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“Iam a big believer of recycling, workin the concept of going back
to the basics, of preserving nature’s legacy,” says 28-year-old
interior designer, Wilhelmina Garcia. Such ardor for everything
recycled and “nature-based” produced the refreshing unit design
which won the grand prize in the 2007 Metrobank Art and Design
Excellence (MADE) National Competition for Interior Design.
Besting design entries from participants all
over the country, Garcia made it to the final stage of the
competition, where she and another finalist were given the challenge
of designing a 33-square-meter unit in Oriental Garden Makati, a
condominium by top property developer Federal Land.
Aptly titled “Living within Nature’s Cofines,”
Garcia’s design showcases indigenous resources and recycled
materials used creatively to infuse a nature-inspired feel to the
modern comfort of condominium living.
Largely influenced by her belief that reusing
old furniture pieces produces more creative designs than building
from scratch, Garcia’s grand prize-winning unit holds a number of
interesting elements. The sliding partition that divides the dinning
and living area from the bedroom, for example, was an old capiz
window. The light fixtures above the dining table, on the other
hand, were sofa springs and mirrored closet doors in another life,
while the lamp stands to be old balustrades just lying on a junk
shop’s floors.
There are more creative ouputs of reused
materials in Garcia’s designed unit: farmyard tress destroyed by
the typhoon “Milenyo” were turned into the sturdy, wooden bed
frame; discarded tiles from their kitchen now serve as the
backsplash for what Garcia calls a kitchen, foyer, and bar rolled
into one; drawer pulls double as key hooks beside the door; closet
doors made from high pressed bamboo cleverly hide the laundry nooks
from view. In the bathroom, another old window makes itself useful
as a towel rack, while baskets made from old newspaper match the
placements woven from junk food wrappers.
Since the unit she designed is only a single’s
pad (33 sqm), Garcia maximized the space by using multifunctional
furniture pieces, such as the dining set’s solihiya seats which
holds some storage underneath, and the bedside shelves that act as
night tables and display areas for books. Garcia also added her
personal touch with accessories like the napkin holders and the
beaded curtains, which she herself crafted.
Such a unique design “is a reflection of how
we could utilize our own and very rich natural resources, especially
with the Filipino ingenuity and creativity,” shares Garcia.
Garcia’s penchant for reusing and reinventing
old materials, which she does by scouring thrift shops and junk
shops, or buying from friends and former clients, has more than lent
a unique character to her design. This is also enabled Garcia to
maximize the design budget provided for her by Federal Land.
Garcia’s own story of how she became an
interior designer mirrors MADE Competition’s running advocacy,
“Your Environment Shapes You.”
Raised in a farm in Bińan, Laguna, Garcia was
exposed to the beauty of nature— something which mainly influenced
her interest in the arts and design. So when she couldn’t pursue
her original plan of taking up architecture because of the
university’s distance from her home in Laguna, Garcia easily took
cue from her childhood interest: she decided to start a career in
interior design.
Garcia’s inclination for Filipino designs
using markedly Filipino elements strongly surfaced that it prompted
one of her professors to tell her, “Willy, Ikaw na lang ang
hinihintay ng [MADE] competition.”
Indeed, Garcia’s trademark of distinctly
Filipino design won her the grand prize in this year’s interior
design category of the MADE Competition—a design philosophy
that’s unmistakably been molded by her environment.
Winning the competition was a pleasant surprise
especially with Garcia having so little time to finish. For this,
she credits her design instincts. “The unit is proof that with a
little creativity and ingenuity in transforming items that usually
goes into the dump truck, one can fashion a sanctuary that not only
speaks of harmonious simplicity, but also evokes interesting stories
from the past,” she explains.
The Oriental Garden Makati condominium unit is
Garcia’s first time to design for a high-rise residence. Having
designed rest houses and farmhouses in the past, Garcia shares she
is “hands-on,” always putting herself in the place of the
homeowner. She believes that it helps make her design both
functional and personal, without losing the distinct Filipino feel
that she loves so much.
Garcia is thankful for the MADE competition
because “it gives young designers opportunity to show their
talent; something that is hard to do on this industry.”
Now its on 23rd year, the Metrobank Art and
Design Excellence (MADE) Competition has been inspiring and giving
due recognition to young people who show excellence in the fields of
architecture, painting, sculpting, and interior design. The interior
design category of the MADE competition is in cooperation with
Federal Land Inc.
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