Stuff I bought and loved

I call my home’s style “modern boho coastal cottage” because I clearly can’t pick a lane. The things I curate and surround my family with reflect where I came from (the Philippine islands) and the seemingly contradictory design sensibilities that draw me: mid-century modern minimalism and the Filipino maximalism that feels encoded in my DNA.

Almost everything in my home seems to have a little story. This space is where I share them.

Asian household

Any self-respecting Asian household needs a stylish entryway shoe cabinet that keeps the house shoeless and the entrance clutter free. The rattan reminds me of island furniture. It elevates the entry with its aesthetic functionality. The included motion activated light is helpful for finding tiny items.

The mask hanging above it is a wooden carving we picked up on our honeymoon in Boracay. The local artist called it a “happy mask” and it seemed to do its job in every house we’ve hung it.

Bathroom

Proud to say, we went from a 1.5 bath house to a 2 bathroom house without expanding our footprint. We did that by converting our powder room into a wet room. Best decision we made. A hanging toilet helped with the space constraints.

This was my favorite room from our renovation. I love the colors we picked and how everything turned out. And we got significantly more value from the same amount of space.

I love how our tiny bathroom makes a large impact. It actually feels like there’s more room inside than there actually is. A tiny but very functional hanging corner sink adds to this. Matching gold plumbing elevates the look. The shower kit is from Kohler. The under sink drain and corner faucet are from Amazon.

We keep a teak bath mat in the wet room for anyone who wants to have a cleaner and safer shower experience.

Kitchen

My husband and I spent a lot of time discussing the cooking area of our kitchen remodel. Because he’s the main cook, it was his domain. We both wanted a hearth-like feel for cozy cottage vibes. A custom hood was ideal but out of our budget. We found a classy hand-hammered copper hood from Zline that gave just as much character and was more within budget. We used stone-look porcelain tile as a backsplash. Porcelain is easier to clean and maintain than real stone. We also used an iridescent glass tile that gave the look of mother of pearl to match our Capiz pendant lights. Capiz shells are harvested from the same Philippine island I’m from, Panay.

Livingroom

Eames lounge chairs are a staple of mid century modern design. Yes, they are iconic. They are also, to me, nostalgic. My dad had an original Eames chair when I was very young. Unfortunately it broke and was never repaired. I purchased a true-to-original replica several years ago from someone on Craig’s list. Unfortunately, it also carries the same flaws in its design DNA. Until, it is repaired no one is allowed to sit on it. My creative solution was a throw pillow to warn guests.

This coffee table book, Houses that Sugar Built, is a great conversation piece for anyone into Philippine heritage architecture, especially those with Ilonggo roots or family history involved in the sugar industry.

It features about 200 pages of beautifully photographed ancestral homes and their stories. It’s a tangible reminder of our rich Filipino cultural heritage.

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