The space that I converted to my study/office was originally designed as a family room. There used to be built-in TV and DVD cabinets but I had them replaced with desks and bookshelves. The space opens to the living room below. There is a railing on one end where we can see directly into the living room.
Speedy and I used to make jokes about how useful that feature of the house is. He said that even if we were in the family room (we converted an extra bedroom upstairs into a family room), if one or both of the girls had male guests, we could take a peek just by looking down the railing. You know, like if they’re sitting too close together, he’d just holler, “Hoy, pagkalaki-laki n’yang sofa, hindi n’yo kailangang magsiksikan (Hey, that’s a really huge sofa so you don’t have to sit too close together)!” He has a similar joke about the sliding door of our bedroom that leads to the garden — if the girls entertained their male guests in the dimly lit garden instead of the living room, we could peek from inside the bedroom. I can’t tell you how many times we’ve laughed over those made-up scenarios.
In short, we always viewed both features of the house as assets. If you can’t visualize the space in the study/office that opens to the living room, you can look at the photos.
The ones on the right side show the open space from opposite directions as viewed directly from the living room. Beyond the railing in my study/office. The window and (door (partially visible in the bottom photo) open to the balcony. I always keep those windows open. There are windows directly across them on the opposite wall of my study so you can imagine the wonderful ventilation I get upstairs.
Monday morning, after Alex had left for school and Speedy had gone to work, I was all psyched up to do the cleaning. I started with the living and dining areas, dusted the furniture, swept the floors, then scrubbed the kitchen counters… the works. Perspiring profusely (I felt I lost three pounds after cleaning downstairs), I went up and started dusting and sweeping. Happy with my handiwork, and thinking that I lost another two pounds cleaning upstairs, I took a shower then wrote the two columns due that day. To my surprise, when I went down a few hours later, I found visible dirt on the living room furniture. Was it because I left the living room windows open? Okay, so I closed them and reminded myself not to open them unless necessary.
The next day, I cleaned the ironwork on the staircase, in the second floor balcony and my study. As I was dusting the one in my study, I realized my mistake the previous day. As I was pushing the duster into every crevice of the grill, I saw the dust falling directly onto the off-white upholstery of the living room furniture. Stupid, I told myself. I should have cleaned the second floor ahead of the first floor because displaced dust on the second floor fell downstairs.
Lesson learned, yesterday, I cleaned upstairs before downstairs. I kept the living room windows closed too. And I thought I had it all solved. If minimal dust gets in, I can get away with dusting and cleaning every other day.
So, late this afternoon, I was cooking dinner. I brought the book I am currently reading down to the living room so I could keep an eye on the cooking. To my dismay, I saw dirt on the sofa again. Where the heck could they still be coming from? I’ve paid attention to everything and did all preventive measures. Then, I figured it out. The windows on the opposite wall of my study directly across the ones that open to the balcony…
The photo above was taken in October last year. About a month after that, construction began on the property behind ours — yes, beyond those windows. The house is almost finished but they’ve been grinding tiles and kitchen countertops for the past two weeks. Construction dust. What can I do, right? I can’t tell them to halt construction until we can hire a daily cleaning woman. Thing is, I can’t shut all the windows all day either. That will make me claustrophobic.
How will I deal with the problem? You know, last Sunday when we went to see Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, when it got to the part when Harry and Dumbledore put Slughorn’s topsy-turvy house back in perfect order with a few flicks of their wands, Sam whispered to me, “Mommy, we need that!” Oh, gosh, I wish. If there was someplace where I could get my hands on a wand like that, all my house cleaning problems would be forever solved.
Hmm. I guess you can start covering your furniture downstairs (with pretty fabric) in the meantime?
We use them everyday eh. Pagpag na lang. At any rate, the covers are machine washable.
natawa ko ng husto dun sa “pagkalaki-laki nyang sofa, hindi nyo kailangang magsiksikan” I can almost see you and speedy spying on your daughter. hahaha
It seems like the best solution for the time being is Candice’s suggestion. At least, mas madaling labahan yun.
Actually, the joke includes the sound of the cocking of a gun hahahahaha
I remember the time when I was in college and when boys were visiting me in our small canteen — my mom used to run a small employees canteen and all of us kids were helping her — and my father really made them uncomfortable. You might not believe me, but my father would sleep on the sofa while my visitor/s and I were talking. Hay naku! Inis na inis ako sa tatay ko noon kasi, they boys will definitely have to say goodbye kasi ayaw nila maistorbo ang pagtulog ng tatay ko.
