MANILA, Philippines — Julia Barretto showed off her Japanese-inspired house that she said was the product of her life savings she had been keeping since she started in showbiz at nine years old.
She also proudly said, "it's all me," dispelling rumors that it was allegedly a gift from a powerful and wealthy individual.
The actress gave the exclusive sneak peek to news anchor Karen Davila for the latter's YouTube channel.
"Since 19 years old, [I have] mandatory savings. When I was younger, I didn't know what I would do with the money that I was earning at first, but with the guidance of my manager at that time, my mom, they're really encouraging me to invest. I really didn't know what I'm doing until my mom said I might want to get a lot," Julia shared.
The 25-year-old actress revealed that she started building the house when she was 19. Three years later, she moved into her own place, which she found to be a perfect escape from the overwhelming tension of finding herself involved in the biggest showbiz breakup at that time.
Julia had her place designed in a Japanese aesthetic called Wabi-sabi. It is a design concept that highlights many Zen-like principles like simplicity, economy, austerity, modesty, intimacy, and the appreciation of both natural objects and the forces of nature. Some said that the aesthetic suggests desolation and solitude, which are evident in Julia's cream-themed house with accents and fixtures in muted browns and colors.
There are eyecatching accents though like a money tree sculpture by renowned Filipino sculptor Michael Cacnio and an abstract painting by Carlo Saavedra that Julia said is the "pop of color" in her otherwise cream-colored living room.
Most of her pieces of furniture are locally sourced from different furniture designers/houses and from her Baguio trips. She also has pieces from popular furniture store Crate&Barrel.
Her own piece of Kenneth Cobonpue hanging lounge chair is easily recognizable from her patio or lanai that has reeds of bamboo that stand as tall as the second floor of her house. She shared that sometimes, she hears them sway at night when the breeze passes by her room.
"I think in another life, I was an interior designer," she quipped.
Julia also recalled her family's humble beginnings. She said she, her mom actress Marjorie Barretto, and her siblings had to move to 14 houses because they never owned their own home.
"At that time, my parents were struggling. My mom was struggling. Ang dami kong dreams noong bata ako na hindi ko na-fulfill because we didn't have enough money to keep going. We didn't really always have it easy, that's why I started working at a really young age," Julia recalled.
Her parents, Marjorie and actor Dennis Padilla, separated in 2006. Julia was nine.
"Until mom was able to buy a townhouse for the family, we had to sleep in one room. We hear her phone calls. We know her secrets because we all lived in just one tiny room," the actress recalled.
Julia also put to rest those persistent rumors about her house being a gift.
"[I'm] Really confused actually because I didn't know the basis or where it was coming from. At the same time, [I was] unaffected because I know that I really worked hard to get to this place in my life. I've been working since I was nine years old. This was really a labor of hard work, blood, sweat, literally tears. Yeah, this is all me and that's something that I'm really proud of," she shared. — Video from Karen Davila YouTube channel
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