Hop on the Bunny Easy Chair to relax

(The Philippine Star) Updated May 30, 2009 12:00 AM

MANILA, Philippines – Nothing beats a relaxing spa treatment after a hard day’s work, but sometimes a soothing massage takes too much time and can be a little expensive.

Now comes Home Suite’s Bunny Easy Chair to enjoy a hassle-free treatment at home. The chair, which has been on the market for almost a decade, boasts comfortable, soft-padded upholstery, a durable powder-coated metal tube frame, and headrest foam pillow. The chair is easy to unfold and store afterwards.

The Bunny Easy Chair is the preferred chair of spa providers and is perfect for a foot spa or back massage. Available at leading department stores nationwide. For inquiries, visit www.clcmv.com.ph.

Hop on the Bunny Easy Chair to relax

(The Philippine Star) Updated May 30, 2009 12:00 AM

MANILA, Philippines – Nothing beats a relaxing spa treatment after a hard day’s work, but sometimes a soothing massage takes too much time and can be a little expensive.

Now comes Home Suite’s Bunny Easy Chair to enjoy a hassle-free treatment at home. The chair, which has been on the market for almost a decade, boasts comfortable, soft-padded upholstery, a durable powder-coated metal tube frame, and headrest foam pillow. The chair is easy to unfold and store afterwards.

The Bunny Easy Chair is the preferred chair of spa providers and is perfect for a foot spa or back massage. Available at leading department stores nationwide. For inquiries, visit www.clcmv.com.ph.

Solve your space problems with sofa beds

(The Philippine Star) Updated May 30, 2009 12:00 AM

The Deborah: Perfect for studying, then relaxing

MANILA, Philippines – Dorm hunting, apartment hunting, or condo hunting all amounts to the same thing: finding a comfy place to live in. But first you have to find a space in which you can fit a small kitchen, dining area and, most important for a stressed-out student, a bed.

Dimensione offers solutions not only make dorms livable but a home away from home. Sofa beds are the ultimate solution for small spaces; these nifty pieces come in various shapes, lengths and sizes that are adaptable to whatever space you find yourself settling in. For a room with plain walls, the Darla, Danica, Dannah or Denise sofa bed is the perfect choice, not only because it accentuates the area; it also fits two people at the same time for P25,950. The Darla can give you the fluffiness of the bed you left behind but saves space as a pullout from the wall. The Danica is similar except that it’s made out of micro-fiber and available in shades of red and black. The Dannah, on the other hand, is more streamlined and resembles an orthopedic bed in feel, but requires less time to set up since all you have to do is flip the seat over and put the backrest forward. It comes in red or black, depending on your color preference. The Denise sofa bed is modern in appeal with its neutral brown shade and open backrest, which when pushed down will turn into a bed.

For even smaller spaces, the Dylan (P17,950), Deborah (P17,950), Debbie (P14,950), or Daniela (P5,995) is the suitable choice. The Dylan, with its ottoman design, can double as a study table by day and a pullout cot at night. Because of its mobile design, you can place it anywhere in your room. If you’re the type who studies better when sitting or reclining, the Deborah sofa bed not only allows you to adjust the backrest, you can lay it out flat and drift off to sleep with your books on your chest. If you prefer a more compact look with similar adjustments, the right choice is the Debbie sofa bed. A mix of the Dylan and Deborah, the Debbie is compact in style like an ottoman except with backrest. Though it needs to be pulled out flat, it also offers the flexibility of a reclining chair, whose angle can be adjusted depending on personal preference. Available in red or black, it also comes with a patterned pillow.

Called the smart sofa bed, the Daniela resembles a futon with its easy storage design in candy colors of green, pink, yellow and red. It allows for more mobility, fits into more color schemes and can even be brought along on camping trips.

These sofa beds and more dorm essentials are available at the following Dimensione branches: Homezone Glorietta 4, Robinson’s Place Ermita, Rockwell Power Plant Mall, SM City North Edsa, SM Megamall, Alabang Town Center, TriNoma, Mall of Asia and Dimensione Bonifacio High Street, or log on to www.dimensione.com for more details.

How does one make over an 'okay' space?

(The Philippine Star) Updated October 17, 2009 12:00 AM

The lanai after the makeover: What used to be a table with plastic chairs around it now sports new seats draped with beautiful shawls.

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MANILA, Philippines - Beth Ferrera’s house usually got positive reactions even before the makeover, but there was still something about the house that needed fixing. Except that even Beth herself couldn’t figure out what. So, how does one refurbish an already “okay” space?

FORM. Ever since she got the two-bedroom bungalow from her parents, Beth has spent a considerable amount of time designing and redesigning the living room where she had a small work area, loveseat, TV and an eye-catching lounge chair. And since she loved entertaining friends in her lanai, she decided to give the area a facelift as well. But when Beth looked at the area, she noticed something: “Somehow, the pieces did not seem to fit no matter what I did,” she sighed.

She realized then that she needed help and…fast! Real Living and Robinsons Appliances came to the rescue.

Function

“The place was okay as it was. It was noticeably well-kept and clutter-free. The fixtures were beautiful,” interior designer Kat Villanueva said. “However, the beautiful fixtures and furniture were not well put together. Rearranging was what I had in mind.” So Kat worked on the space marrying form and function.

