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Larger Than Life

When a high-profile couple needed their new home reimagined, interior designer-tandem, Almario sisters Ivy and Cynthia, provided the vision.

When a high-profile couple needed their new home reimagined, interior designer-tandem, Almario sisters Ivy and Cynthia, provided the vision.

by Ian E. Baol photography Genesis Rana

After some months of construction on their new home which they thought first to be just a small project, the homeowners were in limbo, not knowing how to push further and achieve their dream home that fit their lifestyle. Fashion designer Kate Torralba—the homeowners’ niece—then intervened and sought professional help in the couple’s stead and turned to her good friends the Almario sisters Ivy and Cynthia; a powerhouse design tandem whose roster of clients include designer Philipp Rodriguez, many of the Aboitizes, the Ayala Group, restaurants like Café 1771 in Ortigas, high-end residential areas North and South Forbes Parks in Makati and Tierra Pura in Quezon City, to name very few, not to mention other top hotels and resorts here and abroad.

But the couple had to be patient, as Ivy and Cynthia were jetting around the world on commissioned projects. Eight weeks later, leaving Cebu after seeing the house, Ivy Almario found herself immediately sketching her ideas, old school, drawing—in scale—the house’s proposed new interiors, and all from sheer memory (that’s right, without the help of any camera, computer, whatsoever).

Within a year the house still humbly sits on a quarried adobe hillside, but now God is in the details, and they are grand.

“The challenge was to visually expand the space,” said Ivy, “and I believe we succeeded.” I couldn’t find the words to express how much I agreed. “When I came to visit on my day-trip there were walls covering too many parts of the house. You couldn’t see this rock,” said Ivy talking about the solid adobe wall resulting from the quarried hillside where the house was built. “We thought, oh my, in Australia for example, they look for this, they buy this, but here you’re sitting on a gold mine. We have to make this the artwork,” as she pointed out, the point being unobstructed living spaces brought about the absence of walls to hang art.

But Ivy and Cynthia say the couple is already “modern” at heart. “The floating stairs, for example, was already there, so we helped them in the most exciting execution and accessorizing,” said Ivy, assured that she knew what the homeowners already knew wanted and that they just helped the couple get there.

Before Atelier Almario in the Philippines came to be, the sisters lived and worked in the US. Cynthia worked for a design firm in California that did the interiors of the Shangri-La resorts all over Asia (including Shangri-La Cebu) and several other hotels in the US. Ivy worked for four different firms in three years, as a rendering artist, then for over ten years she was on her own, earning a living as an independent rendering artist and eventually a junior designer, putting her clients’ concepts onto paper for their presentations. “It was then that I became a really good designer,” Ivy said, “by working for these companies, I was able to internalize how they solved design problems.” Eventually the sisters moved back to Manila, and the interiors of many high-end residential and commercial projects were never the same again.

Ivy’s Feng Shui is also considered by Manila experts to be perfect for projects. Her approach to space planning, and understanding and maximizing light sources, impactful door opening, and the general flow of energy is always strategic.

For this home, Cynthia and Ivy and said it could have been easy to take the surroundings’ natural beauty for granted, but as the design concept was to bring the outdoors in and maximize the existing spaces, they took down walls, used a lot of glass, and strategically set big mirrors.

Cynthia said the couple wanted their home to have a “resort feel” as they travelled a lot and enjoyed five-star treatment. The woman of the house wondered why they couldn’t just have it at home, “so as the designers, we made sure it would be very restful.” The master’s bedroom is elevated so all you see when you wake up are the tops of trees and the sky. For the headboard wall, a copyrighted design from Bonace, in Cebu, a mother of pearl wall. “Sometimes when I wake up, I forget I’m just at home,” laughed the woman of the house. Beat that, five-star hotels. The pyramid canopy above the bed expanded the sleeping area and the use of continuous glass panel windows provides an unobstructed view of the fire-trees of the fronting hill. Without having to bring in a landscape artist, they were able to bring the outdoors in and the homeowners agree that this part of the house has really changed their lives. For privacy they installed remote-controlled venetian blinds from __. Stepping outside the bedroom leads you into the outdoors; a balcony cum breakfast nook for six with a beautiful Dedon dining set.

