During my renovation planning, I roamed around Manila to seek inspiration for furniture and decor. Though I did buy key pieces from West Elm, I knew it was going to be expensive to buy everything from a mall. So I chose to canvass first then have more pieces made by furniture makers.

The home design process is a tedious but beautiful one. Countless hours are spent day dreaming about your ideal home set-up. Then months are spent working on a space.

I enjoy the process of seeing beautiful furniture and identifying what I like. One day, I’d like to help others discover their own taste and help execute it for them. I came to realise this while working with Marilen Faustino and Marian Ching on my own home.

Self-discovery and self-expression tend to develop over one’s discovery of personal taste in home decor. At some point in your life, you must create a space your love and dwell in it. In the mean time, be inspired by beautiful design. This is art!

Here are some of my favorite things in my favorite interior design stores in Manila.