Interiors | Manila

How a family home in Manila became a haven of happiness

A couple and their trusted adviser create a relaxed abode where art lives and thrives.

“It’s very different from where we started,” explains the homeowner, a businessman and former DJ of house music, on his expansive art collection. His taste has naturally evolved through the years – and the works that can be seen in his home today are an expression of his current passions, in the space he shares with his wife and their three-year-old twin daughters. Located in a quiet residential neighbourhood in Makati, Manila’s business district, the house has an open-plan layout, with white walls and refined, clean lines that are offset by the revelation of quirky, unconventional art.

When they were ready to build the house, the couple wasn’t sure exactly what they wanted, but they had a good idea of what they didn’t like. “We didn’t like modern; we didn’t want Zen,” relates the wife. “We gravitated toward something classic that felt homey.” They turned to their good friend Miguel Rosales, the principal of Caramel Inc, a creative consultancy focused on art advisory; he had also been advising the husband from his early days of art acquisition. Miguel’s team took on the house’s interior styling, working with renowned architect Pandy Lichauco. The 5,400sqft, two-storey structure turned out to be a haven for “what makes me happy now,” says the husband, and a respite from the couple’s hectic working lives.

An antique cabinet houses French Art Deco ceramics collected on travels alongside Fornasetti plates. Neutral hues and organic forms liven up the lanai area.

The living room juxtaposes collectible art pieces – a Damien Hirst painting and Takashi Murakami installation – with a Baroque chair and table. The study is the wife’s sanctuary; her portrait is by Janet Balbaronna.

The eight-seater dining table is complemented with a Mazzega chandelier and a collection of silver ranging from Edwardian to Art Deco in style.

Contemporary art – such as work by Ronald Ventura – mingle with classic furniture. A corner of the study houses prints of Father Manuel Blanco’s antique botanical engravings and a slipper chair.