A home designed for young professionals

MANILA, Philippines - Robinsons Residences’ Sapphire Bloc was particularly designed for active professionals whose demanding careers require a home that’s in sync with their dynamic lifestyles. Y Diseño Interior principal designer Cecile Narvaez was tapped to execute The Sapphire Bloc’s aspirational home interior that appeals to career-driven individuals in their late 20s to early 30s. The Sapphire Bloc upholds Robinsons Residences’ mantra of city living done right. For inquiries, call  636-0888, SMS 0925-3333333, or visit www.robinsonsresidences.com and www.facebook.com/RobResidences.

source: philstar.com

Here’s An Easier Way To Furnish Your Bare Condo Unit

During the house-hunting process, the first step for many condo buyers is to take a tour of the model units. When they like what they see, the paperwork is processed, and when the unit is ready for occupancy, the new homeowners are left wondering how to best recreate the full use of space and charming ambience that had made them fall in love with the model unit. Their own finished unit happens to be stripped of all the frills that had showcased the work of a professional interior designer. What they have is a bare unit with a kitchen sink, shower and the electrical sockets.

This is actually a welcome challenge for many new homeowners who like to decorate. Others, however, may opt to seek expert help from designers and decorators. But those who cannot wait to move in can now have the exact same look of the model unit they had fallen in love with.

A new service by Megaworld Corporation offers just that opportunity. Its new Prime Properties Investment Group (PPG) is a marketing division that exclusively handles the completed projects and properties that are ready-for-occupancy (RFO). This specifically targets that segment of the market that prefers to buy finished homes rather than waiting to move into pre-selling projects. Megaworld PPG vice president for sales and marketing Donna Racho says the division will be providing its own brand of unparalleled after-sales services to Megaworld unit owners.

With this innovative move, Megaworld homeowners of choice cut properties can avail of the services of a design team, which is headed by interior designer Fernando Buenavista. This team will work with the homeowner in personalizing his new home. The resident has three themes to choose from – Zen, Contemporary and Modern Victorian.

“The Zen style has an Asian feel, with simple colors,” says Buenavista. “Contemporary has its metallic touches and minimalist appeal; it is something that never goes out of style. The Modern Victorian is preferred by the higher age bracket for its very classic design and is perfect for units that have bigger cuts. We talk to the owners about their taste and preferred style, and work within the budget they give us.”

After the client chooses a theme, the design team works on the schematics and rendition. The team can even help the buyer shop for furniture and fixtures. “It also works to their advantage, because we can get good deals from our suppliers,” he says, pointing in particular to a gorgeous metallic-theme tile found in one of the finished RFO unit kitchens in Eastwood, Libis. “Many people who looked at this unit thought it was an expensive imported brand, when actually, it is from one of our suppliers. They offer these tiles to us at more than half the price.”

A homeowner also has another option: He can buy the entire model unit he liked: lock, stock, and barrel. “They get the rugs, the lighting fixtures, the framed artwork, everything! All they need to bring is their clothes,” Buenavista says. In fact, he adds that the Contemporary unit that comes with the metallic-tiled kitchen was already snapped up by a buyer who is set to move in sometime soon.

Some of the available RFO units are located at Eastwood Parkview and One Central Park in Eastwood City, Libis; Stamford Residences, 115 Upper McKinley in McKinley Hill, The Bellagio III, and Forbeswood Parklane at the Bonifacio Global City; The Residential Resorts in Newport City; Greenhills Heights in San Juan; and El Jardiniere del Presidente II in Quezon City.

For more information about the Megaworld preselected prime cuts developments and the free interior design services, call 867-8913 or email primeproperties@megaworld.com.

source: mb.com.ph

Transforming space

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