A place of my own

Little girls used to dream of having grand weddings, fantastic babies and being perfect housewives even before they began liking boys (ew!). Well, they’ve gotten more ambitious since. When I was a little girl all I could dream of was my first home. I wanted a colonial estate next to my grandfather’s house in Forbes with a stable of horses (even if I didn’t ride) and a big pool (even if I didn’t swim).

I dreamt big and landed small. Literally. I now live in my very first apartment as a tax-paying, VAT-flagellated adult. During my design-school days, I lived in a furnished apartment in New York. "Furnished" most of the time means ugly. It was bed, bath and beyond tasteless. As much as I tried to save its dignity with slipcovers, huge posters of vintage Parisian bistros, distracting sculptures‚ and lots of Ikea, it was "fugly" even if it was at Central Park. My only saving grace and comfort was a premium 300-channel cable TV. And a great pizza place downstairs.

It was then that I learned that before you transplant yourself to any place, there had better be good chow nearby. One of the reasons why I chose where I live now is the 24-hour KFC in front of it. I can eat KFC in any condition. Second to water, the velvety southern love of KFC is very much responsible for my existence.

Of course, the building is important, too. Does it look like a brothel? Is that your thing? Is security good (heard that in one building in Makati a body was rotting inside a car in front of the building for three days)? Is there a KFC? Mine looks chic and my best friends live there, too. We actually realized that we all live in the same corner of the building but on different floors, meaning we occupy the same spot on earth.

The major challenge was how to satisfy my snobby taste with my modest income. Simple: pure good taste. It’s what you want but done with some restraint. Good taste is personal style. Know what you like. It’s easier to get on that road when you list down what you don’t like. I, for example, hate: fake abstract art, black leather couches, maxi-Asian stuff, the color red, trendy pop things that scream cheap knockoff, faux Lladro anything, unlit designer candles that gather dust, and stereo systems that look like Atari boxes on steroids.

So here are some tips from how I managed to assemble my first grown-up apartment, which I lovingly call "The Dollhouse" because everything is out of scale, just the way I like it.

Furniture

The most important is the holy triumvirate in furnishings: bed, table and chair. If you’re seriously into Zen, this will do it for you and you can stop reading this article. For most of us, however, minimalism is simply something against nature. We need things to live, assuming we’re not on survival mode. A nice couch, table and set of chairs will do well for a modestly sized living area.

My friend, architect Chut Cuerva, calls my apartment the "House of Sand and Fog," because it’s basically a lot of big furniture crammed in a small space. I like the Alice in Wonderland feel of it, much to his chagrin. In my case, I used my old ivory suede couch from the ancestral home, recently cleaned by a professional (Amar Puyat does a great job, 0917-6951855) and I simply added lovely pillows from SM (P50 each), Thailand and Kish. I like mixing stuff together instead of creating a safe and uniform look.

For my table I used a copy of my Lalique mirrored table, the original being in my office, paired with plastic chairs from Dimensione to create a luxe yet casual setting.

Furnishing Basics

Choose neutral tones for basic objects and spruce them up with unexpected details like quirky pillowcases. Bold pieces can be tricky in a small space; details make all the difference.

Use high-backed chairs or a settee against the wall and an ottoman on the opposite side of the living room. Having two matching pieces is boring.

You can double an ottoman as a coffee table. Just put a silver tray and books or knickknacks and voila, you’re done.

Mix unexpected pieces. I love mixing the luxurious mirrored table with streamlined plastic seats or an old wooden table with Lucite chairs, something my friend Miguel Rosales introduced me to years ago. The ironic display makes a tiny corner seem more interesting.

Layer a piece with something opulent. My main chair in the living room is a leather piece resting in a corner. To keep it from being invisible, yet without looking too imposing, I added fur throws and pillows for more texture. Keep the basics as versatile as you can, so when you’re in the mood to change them you can you use details to create an entirely different look. Think of your space as your canvas.

Customize your things. Shelves, tables and beds don’t need to be bought off the rack. I had most of my storage stuff made by my fab carpenter Fred. As for my bed, I wanted it to be really special because it’s the place I treat myself – either with a book or trashy TV show – after a long, hard day at work. The guy to call for such pieces of comfort (be it a bed, couch, divan, etc.) is Noel Arnaez (0917-555-5222). For my room he created a simple but graceful padded bed covered in ivory silk. He can also bring old pieces to life by reupholstering them in à la mode velvet, weathered leather or canvas. A carpenter can do simple pieces like shelves or tables, but you will need someone with more experience for crucial pieces like beds and couches.

Curtains should complement a room, not be the focal point. I prefer the simple grommet style as opposed to swags or Ivana Trump-ballgown curtains. Canvas for me is the best choice since I have a dog and the fabric washes easily – although I still dream of having tapestry curtains once my dog is old enough to ship off to boarding school. Check out Shell Canvas for the best deals.

Color

Choosing color is crucial. Most newbie nesters go opposite directions: either it’s blah beige or some Crayola color to compensate for detail. My friend Tim Yap dressed up his place in really bright tones and accented it with white furniture, which works for him wonderfully and shows off his personality. For me, like many beginners, my main objective was to keep my space adaptable to make it easier to redecorate every so often. I also have a tight budget to be mindful of so I went for elegant but unusual tones, colors that I would not mind seeing every day.

