STUDIO 34

I am obsessed about the tiny space that is going to be mine in a few months’ time. It’s a 34 sq meter loft studio which made me bankrupt for the past 3 years. I decided to put my money here instead of putting all of it on suits, shoes, bags, pretty blouses and more of those (I shop in cycles). Books and magazines are essentials. DVDs and CDs I indulge in when I have extra money. I pay a lot more for derma than for make-up. Spa is a luxury, massage I need. I stopped being the gadget girl years ago when I went back to Manila and sold my Fuji Finepix, webcam and headsets just before MP3s came along in 2000. Before I reveal too much of my pathways to self-fulfillment (that’s not all I spend my salary on- I support a lot of err….causes), let me get back to my studio 34.
You’d either hate it or love it. I can’t decide yet. I said I want a home with a view of the expansive sky. Alas, this comes at a price I can’t afford. It’s either a rat’s cage or a singles pad-my license to an independent life. That’s the way I see it, and more often than not, it’s the former, rather than the latter. Why live alone when at home there’s always a good meal waiting, freshly made bed and ironed clothes? I wrack my brain on how to furnish the unit to make it liveable. For my future interior designer, I am putting together a list of things that may or may not be mandatory requirements for my condo unit (or rat’s cage, I still can’t decide).
1.Layout, lighting, color, tonality and style- As we are constrained with a 22 sq. meter living and dining area and a 12 sq.meter bedroom loft, space is an issue, so we want to create the illusion of space.
a.Personally, there is nothing more relaxing than the soft muted tones of beige, brown, tan, soft lights and an aromatherapy scent to greet one after a hard day’s work. I want the room to be relaxing, more than anything.
b.If I can have all these and yet achieve a spacious feel to the unit, I’d be happy, but I’m willing to negotiate->A spot to read a good book, a small table to have coffee on a Sunday morning while reading the paper, and oh yes, a couch to rest my tired feet on.
c.I want the room to have as much of the sun as it can, to make it airy, clean and light as much as it is relaxing.
d.Japinoy is actually the style I’d like to keep. I lived in Japan for over a year and I loved their craftsmanship, clean, simple lines in furniture, and I know this can be mixed with our own Filipino designs.
e.I love wood. But I know wood is difficult to maintain, and I don’t know a lot about wood. I do know there are lots of different wood finishing that can be mixed and matched, sand-washed or polished. I want wood finishing or wood interspersed inside the unit.

2.Furniture & Fixture- I have listed some of the units I currently have or thinking of buying for the unit.

This is the 39 sq m unit, which is the only unit that can hold a sofa set.My unit can only hold either one of the following- a foyer receiving table, bookshelf (think of Carrie Bradshaw’s, only a third of that one though) or a customized built-in L-shaped couch.
a.Bookshelf- think of the foyer displayed at the Ayala studio unit at Greenbelt. I am thinking of doing without a couch or sofa and just have the bookshelf upon entering the door. This way I have all my books, CDs, DVDs, Bulol pieces, Baguio knick knacks and Japanese pottery organized.
b.Bed made of kamagong or molave. Teak if I can afford it but it would cost me 2 months salary. Note: The loft bedroom is open- haven’t decided whether to keep it open or use wooden sliding panels (ok, will keep it open initially because of budget constraints)
c. Sidetable on both sides complete with bedside hanging or mounted reading lamps. Maybe our Lonely Planet cabinet can be the bedside table. Only this came with a bamboo “carpet” shipped from Boracay.
d. A couch that can sit two people or at least enough for me to lie on and put my feet up while reading. If not a couch, a fabulous chair (Budji Layug if I can afford it, but it may cost more than my bed)
e. Would native blinds be right for the unit?
f. A small table which can be the buffet table on sleepover nights, but is mainly a dining table for two (made of wood of course)
g. Lamp- I have a Noguchi Japanese paper Akari. This may be used somewhere in the house or a lamp designed locally by an artist/ design house

3.Electronics:
a.This poses a problem, as there is not much space. I do not watch a lot of TV, but I watch movies on my DVD.
b.I’ve decided that I don’t want TV in the bedroom. But if space is the issue, I may be willing to have the TV set in the bedroom. Or decide not have the TV at all.
I do not own a painting yet, maybe for the meantime photographs will do. Whew, this is too much work, just thinking about it. I need a professional. If you know of a good interior designer who is willing to work with my rat’s cage and constraints mentioned above, please get in touch with me.