Aside from the Kenneth Cobonpue Bloom chairs down in the living room, the Almario sisters tapped into the unique Cebuano talent getting items from designers and manufacturers professing a love for Cebuano products. Coast Pacific, Dedon, and Kenneth Cobonpue make up most of the outdoor furniture. Other items and décor the couple brought in from the US, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and the UK—of course with Ivy and Cynthia’s approval. “Take it easy, be patient, and wait for us,” the woman of the house recalls the sisters telling her before she went on her furniture shopping spree, admitting to over-excitement and being too eager to start buying already after seeing the sisters’ design prospect.

The man of the house, who documented the process very carefully, affirms that the sisters’ work is truly inspired, and inspiring, showing pictures from Ivy’s initial sketches to the construction phases. The exterior was envisioned by Architect Ed Gallego, and the interiors by Atelier Almarior’s junior architect Jay Rivero who has been in praxis since 2004 and been working with the Almario sisters since 2006.

The daughter’s room reads like a Marie Antoinette fantasy. She worked with the interior designers giving them pegs of her ideas, which fit like a glove with the sisters’ general chic aesthetic idea for the home. The ornate night tables and plush bed and seating were all fabricated in Manila and finished in Cebu and the mother made the lampshades herself. “It was a labor of love,” she called it.

In another interview, the sisters, who are known to be extremely close, so much to even finish each other’s sentences, refer to their general design mantra as being chameleon-like, “We design using a whole gamut of genres and periods, from traditional, transitional, contemporary, Asian fusion, modern, you name it, we do it.” They prioritize “great work ethic and passion for work,” with strong relationships “with God, family, loved ones, friends, clients and peers, staff and suppliers,” and even people they encounter every day.

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Butch Carungay’s 50th in Neverland

By Emmanuel Hamoy

Cebu’s glitterati came out in full force for Butch Carungay’s 50th birthday bash at EdenClub. It was a fun-filled night overflowing with Pol Roger, trivia games whilst traipsing the light fantastic.

Butch Carungay and Janice Lin.

Gerry Laperal and Lotte Delima-Edwards

Romero Vergara and Oj Hofer

Mary Anne Aboitiz, Christine Pelaez, Tamsin Booth, Frances Siao and June Alegrado

Maris Holopainen and Carlo Cordaro

Janine Taylor and Mary Anne Aboitiz

Fashion

Lucky Colors of 2025: Harness the Energies of Emerald Green & Carmine Red for Success

Thom Browne Cropped tweed jacket

by Oj Hofer

With the Year of the Wood Snake underway, understanding the significance of lucky colors can help align us with its energetic flow. Rooted in Chinese astrology and Feng Shui, the year’s fortifying shades—emerald green and carmine red—offer mindfulness and good intention attracting luck, and fostering personal growth.

Emerald green, associated with the Wood element, symbolizes renewal, clarity, and inner peace. In the year of the wood snake, its dynamic energies will empower and inspire you, fostering growth, renewal and wise transformations. The hue is ideal for moments of self-reflection, study, or creativity. Wearing or incorporating this shade into your space enhances balance and mental focus.

Carmine red, linked to the Fire element, embodies passion, confidence, and vitality. This year, which according to the Bazi Four Pillars Chart, has a lack of metal, earth and fire elements, it will bring balance and the propitious energies. It’s perfect for professional meetings, decision-making, and moments requiring assertiveness as a splash of red can energize and embolden you throughout the day.

Stella Macartney vegan Leather tote

Stefano Ricci silk tie with paisley print

To fully harness their benefits, use these colors in a contemporary, mobile context; through clothing, jewelry, bags and accessories. Alternate between these two potent tints based on your needs. For example, wear green for calmness and clarity when you are going into stressful and mind challenging meetings or appointments. Choose red when you are going into places or situations where you need courage and motivation such as fashion galas, elite socials, prestige affairs, VIP gatherings and so forth.

Saint Laurent crepe de chine mules

Optionally, you can also choose to wear these colors inconspicuously in small details, such as a garnet or jade bracelet, or a ruby or emerald pendant and earrings set. Men can wear a burgundy or forest green tie or pocket square, or casual polo shirts with poppies or with botanical prints, or jade and garnet jewelry. Doing so can subtly align your energy with the year’s vibrational flow.

Jan Leslie emerald bracelet

Daily Mood Cuff Links with red tiger’s eye tubes

The use of colors is more than just aesthetic choices or preferential picks. Colors can serve as energetic tools, reminding you of your good intentions and keeping you mindful of you daily motions. Effecting an optimistic mental state in the wearer, they can effectively shield you from negativity while fostering prosperity and emotional balance. Thoughtfully incorporating them into your wardrobe and surroundings ensures that you move through 2025 with confidence and the right intentions.

