Mini Makeovers: An Elegant and Dramatic Dining Room
University professor Marco Gutang transforms his energetic dining area into a calmer space that still exudes loads of personality
Peace Studies professor Marco Gutang’s dining area has undergone a lot of changes, thanks to his designer-partner Grace Moslares. “Before, we had a small round table. We even had a long plastic table when we stayed here,” says Marco. The wall used to be red that veered towards a fluorescent pink. Marco kept the walls in that color the past ten years, and until recently he felt the glaring color needed to tone it down. “Nagsawa na ako, so ginawa naming black.”
With a matte black wall, the dining area exudes a sleek, sexy mood that is punctuated with an ornate mirror and different wall art, like paintings by Ricky Ambagan, Ogie Salmorin, and Grace. A photo of Marco as a child together with his dad also graces a corner of the dining area. This, plus a number of accessories on the table, creates a dramatic vignette that sets the area apart from the rest of the house. “The black wall, I really like it. It’s more subdued. Now that I’m 40, it suits my mood better. The all-red, sobrang gising na gising ako, which I liked before. It was energizing. But now, mas toned down na ako,” he says.
