How would you characterize a modern Filipino home? What elements should be present?

If you were to refurbish/redesign a home to make it modern Filipino, whar are the basics to
keep in mind? What kind of fixtures/materials should be present?

I don’t think there are specific rules to follow nor elements that should or shouldn’t be present
when you describe a modern Filipino home. I think the Filipino character found in dwellings or
architecture speak more of the spirit of the place that alludes to cultural, climatic or traditional
sensibilities that resonate with Filipinos. Thus, rather than physical or stylistic elements I think
certain characteristics would tend to reflect a Filipino character.

Among these is the characteristic of “placeness”. The modern Filipino home should feel like it
belongs to its setting. If it feels like it is of its time and of its place, then there is a fit to its
context. Needless to say, the best examples of modern Filipino homes can and should be found
in the Philippines!

The tropical climate of the Philippines, to my mind, had the most significant influence on the
evolution of design of the Filipino home. Traditional Filipino homes were climate-adapted and
passively cooled. Materials breathed and the structure allowed air to move through the spaces.
Eaves were wide to shade the indoors and windows were large. These characteristics continue
to resonate with us even in the modern age of climate-controlled homes.

Transparency is also evident in many traditional Filipino designs, from the barong fabric, to
capiz windows, to the solihiya weave in furniture. There is a permeability and lightness in our
sense of aesthetic, evolved from our response to our tropical climate. Indoors that flow to the
outdoors, transluscency of partitions, spaciousness, airiness and natural light are elements that
appeal to Filipinos. “Maaliwalas” remains to be a valued and sought after characteristic of
Filipinos when designing or purchasing their home.

Filipino homes will also tend to reflect the peculiarities in our use of space. Shared spaces are
not unfamiliar to us. Our sense of privacy is very different from those of other cultures and thus
shared rooms or children who sleep in the same bedroom with their parents are common
characteristics of Filipino homes. These therefore influence the size and flexibility of rooms.
Similarly, the nuances of how Filipino families go about their daily domestic activities whether
that’s cooking (e.g. clean and dirty kitchen) or doing the laundry (hand washing and air drying
spaces), or our spiritual life (family altar) are reflected in the spaces found in our homes even in
these modern times.

Filipino homes will also tend to evoke our festive persona and culture. We love color and
pattern and eclecticism and these are reflected in our attire, our vehicles and in our home
decor. Filipinos tend to maximalize and our homes tell the rich story of our lives through the
photos we frame, the souvenirs from our travels we display, the varied collection of artwork
and accessories that adorn our walls, the heirloom piano in the living room. The Filipino home
tends to be as flavorful as the food we prepare.

Lastly, a true Filipino home is not designed. The structure may have been conceived initially by
an architect or the space by an interior designer, but only after it has been lived in and has the
vestige of the unique Filipino way of life--the scent of our food cooking, the sound of children
and their lola chattering, the telenovela playing on the TV--will a space really feel Filipino. And
these are characteristics that have and will transcend time.