If home furnishing entrepreneur/decorator Luis “Cocoy” Cordoba can spend P5 million for a birthday party spectacle, that extravagance would be reflected in his maximalist place in Metro Tagaytay. After the ghost month of August, he plans to open Musée de Córdoba, a repository of home furnishings collected over the years, which will be for sale. His penthouse is all decked out in a curated bedlam of objets d’art and gewgaws.

Cordoba exaggerates the scale of the interior with a triple-height ceiling and floating steps that lead to his penthouse. His life-size portrait, done by artist Gig Depio in 1984, greets the guest. “It hides the secret door,” he says.

Favoring a contemporary look, he chose a color palette of white, cream, gray and black with green as an accent color. Green, he maintains, is the color of La Salle, his alma mater.

Cordoba’s maximalist style is about being fearless in layering his favorite pieces. His talent lies in grouping disparate items in varying textures, shapes and heights.

The foyer sets the tone of the house—lots of decorative accents, printed carpets and statement pieces. A collection of round mirrors brightens the corner as it floats above a bust on an acrylic table.

“Somebody said the bust looks like me,” says Cordoba.

Like most condo layouts, the mini kitchen, laden with black stone and laminated wood cabinets, is situated near the entrance. The adjacent dining area, anchored by a tempered glass table, is surrounded by black abstractions purchased from a gallery in Singapore. Cordoba prefers artists from Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia because he finds the local painters overpriced.

“I bought nearly 200 paintings in Singapore for my design projects. Now I have only 20 left.”

Cordoba’s indulgence is watching Netflix in his living room, which has become a de facto home theater, using the 12 feet by 20 feet wall as a giant screen.

Precious collectibles

The penthouse is one huge space with a metal partition, decorated with abstract paintings, that separates the sleeping area from the dining space. The bed opens to the balcony which overlooks the forests. “If I want a view of the lake, then I visit my condo that faces Taal Volcano,” he says.

He keeps his precious collectibles close to his bed. Propped on a stool is a mural study of a rural setting by Carlos “Botong” Francisco. It is set against a giant coromandel screen bought in Holland Road, the famous shopping area for antiques in Hong Kong. An abstract metal sculpture by Eduardo Castrillo adds distinctive flair on Cordoba’s headboard. A small glass sculpture by Ramon Orlina and a gold-dipped androgynous torso by Salvador Dali dazzle in their corners.

Cordoba further personalizes his space with unique objects such as a malachite chalice and an antique ceramic horse and a cloisonné horse displayed on tables of different heights.

To offset the neutral flooring, he accentuates with a geometric Aztec patterned rug, purchased at the flea market in Paris, and a lion’s skin found in the ’80s as an area rug under a leather chaise lounge.

In one space, he mixes special pieces with modern classics. A unique faux lamb fur ottoman with a lamb’s head and paws plays against low leather armchairs with extra wide arms. Old club chairs were reupholstered and refinished to look new and low leather armchairs.

“I don’t keep signature pieces. My furniture has grown with me,” he says.

Cordoba likewise indulges himself in the bathroom which overlooks the forest. As big as a condo, it is furnished with white leather chairs, a leather shag carpet and naked torsos.

“This place is very relaxing,” says Cordoba, looking at the sculptures. “Now I know what it feels like to rest.” —CONTRIBUTED