Art Takes Center Stage in this 80sqm Condo

Art breathes life into any space. A painting provides a bare wall with a story, and a sculpture makes any spot it occupies interesting. A design firm as renowned as Space Encounters knows this all too well, so they turned an 80sqm condo unit into a canvas for the works of budding Filipino artists.

According to Neil Escarez, one of the designers for Space Encounters, their main inspiration for this project is their very own Space Encounters Gallery. A side project of the firm, the gallery accommodates new exhibits every month, with the space being refurbished and restyled to best suit the artwork on display. "We wanted to do something similar for this project, turn it into a place for art," says Neil. The brief was to design a residence that would appeal to expats, to whom the unit will be rented out to. The unit was already semi-furnished when the designers took over, so they decided to make their mark through the artwork and furniture. "Almost 90% of the furniture here are customized. We tweaked the finishes and material for some of our popular pieces," says Neil. They then proceeded to "paint" each space with the ideal paintings and furniture pieces, as though the whole unit was a gallery worthy of such an effort.

The resulting interiors are more measured than most of the firm's eye candy designs. There's a sense of calm throughout, disturbed only by the hum of cars passing outside. One can marvel at the fantastic selection of paintings or the unique furniture all they want, but without the curation of Space Encounters, they would just be details that fail to form a beautiful whole.

Living Area