Happy Home

CEBU, Philippines - Here’s a home economics of sorts. A newly opened home furnishing store will solve the housing woes of those on the hunt for eco-friendly, space saving and quality home furnishings and fixtures that exude quirkiness and quintessence.

Nutritionist Erlinda P. Binghay, after 32 years of living in the United States, came back to her hometown (Cebu) to pursue her dream: owning a home décor shop. “Of course, to retire has to have a purpose,” she shared. It took her, together with some partners, four years to finally open Happy Rooster at the Aboitizland’s first urban village venture, The Persimmon Plus, which is just across their ancestral house in barangay Mabolo.

Happy Rooster (where “roost” means home) though sounding like a chicken joint leans towards the idea of dining and is more concentrated on value-oriented kitchen accessories. Linda however makes use of the custom-made kitchen which is parallel to the Happy Rooster entrance. As a Doctorate degree holder on Public Health at the University of Michigan, Linda comes up with creative workshops where she rolls out healthy options and proper nutrition to control high blood pressure and cholesterol/sugar level and whatnots.

When everything is a rat race, one’s abode must be a comfort zone. This quaint den, with warm earth-colored walls, adorned with paintings from Manila artists houses moderate to high-end furniture with an interesting mix of essential decors that compliment one’s lifestyle. Shopping for the home has never been this convenient as one has the liberty to browse through books then a sales assistant serves coffee/tea while one can roam around, to “touch and feel.” “We encourage ‘touch and feel’. That’s how we derive purchase,” revealed Linda. While other stores post warnings such as “Don’t sit,” in Happy Rooster one can even lie on its queen-sized bed or sit comfortably on an antique-hued dining chair without the fear of reprimand.

While change starts in the home, an eco-friendly roost answers the clamor for going green, for carbon emission reduction. Linda boasts of her custom-made energy efficient kitchen stocked with a fridge which is 30-40 percent efficient, organized kitchen cabinets made of Lawaan, sustainable bamboo flooring (since bamboo is considered grass) that doesn’t need regular mopping, energy light bulbs that illuminate her store, among others. “I want to expose our customers to the finer things in life,” she expressed.

For starters or for those with families, especially the moms, who see the need to dress up renovated homes to achieve more space, sustainable/eco-friendly, or simply to be comfortable minus the toxicity of the urban lifestyle, shop for artsy, crafty utensils, multifunctional kitchen gadgets and rare furniture. Visit Happy Rooster at The Persimmon Plus in Mabolo. They are open from 9AM to 9PM daily.