In this Celebrity Homes feature of PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal), the focus is on living in small spaces.
And who best to approach for advice but Frances Lim Cabatuando, the "Mayora" of the Facebook community Home Buddies that she founded three years ago for the latest in home tips, tricks, and budols.
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THEME
"Welcome to the Nobi home," Frances exclaims as she opens the door to the PEP.ph team.
And indeed a sweeping look at her condo does bring to mind the model homes in Korean and Japanese home catalogues.
She tells us, "My home is Japan-inspired or Muji home inspired.
"But when I talked to my interior design, parang she gave me the insight na uso na kasi yung 'team puti' and 'team kahoy' and everyone's doing it.
"‘So since we are renovating it, and you are already known for the team puti, team kahoy aesthetic, let’s try to add more colors para it's also more you.’"
The community's most popular posts regarding aesthetics are undoubtedly those that classify minimalist loyalists (team puti) and rustic interior fans (team kahoy).
Frances shares, "Now I feel like it's still Japanly, but with like Korean cuteness ganon.
"So when people see my place, they think ‘Uy, parang K-drama.’ I guess that's the overall theme."
MAXIMIZING SPACE AND UTILITY
MULTIPLE USES
During the interview, Frances reiterates the principles that guided her when she created her dream home—the first being maximum efficiency and utility.
"Function is very important," she stresses, "So when you buy something, it has to be parang either dual purpose.
"Wag kang bibili ng something na meron ka na, na nag-serve ng purpose na iyon."
As an example, she points to the seats for her guests in the living room, "If you already have bar stools, parang don't buy na additional side chair.
"Kasi parang, people naman can sit, e. So ilan bang tao ang nasa bahay mo, right?
"And if, say, bili ka ng sofa and you don’t have enough space, think of how to utilize it.
"The sofa that I got, empty yung ilalim so if I need extra storage sometimes, puwede ko siya ilagay.
"Versus if I got a sofa na sagad sa baba, yun yung mga parang foam type, e, di ubos na agad yung space ko, yun pa lang, right?"
SMART PLACEMENTS
Frances lives in a small condo unit, and it's a marvel how she has organized her furniture around with plenty of breathing space.
She shares pointing to the division between her living room and bedroom, "One thing I also tell people, my condo is like 38 square meters. But it’s studio kasi, I didn’t put a wall here.
"Technically, parang people can put up a wall here and make it the bedroom.
"But then if you think about it, bakit mo lalagyan ng pader, e, nobody naman goes here. Like, it’s just me.
"Instead of like blocking the light, I let nalang na open siya as one space."
All her stuff are in their proper places, too, without looking crowded or overstuffed.
The entrepreneur says, "Parang don’t put unnecessary things, even if you feel like you know, the standard house kasi has to have a bedroom, has to have a kitchen…
"But it has to, parang you don't always have to follow standards. Basta what works for you, so that's how you design your home."
Frances drops another trick to make the room feel and look larger than it is.
"One of the tips that I learned from mga interior designers or architects, or watching YouTube is that, to make your space bigger, you have to break the wall from the outside and the inside."
Sure enough, Mayora's cozy home is full of them— from large leaf houseplants to succulents, and flowers.
She says, "So when you put natural things inside, say, plants, it makes you feel like the inside is an extension of the outside, so parang lumalaki yung space mo.
"Parang mas nabubuhay siya."
MANAGEMENT
She keeps her home spotlessly clean, and so should every homeowner the Home Buddies creator reminds.
Frances tells PEP.ph, "To make Nobi home clean, every day talaga when I wake up it’s really, I try to clean something.
She continues to enumerate her daily home chores, "Either I fix my bed, I wash whatever dishes I have left or mga glasses, or I vacuum.
"Basta I have to start my day cleaning, para at least, there's one less thing for me to clean at the end of the day."
Needless to say, she keeps all sorts of stuff for every kind of cleaning jobs..
Here's her list: "You always have to have tools for everything. So meron kang dishwashing sponge, and then you have your toilet brush, you have your pang-sweep, pang-wipe, pang-vacuum, pang-dust.
"Be complete with everything because gaganahan kang maglinis pag meron kang item to clean it for."
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