Embracing emerald green for tranquility and carmine red for strength are intentional, mindful choices that have the power to transform your energy and shape your path forward. May you have the best of luck in navigating through Year of the Snake with harmony, energy, and the power to attract good fortune.

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The Java Jive

by Janine Taylor

“Coffee is more than just a drink; it’s something happening. Not as hip, but like an event, a place to be, but not like a location, but somewhere within yourself. It gives you time, but not actual hours or minutes, but a chance to be, like be yourself, and have a second cup.” — Gertrude Stein, American novelist and poet

Coffee, that magic potion in a cup, is our morning savior and the fuel that helps us get through the day. Whether you’re a stickler for the classics and prefer an espresso or need to start your day with some café au lait or a cappuccino, and yes, we live in the tropics, so iced coffee is good too, we all need our caffeine fix!

The interiors of Eddie’s Log Cabin

Eddie Woolbright with the original waiters of Eddie’s Log Cabin

Growing up in Cebu decades ago, our earliest memories of coffee were the aroma wafting from the percolator at Eddie’s Log Cabin as soon as you opened the doors. You then stepped in for a cup of Joe and a slice of pie. For our parents’ generation, the ultimate sophistication was a cup of “brewed coffee” because, at home, it was freeze-dried instant coffee with powdered creamer and sugar. Folgers was the coffee of choice. Hyperacidity in a cup when you think about it!

Starbucks descended on our shores in December 1997, and our vocabulary suddenly expanded with venti, grande, and Frappuccino. People were willing to pay exorbitant amounts for a cup of coffee. But more than that, it was an experience. It was, all of a sudden, the place to be seen. It was trendy to have coffee at all hours of the day and not just for breakfast.

Cafes have now become the place to meet up with friends, a venue for meetings, and even a space to work from, and you don’t have to be a digital nomad. You can get caffeinated in air-conditioned comfort with WIFI and a snack.

“Seattle has unleashed this weird phenomenon called the coffee shop on the world. And the coffee shop, thanks to Starbucks, is the place where socially isolated, lonely, needy people gather together to ignore one another.”

— Mark Driscoll, American author

Armed with the adage that you can never have too much caffeine, we spent an afternoon visiting three great joints in the city.

The Spring creates the perfect escape for relaxation and comfort.

Matcha latte

The first stop was The Spring, with Scandinavian-inspired interiors and a super chill vibe. A hands-on young owner, Ange Delas Penas, knows her beans well. She was behind the counter, expertly brewing using filters I had never seen before, which she said she purchased in Taiwan. Her team of trained baristas can also whip up some tasty brews, from a cortado to a matcha latte, my latest addiction.

The inviting café interiors of Commonly Uncommon

Latte and espresso

Taking a different route to avoid a flash flood, we dashed out of the car into the warmth of Commonly Uncommon at Crossroads. Don’t let this non-descript, industrial vibe fool you; this java joint knows its craft. Commonly Uncommon uses single-origin beans and, like most cafes these days, also offers coffee alternatives. They are unpretentious and bent on giving the customers the specialty coffee they want, sans judgment. If you prefer oak milk or sugar or enjoy iced drinks, you get what you want. Hence, you will see diverse patronage, from those armed with laptops and headphones to office peeps grabbing a quick caffeine fix to ladies who have lunch and everyone in between.

Plus, they are the only café that thinks of customers battling hyperacidity by offering antacid sachets, which we availed before contemplating our orders.

Tightrope’s laid-back interiors, designed for comfort and creativity

Our caffeine-fueled afternoon’s final stop was Tightrope in the former Henry Hotel. Tightrope is the largest of the three we visited, with the same industrial vibe that is very common these days, and tattooed baristas. Large windows ensure that it is always bright, and this is where you will certainly run into someone you know.

A bold and aromatic espresso shot, ready to awaken the senses.

As this was our third stop, and yes, we were ready to run a marathon after, as we were so pumped, we decided to stick to the classics and have an espresso because you can always taste the quality of a coffee in an espresso. Tightrope has a delicious burnt Basque cheesecake that can be shared, so you can also share the calories. Winding up a well-spent rainy afternoon with great coffee and gossip, we liked all three coffee shops, but Uncommonly Common really stood out.