Maris Racal is the latest celebrity to let us in a peek of her newly-renovated home. With work and play spaces getting blurred out due to the pandemic and lockdown, it's not surprising that many of us have shifted focus to making our homes an absolute personal place. For Maris, she dedicated her home a reflection of her perky personality and artistic eye.
We got the chance to talk to her interior designer, Carell Garcia of CG Design Construct and in our exclusive interview, she dives into the entire design process of Maris' house makeover, spills her best decor tips, and tells us all the best finds in Maris's place you can cop for yourself.
The theme
Carell humbly claims that "the success of any project largely comes down to decision making and clear project vision." And when a client has a decisive attitude and define taste, her job as an interior designer becomes relatively easier. Such is the case with Maris, as Carell describes the young star to be "a talented celebrity who greatly appreciates beauty and art."
Maris' creative direction for her space stems from a singular word: Eclectic. Carell says that you can nail this same interior theme by "adding different texture, mixing time periods, styles, and trends. Eclectic styles are also perfect for adding contrasting colors that can be repeated through multiple areas and showcasing conversation pieces as well as fantastic furniture finds."
The budget
As with any home makeovers, the topic of money is frankly not an engaging issue to tackle—oftentimes, it's the villain against our vision, don't you think? Nonetheless, it's an unavoidable and important issue to iron out. Carell empshasizes that "every client has s specific budget." More than this, "it also gives a clear direction on where to start and helps clients not to go overspend."
Carell enforced a guided spending plan for Maris. "The smartest thing to do is to educate a client first on why it’s a smart choice to spend on that particular item. As a designer, I need to explain the material, performance, functionality, and maintenance of the items properly. There are things that have lasting value and also enhance day-to-day living."
In Maris' case, the biggest splurge in her space is "her built-in TV stand that serves as a writing desk which provides plenty of storage as well." Carell also made sure that Maris' decor doesn't strictly follow an interior trend. Instead, they opted for "classic and timeless décor [to save] money because it’s enough to last a lifetime."
The art wall
One of the focal points of Maris was her art pieces cleverly placed around her home. Carell explains that the curation of these pieces was "personally designed by Maris and her sister. She followed the existing color scheme and added artistic photos of herself. In addition, she mixed digital prints combined with original paintings from a Filipino artist." But some art decor were strategically placed, according to Carell. "We added some botanical pressed frames to make a cleverly deviate the attention from the huge AC above the couch," she said.
Tips and Tricks
Despite the eclectic feel and thoughtful decor displayed around the room, Maris' house doesn’t look cluttered. In fact, it looked spacious and homey. For this, Carell shares her top tips in achieving a colorful and eclectic home without overcrowding the space.
1. "Make it a goal to balance furniture sizes, space allowance, and symmetry."
This is evident in the furniture picks, texture combination, and material choice around the house. Maris pointed out in her video that they avoided too much opaque pieces and instead opted for transparent (like her vases and sculpture) or see-through furniture (like her acapulco chairs) so that the perception around the house is not impeded by bulky items.
2. "Incorporate harmony by making sure that every element of your interior design fits together."
To accomplish this, "the same theme or style of decoration should be used throughout the interior decoration." This brings forth unity, and therefore "creates a sense of cohesion or assurance that all the elements go well together."
Maris played around neutrals and chose white to create an airy feel around the house, as well as black to create clear boundaries across her open living space. Meanwhile, she stuck to a couple of accent hues to bring the space alive. In this case, she chose orange (a.k.a. her fave color) and added a teal couch to complement the bright hue.
Shop
Love Maris' eclectic style? Carell kindly dropped five of her personal faves from the actress' new pad.
Aphrodite sculpture
P1800, HOME ASPECTS
Coral sculpture
price unavailable, Landmark Makati
Olive tree
price unavailable, MISCELLA HOME, MC Home Depot BGC
Geometric orange area rug
price unavailable, SHOWCASE CARPET, SM North Edsa
Concret wall finish
Wall Art Industria, DAVIES PAINTS
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