A family of artists—the mother is a music producer and his two sons, a musician and the other is an actor—was searching for a house to move in to, and also in the long-term, a place that can be a retirement home for the mother too. While they’ve been to private subdivisions in other parts of Metro Manila, it was love at first sight when they laid eyes on a Spanish-Mediterranean house in Alabang Hills designed by interior designer Jasmine Ancheta.

The five-bedroom residence was, from the very beginning, a beautiful canvas to work with. The before photos show that it had Vigan tiles, half-crescent windows, a spiral staircase, and an indoor swimming pool. But with Ancheta’s keen eye, she was able to work with the existing structure and give every nook and cranny a brand new, vibrant warm energy.

Here's a closer look at the five-bedroom house in Alabang Hills:

Living Area

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The living area has furniture pieces from the owner's previous house, such as the ottoman and chair. These are then mix and matched with newer pieces, like furniture sourced from Cebu shop Obra Cebuana. The room has fun elements added too, from the dagron figurines on the coffee table to the anime figurines displayed on the wall shelves.

According to Ancheta, the living area used to be completely open but the owner wanted it enclosed so that the area can be air-conditioned. She says it would be difficult to also have the swimming pool area air-conditioned because it's a big space. 

Indoor Pool

IMAGE Kwatro

The indoor pool had already existed before Ancheta started renovating the house and one of the highlights of the pool area is the mural of flora against the sunset, which was a suggested addition by Ancheta as the owner collects art. The mural was commisioned with muralist Alfred Galvez.

An invisible change Ancheta did in the pool area was turn it into a salt water pool. The reason for this is that the owner has pets and as precaution for water-related accidents, the salt water pool is safer than a pool that mainly uses chlorine.

Additional fun fact: The previous owner left the foosball table and they decided to keep it since it's great for entertaining!

Dining Area

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Adjacent to the living area is the dining area. As with other parts of the house, the use of wood is present in so many ways and in the dining area, it's seen in wooden panel ceiling and the long dining table made of wood. Ancheta shares that the dining table and the seats with the metallic finishes are both sourced from Fashion Interiors by Paul Cornelissen. 

Kitchen

IMAGE Kwatro

Ancheta didn't do any major renovations in the kitchen. In here, you'll find the basic kitchen necessities such as the gas stove range, oven, and dishwasher. While all the dinnerware and kitchenware are stored in grey cupboards with a frosted glass. This area is kept pretty simple as the owners of the house aren't big in homecooking. 

Bedrooms

IMAGE Kwatro

IMAGE Kwatro

IMAGE Kwatro

There is a total of five bedrooms in the house, but only three are used as sleeping quarters. All three bedrooms use the warmth of wood elements in contrast to the coldness of the washed out greys. Looking at each room, you can clearly see how Ancheta personalized each room according to the owner's interests and style.

IMAGE Kwatro

IMAGE Kwatro

One of the spare bedrooms was converted into a work room and the other is a guest bedroom-studio where the owner's son stores his music equipment.

Bathrooms

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Each bedroom has its own bathroom, and these also reflect the each owner's personality. The masters bedroom's bathroom has a black marble vanity table and an illuminated shoe storage—the drainage holes in the shower room came in the shape of musical notes too; the other bedroom's bathroom has custom printed tiles designed by an anime artist, Mike Banting; while the other bathroom is mainly black tiles and black marble surfaces which is inspired from the industrial style of New York City, where the room's owner once studied in.

IMAGE Kwatro

IMAGE Kwatro

Garden

From the inside of the house, you would have to pass by the indoor pool to see the garden. Ancheta says that they elevated a part of the garden which was important to her client because she loves to entertain guests.

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The patio has a trellis where lush vines can crawl, providing the lounging area with shade in the morning until the afternoon. During the night, there are hanging outdoor warm lights to illuminate the area.

Gym

There's a separate structure in the garden named the "Bali house" that the previous owner used for rentals and yoga retreats, but with the current owner, they turned it into a gym—strictly for personal use.

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The reason why they call it the "Bali house" is because of its tropical vibe. According to Ancheta they didn't heavily renovate the Bali house, with the exception of repainting, repairing parts that needed repairing, changing the mirrors, and the lighting fixtures. 

Ancheta started the renovations a few months before the global pandemic happened. And becasue of of all the restrictions back then, their timelines were pushed waaay back and they only finished all the renovations last 2022, after more than two years since they started. 

Interested to work with IDr. Jasmine Ancheta? You can get in touch with her via email at idrjasmineancheta[at]jasanchetainteriors.com. You can also visit www.jasanchetainteriors.com or follow her on Facebook: Jas Ancheta Interiors and Instagram: @jasanchetainteriors.