by Ian E. Baol photography Genesis Raña

Even before construction, this couple already knew what they wanted for their second home: not much. They were specific, thorough, and practical, which resulted in a well-scaled, low-maintenance abode.

From the onset, Boyet and Chinky Bacalso provided the architect and contractor with the materials and requested that they work with them.

“You can say I was a bit obsessive compulsive about it,” kidded Chinky, an entrepreneur and mother of three. “Even down to the bathroom fixtures, and drainage systems, we chose everything beforehand.”

Meticulous as she was when it came to these things—although the house took just one year to finish—the family already moved in during construction, precisely so they could supervise.

Made up of three levels, the house stands on almost 400 of the lot’s 430 square meters, maximizing the use of the available land. On the owners’ instruction, it has a lot of wooden features even as it is basically made of steel and concrete which are longer lasting and easy to maintain.

The design keeps only the essential elements of a home. The young architect, Jhoanne Rafanan, who is now based in Singapore, carried out unobstructed connections through the living, dining, and kitchen areas, avoiding the use of doors. Five bedrooms, six toilet and baths, a separate dirty kitchen, the laundry area, and the maids’ quarters complete the house’s vitals. A pocket garden of bonsai and santan shrubs sit snuggly decorating the house’s façade, done by a close friend of the homeowners, a professional singer who happens to garden for a hobby.

Inside the house, the color palette is a salient characteristic of modern design—whites, grays, beiges, and browns. Counters and cupboards sit quietly in clean lines. Interestingly, however, sudden bursts of red in furniture accents snatch one’s gaze from the spare walls. Inspired by the red details on the kitchen counter that Chinky had secured from Everything Timber, the couple mixed Detalia Aurora end-tables of the same motif, in the living room.

These, in turn, match stylish but moderately-priced bowls and other home accessories. “Aside from the basic furniture, we didn’t want to put anything too expensive lying around so we don’t have to worry if anything gets broken,” says Chinky. Granted that peace of mind, they could thus let their active four-year-old run around freely.

That the air in the house “flows freely” is Chinky’s favorite feature and, just as the architect does, the part that she loves most is the veranda facing the east.

“Not only is it the perfect place for a quiet breakfast or a lovely late merrienda,” she says, “but opening the glass divisions blend the veranda with the dining room, expanding the entertaining area.”

Going up the magkuno (iron wood) stairs then through a hallway and the family room, we find the bedrooms. I notice something beside the narra master’s bed and point at it: it’s a sofa bed.

Chinky laughed. “My littlest one refuses to sleep in her own room and so we have her makeshift bed here.”

The house has already been lived in for three years, but the couple feels that it’s not yet entirely complete. “Just a painting and it’s done,” says Chinky, glancing at the bare walls while laying down some cloth napkins on the antique, solid narra dinner table that she got from her grandmother.

The streamlined Zen style of the house reflects the homeowner’s Montessori convictions, one of which is of being at peace with one’s self and with the world by creating a peaceful and relaxing environment at home: clutter-free and with everything in their proper place which in effect reflects their desire for it to be “a refuge and a space the family can enjoy.”

This same inspiration has also lead Chinky to develop Smart Owls Children’s Workshop, her Montessori-discipline school for children aged one and a half to two for toddlers, then up to five for pre-school, and then children aged six to nine for primary school, centrally located in Lahug, Cebu City.

The house’s architect’s adopted Asian Contemporary style also easily carried out the homeowners’ visions but Architect Rafanan is reluctant to already commit to a firm design mantra at only 30. She wants to use her chances for growth and self-discovery by dealing with building guideline variations, regulations, and different systems handling projects abroad.

“Knowing the homeowners’ taste and personalities was an advantage in planning out what we envisioned, but it was their selection of furniture and accessories that added the charm,” shared Architect Rafanan of her experience.

I stay a little longer and the home makes me think of the homeowners once more, and how they are not afraid of stripping down to what’s most important, what is essential—the foundation of family.

Smart Owls Children’s Workshop is at 2 Torralba Street, Lahug Cebu City. Call (032)236-5605 or visit www.smart-owls.com for more information.