Out of Africa & into Alabang

When I visited an old acquaintance, Emily Campos, recently, I almost missed her house. An abstract butterfly seemed to have landed on the wall lamp, obstructing the house number.

Then I found myself flying right into the private haven of Emily Campos. Surveying her place, I thought to myself that she must be related to Ali Baba who had his busy 40 thieves. Arranged in very orderly and neat manner, her treasures – or what she called junk – could take your breath away. Literally strewn all over her place were personal possessions which gave a clue as to what fads and fancies had come and gone in the arena of home decorating over the past decades.

Viewing the different rooms in the house, I was reminded of Madame Sousatzka (played by Shirley Maclaine in the movie of the same title) who had the eagerness of a bag lady in gathering every item that caught her fancy. But looking back now, after two trips to her house to take pictures for this spread, what was amazing was how she succeeded in maintaining order, instead of creating chaotic clutter, in the midst of the million and one items lying around the place.

Emily is blessed with relatives who are as artistic as she. Several paintings done by her daughter and a young niece make a refreshing sight. Emily must detest plain walls for every square inch of her house is either faux finished or has a piece of art or craft to display.

Her passion for ethnic art is evident everywhere you look. There are statues from Bali, Indonesia; handiworks from Peru and Mexico; silver jewelry from Tibet; and a rich sampling of African art like masks and the Kuba cloths dressing up her throw pillows. And she swears she made a big mistake when she cancelled a trip to the land of voodoo – Africa, what else?

As seen from the textures and patterns, it is obvious that Emily gravitates towards the natural. She loves jutes in their coarsest and most unadulterated form. She upholstered her sofas and covered the shades of her lamps with earthy jutes. She also loves katsa (cheesecloth) so much that she covered her throw pillows with them.

Having read this far, don’t be misled into thinking that this is one of those mansions sitting on a huge property. Emily’s residence stands on that segment of the Bank of Philippine Islands village developed to cater to the needs of young couples starting a family. Thus, it is understandably small in size. But the amazing talent displayed by the artistic Emily in the way she positioned her furnishings resulted in a very airy and put-together atmosphere.

Emily also has a penchant for plants and landscaping. She developed a small area in front of her house into an oasis, so lush and green that for a while you’d forget you’re in the asphalt jungle. One of her lucky found objects is a huge terra-cotta cauldron holding a tall vessel that gently spews water. The mouth of the vessel also serves as a bird bath, making a lot of birds in the area happy during the hot summer days.

Emily must have a green thumb, what with the plants growing all over the place. Some are planted in huge terra-cotta containers while others hang on cords tied to ceilings and trellises. They provide refreshing vistas in every part of the house. There’s a wide variety of plants and they’re in uniquely shaped containers, some of them very old while others are fresh from potters.

Very generous with her secrets, Emily shares with us the trick she uses to induce an old patina on her terra-cotta pots the fastest way. We still have to try it out but she swears it works like magic. Like she gets instant moss on the sides of pots by painting the surface with yogurt. Go try it yourself and let’s compare notes later.

Fact is, Emily runs a shop that produces handicrafts in exclusive quantities in Silang, Cavite. The butterfly light fixture in front of her house is a product of her shop. All year round she makes Christmas decor which she sells to stores in malls. She owns a foundry so she is able to fabricate a lot of things that come as manna to interior designers and decorators.

Recently, Emily displayed yet another talent – her culinary prowess! She arranged a series of lunches for some friends and business associates. And they sure loved her cooking and wanted to come back for more. Who knows, she may just give some restaurateurs a run for their pastas. Definitely, I wouldn’t mind enjoying a hearty meal in her Silang hideaway after a long hard week in the city.

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