Living Room Makeover

Kat considered Beth’s flow of daily “to-do’s.” So the home-office nook stayed. So did the love seat (which was re-upholstered into a beige hue to blend with the brown-woodsy color scheme) and the floor tiles. No repainting was needed as the white walls were in good condition. Curtains were changed from dull yellow-and-white to beige with nature-inspired design. A geometric rug, ottomans, large mustard-colored vases, ceramic pieces and cushion pillows all blended beautifully with the color scheme. The once gloomy living room is now airier and more spacious. And to finish off the look, Robinsons Appliances gave Beth a 26-inch LCD TV with a home theater system and DVD player atop a hanging shelf. “I used to stay inside the room to watch TV because I didn’t like how my living room looked; now, I can spend the whole day here!” Beth exclaimed.

Lanai Makeover

Beth loves the outdoors and prefers entertaining friends in her lanai — a small space which was supposed to be the garage. With the recent makeover, the lanai became the ideal place to hang out. It now has new driftwood-type stools and benches with green and orange shawls draped on top. There’s a stylish wooden curtain hanging from the orange-and-white fabric covering the lanai ceiling, giving room for natural skylight. All these improvements stand out amid the lush green garden background.

Beth knows the importance of making her house look good all the time: “It is where your heart is and if the heart is not well, it needs a doctor to be able to function properly.” She has wanted this to happen for so long, and thanks to Real Living and Robinsons Appliances, she said, she “can function properly!”

Designing nature and tranquility

By Julie Cabatit-Alegre (The Philippine Star) Updated May 30, 2009 12:00 AM

Detail of Ponce Veridiano’s landscaping at Kawayan Cove

MANILA, Philippines – Sitting on an elevation overlooking the South China Sea, Meditation Point is easily the choicest spot in Kawayan Cove, the sprawling, 68-hectare exclusive residential community located at the heart of what used to be the vast sugar estate of the late Don Eduardo Roxas in Nasugbu, Batangas.

“Rather than have just one family enjoy the exceptional view, we decided to make it available to all the homeowners,” says Jose “Joey” Puyat III. With a low density of only 300 families expected to populate the seaside enclave, this unique amenity offers something so simple yet so elusive during these harried times — a tranquil retreat and space to breathe.

Meditation Point’s centerpiece could very well be the world’s largest rosary, measuring 57.29 meters, made of natural boulders and volcanic rocks forming the beads that represent the mysteries and decades of the rosary. The cruciform sculpture is made of durable granolithic stone. Its tip seems to point towards Fortune Island, which could be seen cloaked in a haze in the distance. Designed by the architectural firm of Leandro V. Locsin Partners in collaboration with renowned landscape artist Ponce Veridiano, this piece of architectural art took approximately two months to create. You enter through a thatch-roofed “temple” gate and step into the open-air sanctuary. The natural landscaping is arresting in its stark simplicity. Clumps of native bamboo and young trees anchor the grassy knoll. Dragonflies flutter about freely.

It’s a short drive down to the beach. Kawayan Cove’s Bamboo Beach features a welcome pavilion and an open dining area where guests can feast on fresh catch from the sea. On the day of our visit, we had lobsters. Nearby, beside a clump of native bamboo that has stood there since a gentler time, the oldest nipa hut on the property dating back to the 1950s was beautifully restored and now serves as a health spa where you can get a foot or whole-body massage. Or you can simply lounge at the beach, bury your toes in the fine ecru sand, and be lulled by the rhythm of the waves lapping the shore. As late as the 1970s, the only way to get to this secluded beach was via a 45-minute banca ride from a tributary near the town proper, says Carlos Celdran, who frequented the area as a young boy. Now it’s just a brief five-minute drive away.

For family gatherings and various activities, there is Kawayan Cove’s Mango Grove shaded by fruit-bearing trees dating back to the 1940s. An outdoor amphitheater faces the kiddie pool and a children’s playground featuring a giant rope spider web and a tree house.

“We’ve made a conscious effort to preserve the environment,” Puyat says.

This self-imposed discipline is evidenced by the steep slope of some of the roads that follow the natural terrain. Rather than cut down trees, they built around them. Lot owners can only build a structure occupying 35 percent of their property, leaving the rest of the space for greenery.

For Bale Laut, the first interior design foray of noted landscape artist Ponce Veridiano, recycled wood from old bowling alleys were used for the floors and even the top of a long dining table. The Zen-like sense of balance and harmony with nature extends from the inside to the outside.

The tropical landscaping is typical Veridiano, who also did Greenbelt 5 as well as the private gardens of the Ayalas, Floirendos and Madrigals. Someone made a comment that Veridiano’s landscaping is like an Arturo Luz painting, which is noted for its “meticulous simplicity.” Veridiano does not draw a design or work from a plan, Puyat relates. He simply lists down the plants he’ll need, and using the variety of plants as his medium, he creates his masterpiece.

The development, which started six years ago, has just commenced its third phase, comprising over 100 lots with an average size of 800 square meters. Located on a ridge, it offers a panoramic view of the Batangas coastline. Currently, 70 percent of Kawayan Cove’s first and second phase has been sold with 10 residential properties already constructed, all having a tropical Asian flavor. There is a commitment to preserve the environment as well as to provide more than adequate space and privacy — the ultimate luxury — to lot owners.

“Kawayan Cove is not just a property but a legacy that they can leave to their children and grandchildren, just as what my parents and grandparents did for us,” Puyat concludes.

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For more information about Kawayan Cove, call 843-9136 to 38 and 843-8820.