Last Christmas, my mother gave me a pair of heavy glass ornaments which she said were flower vases. They're made of solid glass, there are etched images all around them … [Read more...]
My mother’s obsession
May 27, 2010 By 17 Comments
My mother has two obsessions: stones and metals. Stones meaning diamonds, emeralds, rubies, sapphires... And metals meaning gold (white, yellow or rose) and, sometimes, … [Read more...]
Defining a section of the house
November 15, 2008 By 24 Comments
One thing about this house is that, strictly speaking, there is no "living room" and "dining room." Instead, there is a living area and a dining area. Meaning, the dining and … [Read more...]
Clay jars and indoor plants
October 15, 2008 By 14 Comments
If you go around malls and interior decoration shops and boutiques, you will notice that fortune plants -- a favorite indoor plant because they require little maintenance -- … [Read more...]
Bamboo mats
August 13, 2008 By Leave a Comment
I wanted a shallow glazed pot with miniature bamboo for the coffee table. I haven't found the pot of my dreams yet so, for the meantime, Sam's collection of cacti has that … [Read more...]
Fruit basket
August 4, 2008 By 2 Comments
My grandmother had a three-tiered ornamental fruit plate on the bar beside her dining table. The lifelike (but very much plastic) fruits it contained always fascinated me as a … [Read more...]
No artificial flowers in my house
August 1, 2008 By 6 Comments
It doesn't matter if you call them silk or plastic flowers -- I really don't like artificial plants in the house. I prefer live plants, indoors and outdoors. They are natural … [Read more...]
A closet door and a book shelf
July 12, 2008 By 2 Comments
Leave it to teenagers to provide just the right accents in their bedrooms. Below, Sam's flat white closet door becomes an eye-catching point with this monkey hanging from … [Read more...]
The difference that window casing makes
July 3, 2008 By 7 Comments
In the construction of standard houses in the Philippines, window casing and architrave are not standard features. Even baseboards are often additions shouldered by the … [Read more...]
Bamboo candle holders
June 18, 2008 By 10 Comments
We were at Vieux Chalet for dinner last night and we were chatting with the owner, Susan Hassig, about the new deco of the place. She pointed to her latest finds -- bamboo … [Read more...]
About window casings and architraves
June 13, 2008 By Leave a Comment
A window is a window is a window? Not really. Look at the windows in the photo above. That space is going to be my office/study. Normally, all it would take is a … [Read more...]
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