My Favorite Rooms at MaArte Fair 2019

When my mom told me that this year’s MaArte Fair is inspired by the open-house parties of the North Syquia apartments (said to be legendary parties in the early 2000s housed in one of Manila’s historic buildings from the 1930s), I was very curious to see how the exhibitors’ rooms would be styled.

So on a Saturday afternoon, my mom and I had a shopping date and braved the crowd starting by a long queue at Manila Peninsula’s elevator.  But I still enjoyed going from one to another not only to check out what they’re selling but also how the rooms were styled (some even had the bathrooms styled with their pieces!) These were my favorite rooms at this year’s MaArte Fair:

Piopio and IrayaMangyan

Wall Decor Signs from my favorite show Fixer Upper

I am a frustrated interior designer. I wish I had taken this course when I was in college. So these days I try to do some Interior Styling and Party Styling to let out my creative side. One of my favorite design shows on HGTV that I discovered three years ago is Fixer Upper. The designer of the show, Joanna Gaines has become one of my favorite designers and I’m so sad that their show will be ending for good really soon.

I’ve never been a big fan of wall décor with a word, phrase or a sentence on it.  But I’ve learned to appreciate it through Joanne Gaines’ designs and it was actually one sign that really changed my view on words as wall décor.

My favorite sign that started it all.

Luxury Interior Styling Workshop

I just finished eight sessions of luxury interior styling classes at SOFA Design Institute last month. The class was handled by Joy Ngo who studied Luxury Interior Design at Instituto Marangoni in Milan. (Oh how I wish I could study in Milan too!!)

For our final class project, we were at the Ethan Allen showroom of Focus Global Inc in BGC. We were paired up and I was paired with Aimee, an interior designer. We were randomly given 3 spaces to style — a bedroom, living room and dining room.

I liked the space assigned to us because it was one big open space with floor to ceiling windows and a gorgeous view of the city. (And I am such a big fan of open space living.)  The catch? It has yellow walls. But it wasn’t actually a big challenge. Honestly, the real challenge for me was working with the leftover accessories available at Ethan Allen because they just had a big sale and there were very few items left in the showroom. But I think we made it work!

The Theme: Sunny City Escape
An open space condo for an empty nester couple living in the city. It’s their getaway in the city to enjoy their time together and have intimate gatherings with their friends. The villa ambience reminds them of beachfront living that they revel in. The space feels light and airy with touches of metal pieces. A home that’s filled with warmth and cheer.

Here are some behind the styling story of each space that we styled:

Bedroom 
>Thank god we found simple bedsheets and pillowcases that had trimmings that we loved!  I was actually worried that there would be no sheets and pillows that would match our room style.
>Another good find was the bench for the foot of the bed. Those throws are actually leather sample material (talk about creativity!)
>The vanity table can double as a writing table too.
>We added some wood and flower accessories on the bed (very Fifty Shades of Grey according to one of our classmates!)

5 Home Decor Stores: Negros Trade Fair 2017

I can still remember going to the Negros Trade Fair as a kid with my mom. My mom would buy me those smocked dresses but I was actually looking forward to the Bacolod delicacies. My dad by the way grew up in Bacolod.

Now, aside from the Bacolod delicacies I also look forward to check out the home decor stores as I am into interior styling.  I saw a few home decor stores that caught my attention at this year’s Negros Trade Fair held at the Glorietta Activity Center last September 27- October 1. I have to confess though that my first two stops were Felicia’s ensaymadas and Virgie’s napoleones!

ArteFino High

It’s been a week since the ArteFino fair, a showcase of Filipino artisans.  I was once again excited to discover new Filipino brands and artisans for home decor and furniture and also seeing my favourite brands still present at fairs like this.

5 Styles from SM Home

It was a breath of fresh air to see home styling vignettes at the fifth floor of SM Makati during my recent visit at their home section.

Here are their five styling vignettes and what I love about each of them:

1. A pop of yellow in the kitchen

Designed by Dagny Madamba in collaboration with Chef Miko Aspiras

Photo credit: SM Home Facebook

My favorite home accessories from MaArte at the Pen

I used to visit most (if not all) bazaars in Manila but now I only have a couple of bazaars that I look forward to every year and one of them is definitely MaArte Fair.

For this year, MaArte Fair is going to be at the Peninsula Manila on August 11-13, 2017.

Lovin’ Balay Dako’s Style

Antonio’s Balay Dako restaurant in Tagaytay is definitely on the top of my favorite restaurant interiors in the country.  I always have this feeling of being at home (or visiting my lola‘s home) and having that light feeling every time I visit.  But I always forget to take photos of the interiors and so finally during my recent visit, I took photos of the things that I love about their interior style.  But of course, nothing beats the view of the Taal Volcano from their dining room.

5 Things I Loved About Our Glamp Site

I’m lucky to have found friends who wanted to try glamping with me.  It’s been on my list of things to experience for quite some time now.  I found the perfect glamp site in Nayomi Sanctuary Resort in Balete, Batangas.  It was an easy breezy trip that took less than an hour to reach the resort (thanks to the SLEX and Star Tollway connection).

Our glamp site in Batangas

Pinto Art Museum

Finally I’ve visited Pinto Art Museum in Antipolo last month.  I’ve been seeing photos of this art museum all over my Facebook timeline and Instagram for sometime now (and loving all the photos!).  I have to say it really is a beautiful place.  I loved sitting on one of the beds (almost lying down actually) under a tree around the museum’s open area.  It was an inspiring place whether I was indoor or outdoor in this property.