Now, my father would tell me whenever those incidents will be discussed, “look, if I didn’t do what I did, you would have ended with one of those guys and didn’t end up with your loving husband.”
Kung sa akin ginawa yan. WAR!!! LOL
You really have a beautiful home, ms connie! And tama ka, pagpagan mo na lang:-)
Thanks, Dinah. Naka-tsamba sa colors and decor hehehe
parang may laman ang mga biro ni speedy ah. hehe
I like the red/orange? wall.
Nakakatakot si Mr. Speedy, hehe. Talo pa yung tita ko na naglalabas ng banig at 9pm sa balcony para mapaalis ang suitors ng pinsan ko.
honey, may laman na bala? hahahaha
lemon, ang lupit naman nun! LOL
LOL Ms. Connie, she really did that, to the consternation of my cousin. I guess the dads can look menacing enough without resorting to the banig thing. 4 girls din kami in the family and my dad used to tell boys, “marami akong kilalang police dito.” And true enough, my friend and I were followed one time, haha.Buti na lang innocent yung date.
I love the look of your home.. It looks WARM and inviting.. Kasi, a lot of house pictures we see look like show pieces .. I hate a living room where the sofa is covered and cant be sat on.
Did you get a contractor to make your house or did you buy and renovate it ?
Hahaha! Love what Lemon said. ANg lupit nga! Kawawang suitors.
your house is really beautiful ms. connie and I can just imagine the airiness of your house. yan ang look ng haws dapat, lived-in. job well done!
Lemon & Karmi, sometimes, can’t blame the fathers. Some girls are really fast and furious when it comes to boys. So young, sometimes, it’s worrisome.
Oh, and @Lemon, the living room is orange, dark wood furniture and off white upholstery and curtains.
Mamsi, re “I hate a living room where the sofa is covered and cant be sat on.” LOL I know people like that. Sofas for visitors’ use only. Crazy, crazy. We bought the house then renovated. It used to be all white, I hate stark whites, so we repainted and wallpapered.
Cheann, one thing about living in the tropics, without proper ventilation, it can be hell dealing with trapped heat.
i know what you mean ms. connie. i had this aunt who used to have most of the windows closed because she dislikes the dust that comes in every time and then and there, i decided that when i have a house of my own, i wouldn’t mind the dust as long as airy ang house. suffocating kaya yun closed lagi ang windows.
My mother was like that. ALL WINDOWS CLOSED. Probably why I was rarely home.
You’re right Sass. We felt that covering furniture is tacky especially when you visit friends house and the furnitures are covered like off limits and uninviting.
Other than regular cleanup, there is just no solution to dust even in closed door, closed windows and no matter we tried to change the aircon filter. And easy to spot dust in dark furniture, so we are avoiding if we can help . But it is good routine to sweat it out on weekly cleaning.
Natawa ako doon sa banig. My wife’s uncle used different approach for his daughter. He invited the suitor to stay for dinner to meet all the family members including cousins and then let the guy wash the sankatutak na dishes. Today, the daughter is still unmarried approaching 40.
What do you call that — paninilbihan, isn’t it? When the suitor has to perform house chores to prove his worth?
Beautiful house! Great details…and about dealing with the cleaning problem? Una, isipin mo, matatapos rin naman ang construction…so have patience na lang muna…or kung gusto mo naman, mag-position ka ng giant blower para itaboy ang mga dust na mag-sesettle dun sa place na iyon…don’t sweat the small stuff…:)
Hay, I try not to. As weird as it may sound, a less than organized surrounding doesn’t inspire me to write — and that’s a huge problem.
Haha— same here! A cluttered physical environment clutters the brain too.
Yah, something like that. You know, like a persistently uncomfortable feeling. Like, every time I look around, I get bothered.
Hi Connie,
Ang ganda talaga ng bahay mo! Match na match lahat. I want to add also ang mga helpers pa sobrang aksaya sa mga gamit sa bahay lalu na sa sabon, xonrox, cleanser and dishwashing liquid. Lahat halos ng friends ko na may helper, yan ang complain. Wala ka ng gagawin kundi ang mag grocery to buy cleaning stuff.
Thank you.
At naku, I agree. They only thing the helpers very rarely asked me to buy was liquid floor wax because they didn’t like using it. They preferred to just sweep with the broom and that was that. And the laundry detergent! Sus. I’d wear a blouse and a week later it’s still in the to-be-washed pile. While the helpers’ own clothes got washed everyday.
You have a beautiful home..
love your house. very cozy:))