A double-volume living room greets the guests as they enter the house. The feature wall is made friendly by the beautifully curated artifacts encased in acrylic boxes, lovingly sourced from travels abroad.

Evocative of tranquility, Modern Asian interiors provide an escape from the hectic lifestyle of the urban jungle.

This 400-sq-m house in Metro South is often compared to a resort villa whose open and airy design integrates the lush garden views. Design duo Victoria “Ivy” and Cynthia Almario created an Asian-inspired theme based on the owners’ collections.

Remodeling the exterior, architect Edgardo Ledesma built aluminum slatted screens, coated in powder, to exude the warmth of woods. These screens covered the windows for privacy and sun protection. He introduced a glass door etched with koi that echoed the fish in the pond fronting the house. Anybody who listens to the gushing pond feels rejuvenated. Its position near the entrance welcomes positive energy.

The house feels more luxurious with a double-height ceiling and matching large openings that inundate the spaces with natural light.

“The house is small but the feeling is grand,” says Ledesma.

The flow of space from the living room, dining area, kitchen and lanai is seamless. The dining room and kitchen can be separated by operable shuttered doors.

Ivy, who handles the interior architecture, designed ceilings with repetitive wooden horizontal trims that give the spaces a sense of dynamism. On the dining room ceiling, a mirror was installed to double the illusion of the decorative wooden panels and to visually enlarge the space.

Enclosed by glass banisters on three sides, the second floor suggests the feeling of floating. One can look down on the living room and garden like Shakespeare’s Juliet perched on her balcony.

A dining room that feels like an outdoor cabana, as doors fall open out to peeping greens of tropical foliage. The slightly pitched ceiling is made more dramatic by the rhythmic arrangement of timber poles.

Sourced in Thailand, these faceted glass lanterns are weighed down so they safely sway with the crosswinds.

Balance of texture

The balance of textures is a defining characteristic of the Asian theme. Instead of a chunk of concrete, the house is a harmony of contrasting surfaces—travertine walls, ironwood flooring and tanguile ceilings with walnut finish that match the furniture frames, huge expanses of glass, silken wallpaper and blinds that mimicked wood. The demarcated grains of the ironwood flooring highlight the significance on nature in this resort-like ambiance.

The calming neutral palette anchors the living room with its pitched ceiling and Asian objets d’art. Soft beige and wood tones lend a laid-back ambiance.

The client is indulged in the master bedroom, decked with upholstered silk walls from Thailand-based silk baron Jim Thompson. The soft green silk picks up the colors from the celadon artworks.

In keeping with the minimalistic character of Modern Asian design, the home is decked with Milo Naval’s streamlined furniture.

Cynthia, who specializes in interior design, notes that living room pieces are made of woven, weather-proof material given that the space is exposed to natural light.

Since clutter is taboo in Modern Asian décor, Cynthia focused on the objects that were meaningful to the client. The designer brought out the owner’s personality on the main feature wall by artfully composing celadon figurines, jade medallions, chargers and ceramic soldiers, many of them encased in acrylic boxes.

The simplicity of the Asian style has been adapted to lighting design. While cove lighting generates subtle drama, dangling faceted glass lanterns in the living room add character.

Ultimately, the inhabitant feels as if she’s on holiday as she wakes up and ends the day with soothing sounds of water and the natural balm of the greenery. —CONTRIBUTED