey, even then!). This was styled by designer Nina Santamaria.

See the 10 Best Beds for 2011 in our March issue, out on newsstands and bookstores now for P140.

Check out Real Living’s March issue—it’s a special ish on bed and bath design, complete with RL’s 10 best beds, kiddie bedroom makeover, 20 great bathroom ideas, and everything you need to know about bathrooms in the RL Notebook.

Out on newsstands and bookstores for only P140. (Cover photo of Designs Ligna bed by Miguel Nacianceno, styled by Gwyn Guanzon)

A new specialty home store just opened—About a Chair—and I’m happy to say that the store is specifically just about that. No bells and whistles, no unnecessary artwork, just a lot of chairs…

Now I’m glad such a store opened. Of course homeowners would go the whole nine yards to find a store with all their home needs in it, but what if you are simply looking for a chair? Like if you’re looking for the perfect kabisera chair for your dining table, or a tiny-but-stylish occasional chair for your condo? Then this store is just for that. Designers Malen Garcia and Nina Gomez and co-owners Lit and Anj Onrubia reglarly stock up on correctly proportioned mid-century modern chair icons like the Tulip (in black, no less), Egg Chair, Panton, Wishbone, among many others. In nice prices, too. This Baby Eames Rocker, for instance (flanked by Ant chairs) goes for P8,000-ish.

About A Chair is located at 2/F 146-A Jupiter St. (near Aristocrat), Makati City. Store hours are from 10AM to 7PM (Mon-Sat), and 11AM-7PM (Sunday).

On our way back, we dropped by Five Corners at the 2nd floor of Madison at Pioneer Street, Mandaluyong. Now for those in the know, Five Corners is IKEA heaven!!! They just opened a few weeks ago, and will soon fill their lovely loft-like space with more of your fave IKEA stuff. Abangan.

We got a sneak peek at household and consumer giant 3M’s new product: DI-NOC  film, launched last week at the Ayala Museum…

Now we all know 3M for its protectants and adhesives (Post-it Notes, anyone?), but not for interior finishes. DI-NOC will change all that with this film, which is a notch above ordinary wallpaper. It is self-adhesive, rather like a sophisticated contact paper, but without the cheesy wallpaper patterns (I especially love their take on exotic woods), making it perfect for high-end hospitality interiors.

And because it’s contact-paper-like, it’s easier to apply than laminates, tho admittedly, it is a bit pricey. Contact your local 3M distributor for more info.

…for the Year of the Rabbit. Whether you believe in feng shui or not, we got to attend a talk at LRI Design Plaza with renowned feng shui master and physician Andy Tan.

Now Andy is also quite clairvoyant and again, whether you believe this or not ( I do, and I can attest to this), he has come up with a lot of interesting and helpful feng shui tips for the home, specifically geared towards having good luck during the Year of the Metal Rabbit. Here are a few:

1. Use the auspicious colors of red, golden yellow, bronze, metallic silver. and green. Andy stressed that these color choices don’t have to be baduy, and can come in the form of quietly stylish abstract art, tabletop accessories, and soft furnishings.

2. Use rectangular or circular tables in your dining area for good luck, and of course, the bigger the table the better (although, I suppose not in tiny condo units).

3. Go for round things. Perhaps round ornaments or a round coffee table in your living room, or a round aquarium by your entrance, with water being pumped in, to bring in the good chi.

4. Bring out the dogs. Ornamental dogs, we mean. Place two by your main entrance for luck in wealth.

5. Use mirrors. But not the ba gua all the time. You can use mirrors to make contra unlucky elements, like beams in a room.

6. Tie a knot. A mystical knot, that is (seen above, next to Andy). You can buy these red mystic knots at feng shui stores and use it as wall decoration to bring in the luck.

7. Remember your lucky numbers: 7 (lucky), 5 (stable), 8 (infinity), and 9 (mystical).

Happy Lunar New Year! (Rabbits photographed at a11, 2680 FB Harrison, Pasay)