In my dream world, I have a fuchsia living area, but that leaves little room for my redecorating moods. So instead I went for ivory for the main walls, and a cool dove gray and a lovely lilac that Miguel recommended for the focal walls. The idea behind the neutral colors is to create a feeling of space; the colored walls as accents for paintings and knickknacks to break the monotony.

More color tips:

• You can have any shade you want, just go to Ace with a swatch and they can mix it for you. Boysen also offers great choices from their swatch booklet. Make sure to ask for just a quart first and test paint your walls to see how the light, space and flooring complement it.

• Accent walls can be contrasting but I find complementary accent0 walls more modern and elegant, for example ivory and taupe, or butter-cream yellow and tan.

• When choosing a color for the study, get a color that wakes you up – I call them "caffeine tones." I chose a bright white subdued with some ochre lighting and light cream curtains. It’s a color I personally find refreshing and mind-opening. Some get off on hunter green, dusty lavender or even pink – it should be a color you feel good wearing. I personally feel more energetic, thoughtful and creative in white than in gray or brown.

• A bedroom should have a cocoon-like quality to it, like nothing matters but the bed. It should be a color that comforts you. One person’s caffeine color can be another’s cocoon color. I chose cocoa for mine, which has been my bedroom color for years, and I guess I like the feeling of darkness in the bedroom. I like that it hints of warmth, sweetness and is very chic against the gold chandelier and mix of antique and mid-century furnishings.

• Lighting is the most important element in bringing out color. Say goodbye to fluorescent lighting, which kills the warmth of any shade. Replace it with warm, low-wattage (cuts on electricity costs) bulbs. Accent lighting also gives a beautiful glow to rooms. Check out hanging lamps in tinted glass or floor pieces that add extra sparkle to your place (Rustan’s, SM, Dimensione and a lot of antique stores have a great variety of these little wonders at very fair prices). Candlelight is also lovely, especially when entertaining at night, just be mindful of them. Choose votives with texture and design.

The Art Scene

I’m no art expert in art, although such pieces surround me. Most of my friends are knee-deep in the scene, and I just usually tag along to learn. The best way to buy art is to actually really like it. You would be surprised at how many people buy art they don’t really fancy, but see it as an investment or, worse, are following a trendy artist trail. If you have to ask for a second opinion about a piece, forget it. If you love it, you love it like chocolate. How many people do you know who ask if chocolate tastes good?

Your preference in art is a reflection of your taste in everything else. My friend Chut likes sleek, modern things whether it’s clothes, cars or interiors. My friend Wendy, who is a graphic designer and very feminine, owns paintings that are mostly figurative and centering on subjects such as flowers, landscapes and objects.

I personally prefer figurative art. As with clothes, I never really appreciated the avant-garde Japanese or Swedish designers. I’ve always like at elegant things that have a sense of humor. A lot of that can be seen in my art collection. I love the work of young artists Olan Ventura and Geraldine Javier, whose works are well-defined, offbeat and dramatic. I like mixing my new pieces with older ones such as the Geraldine Couch that is hung above my couch next to a rare Picasso lithograph, "Portrait of Dona Canals," who was the wife of Picasso’s best friend and rumored to be Picasso’s lover as well (only 50 were made by the artist), which was given to me by my mother. Instead of making it look like a model unit with the same artists or themes hanging on the walls, I like juxtaposing unexpected images.

I like mixing different media; it keeps things unpredictable and exciting. In my bedroom, I have a large photo of myself in the park with my dog Hercules in San Francisco, taken by my friend Victor Consunji years ago. Next to it is one of my favorite pieces, a gift from Erwin and Yvonne Romulo, a vintage pene-kula poster from the ‘70s and to the far right a small Kiko Escora sketch of himself given to me by my good friend Patrick Reyno. I like that each piece has sentimental meaning for me and simply looking at them makes me happy.

Details, Details, Details

Aside from art, the little objects should again be a reflection of your personality but in a more revealing manner. I frankly love my little ceramic heads and animals. I collect them from my travels, steal them from homes of loved ones or flea markets. These are things that don’t make sense to anyone but me, and that makes all the difference. I also like collecting antique toys, not robots or dolls but the simple stuff like wooden pull toys or rubber duckies. I’m always going to be a kid at heart.

My friend Miguel Rosales is a whiz at making elegant things modern and unexpected. I have learned so much from him when it comes to bringing things together. Be mindful of how you put them together and create a story rather than just cluttering them around. A good example is the house of my friends Norman and Astrud Crisologo, who put together objects from their travels (like macabre pieces from Mexico and mystical objects from Greece) and arrange them in a way that tell you a story.

Ever since I moved to my place, I have been constantly deleting and editing. Now a cluster of little crystal things on a small side table tells the story of my travels, fascinations and their sentimental value. Another favorite collection I have is perfume bottles that evoke memories that are personal and R-rated.

Rome wasn’t built in a day and so you can’t expect to complete your space in a week. Also, don’t be afraid to play with funny things. I saw a pair of wooden elephants in my boyfriend’s junk box – I just loved them and put them in the foyer walking among the various photographs atop the baroque slate marble table, like a photographic safari. You will always find something new to refresh your space and being adventurous about it is part of the fun.

I never understood how some people could throw money at someone to make their homes for them. Decorating, whether alone or with a pro, should be a journey. The best decorators are those that work with you and don’t force their tastes down your throat. Creating your own home is one of the best pleasures in life. It’s self-indulgent, creative and, most of all, it’s an homage to your fabulous self.

That part I like the most. Money can surely be wasted by the rich, but style is a democratic right earned by those devout to its edicts.