An Old Ice Cream Factory Becomes A Cool Home

When the Real Living team received the Ultimate Makeover Contest entries of 2015, one entry stood out—it was the home of Katherine Castillo, and it was a former ice cream (sorbetero) factory, with old, colorful ice cream carts (karo) strewn about. Katherine and her family had been living in this four-story home for over 40 years, with the ground floor serving as their ice cream factory, and the third and fourth floors housing their workers until 2006. The second floor served as the family home.

The RL team knew this would be an extra-special (and unusual!) makeover, so they called on Grace Moslares of Magara Designs to tackle it, just in time for Katherine’s birthday. “Yung money na dapat ilalaan sa pag-repair sa house, palaging nagagamit sa iba,” admits Katherine, who says her mother Emma had tried to find ways to renovate their home, but the plans never pushed through.

IMAGE Kurt Alvarez

Emma showed Grace a painting of a sorbetero (above), a treasured gift from a friend. Moved by this, Grace and her team set to work, reorienting the furniture pieces in the home, making it more efficient and spacious. She moved a cabinet that separated the kitchen, and turned it into an entertainment center in the living area. The family’s existing sofa was reinforced and resized to be more proportionate to the space.

Grace’s inspiration for the color scheme are—you guessed it right—ice cream colors. The pastel palette is inspired by the traditional chocolate, strawberry, and cheese ice cream flavors. This makeover is a delicious treat, indeed!

Kitchen