Less Room, MORE BLISS!: mid-century modern

Showing posts with label mid-century modern. Show all posts

2/18/2013

Young At Art

     In 2008, I was tasked to write about art galleries around Manila for Real Living Magazine. I did not want to admit it but I had my misgivings. I was never really into seriously buying art, visiting galleries and stuff until then. Anyway, to cut the long story short, I enjoyed the assignment immensely and met some very interesting gallery owners and curators not to mention fascinating art pieces. I was hooked! Since then, galleries became one of my happy places. I want to share this love with my kids or at least expose them to it more.

     Last weekend was Art Fair Philippines 2013 at The Link in Makati. It was amazing how they converted a parking floor to a giant gallery. Of course, I made the kids tag along.

     The following pics, call it art porn are some of the fascinating art we saw there and how in some cases, I tried to inject a little play in appreciating it.


Furniture is ART. Kenneth Cobonpue

All in Bloom!

We all enjoyed Mark Justiniani's installations. He played with mirrors, glass and other stuff. Mind-boggling and truly an art in itself. (above and below)

Bernanrdo Pacquing's Collages on Plywood

Blue with Christian Tamondong's Box Boy the Weather King

Wilmer Lopez' mid-century modern pieces and the light boxes were what I loved here. =-)

I want this bench!

Wire art!

Bembol dela Cruz
Pre Grave Period (Stone AdchViena Period)
Oil on Canvas
121.95 x 89 cm
2009
Finale Art File

Rondald Ventura's new take on the bulol.

Next stop Art in the Park, March 16!

2/09/2013

So Much For Dry Ice Fixes

   The most exciting part was waiting for your ice-cream in square boxes and blocks of dry ice to go with it, come out of the conveyor belt.....The highlight of which was playing with the dry ice either pretending to be a witch or a mad scientist at home....

   It is for this childhood memory that I will always be loyal to Magnolia Ice-Cream, not the countless bananas splits and cobblers I ate by myself or shared with sibling or with my cousins. No.

    Aside from that I loved the Magnolia Ice-Cream House building as well. Even when Nestle took over for a while, the building was a testimony to our glorious ice-cream days of yore. I would take my kids there and explain how we used to go there (with the matching conveyor belt story of course) and that it was designed by none other than Architect Leandro V. Locsin. the same genius who gave us the Cultural Center of the Philippines and the Philippine International Convention Center. (among so many other great structures)

   I will skip again another part of this story, the saddest part actually, the part that involved a demolition. I am a positive blogger or I try to be, so..... Anyway, now a mall stands on the property that used to house the Magnolia plant and ice-cream house. Call me a sucker but I like the mall. haha! I have been going there at least once a week guilt, sadness and all with pathetic mall ratism. BUT beyond the clouds of commercialism and cosumerism is a silver lining. No, it is more of a blue and yellow lining.....


There is a new MAGNOLIA ICE-CREAM HOUSE!


A new, brighter and lighter take on it by my friend, (Naks) interior designer, Wilmer Lopez whose works I totally love.

It was my first time to actually enter the new ice-cream house as it is always full on weekends. It felt like a neighborhood go-to place after school. It made me feel young - young-er!

But the ice-cream....made me feel right and at home....everybody's new home for Magnolia Ice-cream......

As for our dry ice fixes, we should have enjoyed it while it lasted, guys..... Carpe Diem as the oldies used to say....

Who wants to split a banana split with me next time?

Robinsons Magnolia
Aurora Blvd. cor. Dona Hemady St.
Quezon City

1/16/2013

Simply Good Design

   My dream is to actually live in a mid-century modern home but I can come close by eating in one.....huh?

     Housed in a renovated mid-century modern bungalow is Tha-ipan, a Thai restaurant in the Scout area in my city. A dear high school friend, Arla was visiting from Maryland and I thought it would be great to merge time with old friends and discovering a new place.

   Look how nice the place is.....Brace yourselves...resto porn...Such great interiors by the Almario sisters again and yes, they partly own the place as well.