MANILA, Philippines — The condominium boom that shows no signs of abating has necessarily catapulted the interior design industry along with it. The thousands of bare units have to be transformed into livable, beautiful spaces and this process necessitates furniture, accessories, décor, drapery, carpets, window solutions, lighting fixtures, appliances, among others. Before, hiring an interior designer seemed to be an unnecessary expense, the frivolity of the rich. Now, it’s almost de rigueur. A space magically transformed by an interior designer (or a team thereof) looks more organized, efficient, evocative and ironically, more personalized, as opposed to that of haphazardly spruced up by the owner.
Home Mavericks, a furniture boutique and a design consultancy firm based in Makati, has been providing interior design direction for clients who wish to make the most out of their spaces, even if they are outside the country. For their latest project, a Z-loft, two-bedroom unit at Rockwell West Tower, the design team has created a warm, effusive home for a balikbayan couple based in Canada.
“What we do is we communicate with them through emails,” begins Eric Go Po, one of Home Mavericks’ founders. “When they are in their respective countries, we send them the designs and they approve what they like,” he begins. “When they come here, everything is ready. It may take a bit longer but it’s more convenient on their part.”
For the Rockwell space, the couple wanted a modern, practical home with touches of Filipino and classical designs. Extensive brainstorming ensued: the team came up with an eclectic look that is predominantly the marriage of warm wood and gorgeous texture. The dining area is spruced up with furniture with coco shell as base. To achieve the balance between the classic and the contemporary, they upholstered chairs with a traditional silhouette in turquoise fabric. Sectional sofas in dark leather punctuate the living area. Mirrors and a stone wall accent increase the volume and heighten the verticality of the space.
With his background in sales and marketing, Eric says that he is the sober voice in the team who puts himself “in the shoes of the client.”
“The designers, they do the designs. I always strike a balance between aesthetic and function,” he says. The design process of Home Mavericks, in this light, is intensely collaborative, something that their clients treasure. In return, they also do their part by showing the design team the accessories they wish to add to the space, asking whether they could work in the over-all theme.
Examples of practical solutions that Home Mavericks has introduced into the unit include the bed which can be disassembled into four parts for ease of transport; upholstered headboards so the clients can have the fabric changed as often as they like; cascading lighting fixtures in the living room that also illuminate the staircase; and the customized HunterDouglas window treatments which Home Mavericks, as an official supplier, carries in their shop.
Despite having their own ready-made furniture, Eric says that they don’t use them in outfitting spaces they design. “We don’t use the existing designs in our shop because we want each house to be unique,” he says. “We want it to coincide with the owners’ personalities. We actually have a questionnaire so we can assess their personalities, their style and taste and what they want.”
Vincent Sandoval, also a founder of Home Mavericks and a filmmaker, says that the key in creating a space that works is to harmoniously blend disparate elements. “These elements individually are not particularly groundbreaking but when we put them together, you see some things that you wouldn’t otherwise experience,” he says. “The whole becomes greater than the sum of its parts.”
Eric and Vince affirm that their strategy—customized solutions, collaboration with client, world-class design—is paying off. They have designed a number of units in the same tower based solely on word of mouth. But the ultimate satisfaction they feel is “when the balikbayans comes home, when they open the door, they say wow.”
Home Mavericks is located at G/F 926 Arnaiz Ave. (formerly Pasay Road), Makati City 1223 (across New World Hotel). Call 844-9549 or visit www.homemavericks.com for more details.
article source: mb.com.ph
