This 39sqm Studio In BGC Shows That You Can Decorate Big In a Small Home

The usual reaction of most studio owners is to make their condo interiors minimalist, with all-white walls and streamlined furniture. But homeowner Ronald Gonzales went the opposite way: he painted his 39sqm studio unit in moody shades of pewter gray, black, and cobalt blue, and filled it with eclectic furniture, layers of artwork, and decorative vignettes.

“I don’t like Zen, I simply cannot,” admits Ronald, who is head of events for Globe and a former contributing writer for Real Living. “My goal was not to make it look like a condo…my goal was to make it look like a house.” A maximalist “go-big-or-go-home” philosophy was followed here, with ornate chairs and a generously sized bed and couch filling up the space. “I went big, like a big sofa…kasi if you use mga small sofa, and then madami, lalong sisikip.”

Not adding walls or partitions also helped open up the entire space. The living area blends in gracefully with the sleeping area, and it is subtly separated by positioning the sofa back against the bed. “Puwedeng gawing one-bedroom ito,” Ronald shares. “Pero ayokong i-enclose. I want to see everything. Duwag ako, e!”

But the best decorating idea we got from Ronald was how to shop wisely. When asked where he loves to shop, Ronald surprises us by listing mostly affordable home stores and secondhand haunts. “I like SM, The Landmark is also nice. Rustan’s, every now and then. But Facebook groups are the way to shop now. People are letting go of a lot of their stuff, kailangan patient ka lang.”

And then Ronald adds one more important tip: “It doesn’t have to be expensive to be nice.”

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