transported ancestral architecture

My Aunt Rose moved back to the Manila from San Francisco after she married and had a couple of kids (back in the 90s). During a visit to her father's ancestral town of Vigan, she had an idea – a monstrous undertaking only possible in places like the Philippines. Vigan is a town well-known for it's Spanish colonial architecture. In fact, since the 18th and 19th century, it has retained the most of the colonial architecture of any city in the Philippines. It is gorgeous and quaint. And yes, people still use horse-drawn carriages in the Philippines (called kalesa).

During my Tita Rose's visit to Vigan (tita means aunt in Tagalog), she heard about a house and land up for sale there. She heard the house was to be demolished. After going to see the house, she decided to purchase just the house and get this: took the house apart – every bit – and transported it back to Manila (I believe by truck, then boat) and rebuilt it next to a river outside of the city! It was a five plus year undertaking. One that that would have cost ridiculous amounts of money in any other country. You have to take into consideration that the Philippines is made up of over 7,000 islands. Transporting anything is an undertaking. The house was rebuilt on a plot of land overlooking a river. Various parts of the original house were repurposed as pieces of furniture (i.e. solid wood wall panels as the new dining table and front door, banisters as new bed posts, etc.). It's incredible.

So a few years ago, my sister Caroline (among numerous other talents, is a photographer) photographed the house for a local magazine. The house is often rented out for film, television commercials and photo shoots. The other images below are ones I took during my last visit a couple of years ago. Please click to enlarge the images (they are huge).

My Tita Rose's house was an amazing feat. It was a project of a lifetime, an amazing contribution to cultural preservation. Her creativity and ingenuity are an inspiration. She's not even a trained designer – she is a social worker, counselor and unlike 95% of Filipinos, a devout Buddhist who often goes on silent meditation retreats for up to 60 days. That's right. Sixty. She has this tranquil intelligence about her and she's incredibly kind. I love that she had a rooster, dogs and a cat running around the house the day we were there for a visit!

These are some examples of Vigan architecture.

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I love the hammocks-turned-chairs

Capiz shell dividers and antique furniture

the nature of beauty : kate mcguire

I've been following the work of UK artist Kate McGuire for some time. I love the direction she's going in her most recent work. I love the use of organic materials (like pigeon feathers) to create other – and unexpected – organic forms. Her work elicits a visceral response, it challenges and redefines your perception and personal definition of beauty. I also expect her pieces to start to move or flow. Interesting that the titles of some of the pieces reference those human, visceral reactions. I find her work so incredibly fascinating.

mankind grooming

If you're gentleman who is in need of a little manscaping and you happen to be in Toronto, Mankind is your spot. It's a barbershop, salon and spa all rolled up in one – and just for guys. I kind of love it. Who doesn't love a well-groomed man? (...with toes that don't look horrific in flip-flops during the summer months. Tell me.)

Photos from Mankindgrooming.com

whimsy & spice's mark sopchak today at amala

I'm blogging at Amala today. Go check it out :)

eero saarinen's : his life's work

I loved seeing the Eero Saarinen exhibit at the Museum of the City of New York this past weekend. Once I saw the show, it completely made sense that the city would curate a show about him. No only was he one of the most prolific, influential architect/designers of the last century, I had no idea he design so many buildings in New York. His second wife, Alin, was also a prominent New York journalist. The show not only showcased his life's work, his process but also gave us all a little bit more of a story about his life. I adored the love letters he wrote/drew for his wife (directly above). It was amazing to see the rough sketches, models and photographs of his work too. I particularly love the design of the TWA terminal at JFK (now closed, but it could potentially be redesigned and reopened again). It is really worth seeing.

stumptown coffee at the ace hotel

The Stumptown Coffee at the Ace Hotel just became my favourite new spot in the city. Great space, the best (and inexpensive!) coffee. This coffee puts Starbucks to shame. The staff was so sweet, I saw none of the obnoxious New York attitude (that often makes you feel as though you should somehow feel honored to spend your money at their establishment). That hats are also a nice, classic touch. I always believed that New York lacked more comfortable places to lounge and enjoy coffees – unlike the west coast. This is perfect. It has this plush urbanite meets the back woods vibe that's very chic. And you're allowed to linger. If you haven't stopped in, you should. You can even bring your laptop here and get some work done. I love it.

Who wants to meet for coffee?

Images from Tablet Hotels

Images from Stumptown Coffee

Image from Ace Hotel blog