à la Barefoot Contessa

If you want to lend a warm, pleasant and inviting feeling to your kitchen, then decorating it in the country style will be the perfect option.

I had fun doing this project because I always imagine my future home having a kitchen like this. Even if this is a small area, a 10sqm room, it has everything you need already like cooktop with hood, microwave, sink, coffee maker, dishwasher, wine cooler, two-door refrigerator and lots of storage area. 

A country style kitchen needs to be planned well because every detail counts. When thinking of this kind of kitchen, the first thing that comes out of your head are wooden doors. This couple want it clean so they chose white doors for all the cabinets.

15cm/6-inch basement molding.
Please take a look at the detail.

All of the exposed side cabinets are like this, pin striped design.

Upper cabinet doors with moldings and 6mm glass. 
These are the only doors that have glass. 
*This is one of the first stages of installation that's why the glasses are not yet clean. 

An overview of the Ortigas skyline.

Cooktop and Hood by La Germania
Arebescato Marble were used for countertop and backsplash.
For the flooring of a country style kitchen, the best options would comprise of natural wood, flagstone and tiles.

Kitchen sink which was bought in the United States at ROHL Farmhouse fireclay apron sink.
Dishwasher by Fisher and Paykel.

This is one of my favorite projects. 
This kitchen is like the TV Show in Lifestyle Network,
Barefoot Contessa hosted by Ina Garten.
I love that show.
One of the best things about a country style kitchen is that you need not buy new items to decorate them. Old quilts, colorful pottery, and old crocks and bowls will serve as the perfect adornments for such a kitchen. 


DoD

Viewtiful Home Office

If you're going to have an office at home, you're going to be spending a lot of your day there so it's important to plan everything that will work for you. 

The things that come to your mind when making an office are the office furniture, computer desk, relaxing computer chair, waste paper bins, shelves, file racks, shredder, ergonomics and more. 

The client chose light green shade for the doors for a cooler ambiance.
Sliding doors are Bayou Green Back Painted Glass and MFC (Melamine Fiber Chipboard) in Santra Oak Finish.

Transparent file racks were used in this area.
So clean.
I love it. 

The two walls are full of shelves for files.
When you have an office at home, it also helps to have a lot of shelves so that it is easy for you to  separate and organize things. 

There is a television when you slide the doors on the sides.
You need time to relax when you're working at home too. 

What a viewtiful site to see while doing all my paper works! 
I'll be willing to work here 24 hours!

The back part of the cabinets are made out of back painted glass, 
as requested by the client. 

The other side of the cabinets are also sliding doors where the wires of all the electronic gadgets are plugged-in.
The client is really an organized person where he does not want all the wires popping out. He wants it to be clean and all in order.
Of course, who wants an untidy office at home.

View from the outside.

Creativeness should go a considerable ways when you’re home business designing.

Where ever your house business office may be in your home, there are ways to beautify this, so that it is an appropriate and also enjoyable spot to function.


DoD

Books with Looks

Do you love books?
And you want them all organized?
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Reading books in a room with big windows and lots of natural light is refreshing. 

The shelves are 36mm thick.
The drawers are handleless and has a touch latch mechanism.

When boredom strikes, turn on the television.

Some shelves have furniture pieces and some have books.
Large goose neck floor lamp is commonly used in areas like these. 

The ladder is made out of steel and is really made for the client.
We had a lot of time figuring out the perfect design for the ladder, really.
Stress.

I can sleep here.

View from the outside. 

Having a view like this, quiet atmosphere undisturbed by the crowd, I think I can finish one volume for a day. Haha
People who love to read may be most interested in the idea of a home library because it gives order to their passion, but some people just like the way books look.


DoD

Open Closet

Every person dreams of having a Walk-In Closet. You want your clothes fixed by color, shoes in sizes, and accessories in one place.

Doing this project, the couple had a lot of requirements. 

There should be an area for caps and hats, short and long dresses, pants and folded shirts, shoes and boots, refrigerator, vault, and a lot more. 
We had to fit everything in this rectangular shaped, 15.7 sqm room. 

We used Alumix Post System and 18mm MFC (Melamine Faced Chipboard)  Santra Oak Finish. These shelves are removable and can be adjusted anytime you want. 

View from the window.

The first three drawers have removable shelves so that there are places for bigger accessories. 

Shelves for shoes.
BEFORE.

AFTER. 

