A cradle of two cultures

The sprawling new Makati mansion of Ambassador Theo Arnold of the Netherlands and his lovely Thai wife Kessara is similar to their marriage – a merry blend of East and West.

Ambassador Arnold and Kessara celebrated their fourth anniversary in the Philippines last month. Prior to coming to Manila, the Ambassador covered Asia from the Hague, then the couple stayed in Malaysia for five years. To Kessara, a very positive person who sees beauty in everything, "It is the people in the country who make the Philippines great." She grew to love this country so much that she spent four years representing the diplomatic corps to the Department of Foreign Affairs, which co-organizes the International Bazaar in cooperation with the corps to raise funds and to help the needy and less privileged. Under the patronage of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Susana V. Ople is the overall chairperson. Forty-one embassies and honorary consulates will participate and bring in unique, imported items to the bazaar. The International Bazaar will be held at the World Trade Center on Sunday, Oct. 27, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Having lived in various countries and observed their customs, Madame Kessara has mastered the delicate craft of mixing the old and modern, the Asian and the European. And this is most evident in their spectacular residence, which Kessara tinted with her unique taste of objects of art. It took the couple a rigorous three and a half months to move into their new address (my, you can build a new house in that time!), but the result was worth the wait, because Kessara managed to create one of the most beautiful, livable and comfortable homes in the Philippines.

In practically every nook of the house are personal and cultural touches by Madame Kessara and the Ambassador himself. In the foyer is a picture of Her Majesty Queen Beatrix and Prince Claus. The furniture in the living room are mainly Dutch, except for two marble-top side tables brought in by Kessara from Zanzibar, Tanzania. The round inlaid teak table in the receiving hall is from Burma, and on it is a beautiful centerpiece of fresh flowers. In fact, the house is adorned with various plants and fresh flowers, heightening the airiness and positive ambience of the place.

Kessara loves elephants, and her collection of miniatures is close to 2,000. We’re not talking here of stuffed elephant toys but of pachyderms fashioned from jade, onyx, ivory, copper, marble, lapis lazuli, silver, porcelain, sand stone, crystal and other materials. An assembly of elephants seems to be marching like a circus troupe on one round table. The rest of her collection, we have no idea where she keeps them, but the house is definitely spacious enough for them.

Ambassador Theo Arnold, on the other hand, is a skilled painter, and his favorite subject is typically Dutch – tulips. Different renditions of tulips, different petals and backgrounds put an arresting splash of color on the walls, which Kessara calls "a happy color." His other paintings are equally bright, but the most special for his wife Kessara is an abstract painting that’s mainly violet-colored, "Azzurro" because this was his gift to Kessara on her 50th birthday. We won’t reveal how long that was, for fear of being declared persona non grata by the Netherlands Embassy.

The workplace of the Ambassador, where he contemplates the unformed subjects of his canvases, is well-lighted like the rest of the house. One can glean from his workplace that he is very neat and orderly.

The couple’s favorite corner, however, is the homiest room of all. Its centerpiece is a teakwood sofa with leather specifically made by an Italian couple in Bali. The three classical Thai paintings on one wall are some of the earliest art pieces that they purchased when they got married, "This is our perfect corner," said Kessara, "where we sit and entertain a lot."

To that, we responded: Everything in the Arnolds’ home is perfect – a perfect intermingling of two seemingly disparate cultures and philosophies, now joined under one roof.