Out of New York, into Africa & Asia

In everyday life we all thrive on change. It may be a cliché, but it could not be truer in one’s personal environment especially his private interiors. Truth to tell, an additional accessory, say, a lamp or an ashtray, can cause a minor face-lift first then in some odd cases even result into a major renovation.

An item of a totally alien persuasion introduced into a room can either produce a soothing effect, making the setting more fascinating, or it can result in some kind of irreconcilable difference among the pieces, giving the room a very discordant note.

With rooms totally eclectic in approach or design, most homeowners are led into thinking that any item, be it a furnishing or an accessory, can be added. This is not always true. Some items marry well with those already existing yet some bring nothing but chaos and clutter.

Not too long ago, this writer developed a penchant for Africana. While residing in the Big Apple I was smitten by those crude, mystic and almost iconoclastic items of décor traditionally crafted in Africa. Juxtaposed with oriental things they create a blend that is not only sophisticated but global as well. My initial purchase from a store specializing in Oceania and Africana was a medium-sized sculpture of a chieftain so contorted it resembled a Picasso work. I could not have agreed more with the store owner when he declared that the piece was as uniquely contemporary as a Wassily chair.

Along an alley in SoHo I fortunately met an African guy named Sudabi whose specialty was purveying bits and pieces, artifacts and handicrafts, all originating from Kenya and other countries in Africa. My initial purchase from this kind man was a length of Kuba clothing and to encourage me he started bringing more stuff up into my condo for my perusal.

The Africa story should end here, lest we ramble on and on. When my exciting exploratory sojourn in the city that never sleeps went kaput I was, of course, saddled with the problem of where and how to integrate the New York inventory into our already fixed diminutive home in a village south of Makati.

As in the past renovating episodes I decided to initially do a thorough editing before purchasing the first nail. Some things were retained while others took a well deserved rest in storage havens. After careful deliberations, what remained were only the things we all liked to touch or ogle at. And the rest, well, some things looked much better grouped together with books in the library or nonchalantly deposited in free-standing etageres and shelves.

After going through an exercise that can be classified as almost masochistic in nature – the renovation that took several months to accomplish – at long last, our cozy nest is once again peaceful. The objects of desire, predominantly minor but charming acquisitions that have been with the family for generations look happy where they are now.

How long they will stand or hang in those places, only time will tell.