Shelves for shoes, up close

Make sure that your dresses will not hit the floor so that the room can be easily cleaned.
It also helps to have big plastic containers to have a more organized closet.

Since this is an open type of closet, this should be maintained with utmost care.


DoD

Be My Guest

Designing your own room can be hard enough, right? But what will you do if you have to design a room for your guests?

The owner has a Guest Bedroom where they are more meticulous in every single detail of the area. The room is made out of mirror which we had a hard time transporting it from Manila to Bataan. It should be perfect and not have a single crack especially on the corners of the mirror.

The left most door is the way to the bathroom and the two sliding doors on the right is the closet area. The red glass is made out of Burgundy Back Painted glass. 

Provided by a queen-sized bed, when you're in this room,
you'll feel like you're already in a hotel.
 We also installed  LED lights 60cm inside the red glass.

If you look closely, there is a china cabinet, floor lamp, and one-seater sofa with foot rest as reflected in the mirror.

Isn't comfy?

I really like the theme here, red, white, and black

that was chosen by the owner. 

It is classy and fabulous at the same time. 

When you have a room like this, make sure to provide
your guests a reading lamp near the bed.
The light was bought at Alton Lights in Ortigas Home Depot.

This stylish room is proof that loud colors can be striking and stunning. 

DoD

Situational Style

The living room is the entertainment center of the home where the couple can sit down, bond and enjoy movies. The kitchen connects to the living room that's why the doors in this area are the same. This is a big situation because the owner wanted hanging cabinets and after so many arguments, we finally did an amazing project!
I hope? 
You be judge. 

Under the cabinets are LED lights 120cm to give an illuminating effect. If you look closely, the sockets are hidden, as requested by the client. We made sure that the wires are all in order.  We also made a removable shelf at the back part of the cabinets so that it is easy for plug-in and plug-out.

By the way, these cabinets are pushed drawers not swing out doors.

View from the hallway.
The owner bought all the furniture in Hong Kong. I like it that they chose an orange sofa to give an accent in the whole room.

The two lights are from Hong Kong.
An aerial view from the second floor.

NEAT. 

Details.

This was one of the hardest areas! 
Inside the cabinets are DVD players, speakers, CDs, files, and on top of it is a 48" Television.


DoD

Avant-garde Kitchen

The modern kitchen speaks of subtle clean lines. Doors are made out of Wenge Veneer with the client’s preferred color.  You won’t even think that the right most cabinet door is the refrigerator already. You will not leave this area because it has everything you need! 

All appliances are Gaggenau from Living Innovations . 

View 1 

View 2
The client bought the faucet in HongKong. 

View 3
Isn't gorgeous? This is your dream kitchen!! 
L-shaped with island cabinets where the cooktop with hood and sink are located.

You don’t see any handles right? Yes! They are handleless.
The appliances are coffee maker, food warmer, oven, and refrigerator with freezer.

The other side of the island table. 
The door with the handle is the dishwasher.
The cabinets under the cooktop are the two drawers that are open.

Accent cabinets on the left side are made out of Bayou Green back painted glass. This is scene stealer because it is the only one that is different. 
The left door is the pantry.

Instead of using swing out doors, 
lift-up mechanism is an alternative way of doors used in the kitchen too. 
It is a space saver and looks neat on the outside.

 I like how the food slicer was installed. 
The mechanism is from Kessebohmer. 

When you're not using it, you just push the shelf downwards and it is back
to it's original place! 

The couple is the only one who lives here, so they decided to make a small dining table. The triangular shaped table is a 12mm thick and 75 inches long that has a granite block to support the whole table top. The countertop is in Himalayan White natural granite.

As you can see, there are also cabinets under the table. 
Every space here were used for storage.

Sorry for the picture but I just want to show the view while someone is cooking. 
I feel like I'm Rachel Ray or Ina Garten! 
What a view!

"It just goes to show that even when faced with a limited color palette, in the hands of a good designer, the possibilities are still endless."


DoD

Home Away From The City

Every one of us has a retirement dream house and I think, this couple made it surreal that they even had their house built at The Cliffside in Anvaya Cove, Bataan. This is a 3,300+ square meter lot with 22 rooms.

By:

Arch. Jun Benito of VR Benito Architectural Services

Engr. Ramon Gonzales of Conmech Construction

A two-storey tropical design house.

 2-car garage area and storage on the left part side of the lot.

View from the kitchen. 

Blissful. 

If only I had a chance, I'll sunbathe here whenever I want to.


DoD