Pomp, circumstance & artistry

The glass, steel and shimmering granite floors that permeate the Syjuco manse tempt onlookers to classify it as having a very industrial design sensibility. While the lady of the house welcomed us to see the entire place, this writer chose to concentrate on the interiors of the public rooms, meaning the ground floor, where guests are gracefully wined and dined.

The harsh geometry – vertical and horizontal lines displayed on the exterior facade – belie the cozy and very homey feeling one experiences as he enters the magical, or shall we say surreal, atmosphere of the place.

Treating every wall space as if they were canvases to be painted on, consummate artists Cesare and Jean Marie Syjuco poured all their stock in trade, making every facet of the interiors a masterpiece of color, texture, composition and balance, adroitly enhanced by state-of-the-art controlled lighting.

The foyer, featuring a contemporary creation by Jean Marie on the brick wall, connects to a narrow hallway leading guests to the house and is suffused with rows of Buddha statues of all sizes, periods, provenances, and positions. The shock one experiences in the entry hall does not begin and end there. Every turn one makes reveals a distinct, sometimes disparate, panorama or discovery.

In each room, wide-span tinted glass doors reveal out-of this world landscaping employed to effectively veil the often-undesirable perimeter walls of the neighbor. While ogling this dreamlike spectacle, one readily forgets the pollution outside and the economic stagnation the country is in at the moment.

Exotic and unfamiliar plants that only the initiated, the plant aficionados know about are omnipresent in the Syjuco domain. Willowy grass which one only encounters on some hillsides make their presence felt in the place. They are cleverly planted side by side with cascading vines, giving the effect of a woven tapestry.

The word "eclectic" perfectly suits the manner in which the Syjucos furnished their interiors: sinful Oriental antique pieces are married to contemporary pieces like the Wassily, Knoll and Saarinen chairs, naming but a few. That one does not notice the disparity between the objects and furniture is living proof that the many items are married well, thriving harmoniously within the interiors.

Cesare and Jean Marie are ardent believers in the power of cascading or flowing water, so that there are rivulets, hidden or bared, that circulate within the residence. Wherever you might happen to be seated, there’s a great chance that you will be engulfed by the beautiful and serendipitous manner in which the Syjucos successfully mixed greenery with water and stone outside the rooms.

One of the more interesting rooms in the house is the master den. Here some of the duo’s favorite retained masterpieces abound. Cesare’s being musically inclined is revealed here via the collection of guitars of all makes and styles proudly displayed.

Traditions and age-old conventions these compleat artists threw out the window. They nonchalantly follow their personal and artistic instincts and individuality. This results in a place where each and every detail or treatment abounds, resulting in a unique – surreal, to a certain degree – excellent ambience the entire family and occasional well-selected guests can readily admire and enjoy!