She?s gathered décor for over 25 years, and stylist Tony Rodriguez is turning the treasures of Christmases past into something new
WHEN FLORAL DESIGNER and stylist Tony Rodriguez took the task of decorating a sprawling home in Quezon City with trinkets and ornaments collected from all over for 25 years, he was overcome with excitement. Not only is the collection the best he has ever seen in his career, he said, but also, the homeowner is a personal friend of his sister.

?Miss Helen,? as Rodriguez calls her, is a petite ex-banker we met on the day of the shoot. (She asked that her name be withheld.) Her presence seems larger than the massive architecture of her house. She speaks of her collection as if they were old friends?with admiration, familiarity and deep respect.

They have their own boxes, most of them still in their original packaging, and have been kept dry and sealed all-year long. They are brushed and/or wiped clean before they?re stored?obviously, ?Miss Helen? wants order, cleanliness and discipline. Ribbons, for instance, are first wiped clean, slowly rolled back, wrapped, before tucked away in their boxes.

Now occupying close to two bodegas, the boxes are each labeled according to color, size, shape, etc. Rodriguez said he is still in awe of how nearly everything he wanted was just a mere whisper away.

?I need table napkins,? he?d say.

?Sure. What color do you want?red, green, cobalt blue, etc? What size?small, medium, large, extra large? Square, rectangular, long, short? Curved edges? Sharp edges?? she?d reply.

She has super-large cones flown in from the US in the early ?80s, back when it was perfectly legal to bring home a boxful of them, now painted in gold; her place mats are handmade lace from Brussels, with her initials sewn on them; her napkin holders, in sterling silver she bought from all over Europe?some are gifts from friends?come in different intricate designs.

Delicate glass floaters (damawana), used by fishermen during the Spanish era, are used as décor in the gazebo and candleholders in the Nativity set near the Noche Buena table.

Christmas lights are the old-fashioned test tube-like glass with liquid bubbling upward; dainty mantillas, from Spain, are hung over the veranda on the second floor and decked with deep-red blooms to complement the season.

Centerpiece

The centerpiece décor, on a round table in the foyer, has deep-red hydrangeas, milflores, red poinsettias, red and green berries, pillars, greens, with pine cones in gold and pine needle leaves.

?They?re like different scenes, in fashion, that you put together into one cohesive show. You see round shapes in crystal balls, long leaves, tall candles and candelabras. When you put them together, it becomes like an artist?s corner,? Rodriguez said.

The Christmas tree is decorated with crystal and glass balls, in clear and red color. A ribbon winds around the tree, and crystals, instead of a star, are nestled at the topmost part. The ribbon is there because, he said, ?Miss Helen? loves fabrics (she prefers full-length table linen and scoffs at half-length ones, for instance). The crystals symbolize her radiant, lustrous life, Rodriguez said, while the round balls of glass and crystal represent money.

?I never buy anything that won?t be of any use to me in the future. That?s why all these years I have never thrown anything, not one piece, away. I just pull them out when I need them,? ?Miss Helen? said.

The side tables in her house are not exactly tables?they?re chests. And they serve a purpose, too. Glass bowls go into them. Like the efficient mistress of the house, no space is wasted in the home.

?She may be a very strict strong-willed woman, being a banker that she once was, but she?s not hard,? Rodriguez said. ??Miss Helen? has always had a full, compassionate heart. And for that she is like the color red.?