The Tropical House: Cutting edge design in the Philippines – Tropical Contemporary

We bought this book (The Tropical House: Cutting edge design in the Philippines – Tropical Contemporary) before Christmas. Fully-packed with the awesomest contemporary tropical interior designs.

Amazing! We bought our copy from National Bookstore, and the price is P1950.00. Checking it Amazon, it’s only 26.37 USD. I should have ordered our copy from Amazon.com instead. Just consolidate the purchase with some other stuff we bought online last Dec. from Amazon too. Damn, a fella who recommends online shopping, why the hell I didn’t look it up at Amazon. Heniweyz…

The book is million times recommended. For pros or amateurs, doesn’t matter. Get a copy here (National Bookstore) or here (Amazon). Authored by Elizabeth Reyes, Photography by Luca Invernizzi Tettoni.

I’m telling you, this tropical interior is one good choice. I’m recommending it to people I know who are renovating/building their homes (exactly 2 of them). The minimalist design and this new contemporary home style are top two in my book, so to speak.

Sample pages below, featuring houses of some of Philippines’ sophisticated elite people. A bonus for us, the photography is great, kinda inspires us to shoot our products a la Tettoni! (As homage to Senor Luca, I, Leonardo Que Corleone, shot the book on top of a raffia-abaca combo. Now that’s tropical!) The featured architectural design, the interior, the showcased style, the photos, the furniture and decors, the book is an inspiration.

Description…
The Tropical House celebrates a growing trend toward stylish globalization in interior design. More than 25 stunning houses and condos in and around Manila, the Philippines, are showcased, each evoking a distinctive tropical-modern fusion style that is gaining popularity around the world. All these fine residences comprise a synthesis of East-West trends and contemporary furnishings—as international sleek modernist furniture merges with “soulful creations” by local designers in natural hardwoods and other tropical materials.

Over 250 full-color photographs of outstanding Filipino residences will inspire readers with their diverse, contemporary designs. From vintage glamour to classic modern with bold artful accents and the clean, sophisticated look known as “contemporary chic,” this book showcases the myriad tastes of the Philippines. The selection covers modern designs referred to as Minimalist or Zen and admires today’s Global Eclectics, those well-traveled collectors of beautiful objects from East and West. Furthermore, it celebrates the individualists who mix European furniture with acutely creative accents from local designers or who frame edgy artworks by Filipino artists with clean, contemporary architecture. Such are the globalized interiors of today’s tropical Asia.

Since you’re already here reading this, why not browse some more and get some tropical stuff for your home as well.

Nudes (Mega Square) by Grange Books

Another book inside Leoque. A mega square book, title is “Nudes.” And there’s no denying the title. Over 250 pages of tasteful nakedness & nudity of different mediums and art forms (sculpture and painting). These books we got serve triple-purpose. First we leoque look at these books and somehow make push us and inspire us to be more creative and imaginative with both design and photography. And second use is, we use the books as props when shooting storage furniture, side tables, coffee table, bookshelves, etc. Third, we collect/buy these art & trade books to beef up our soon-to-be-made home or office library.

Some sample pages below…

Surprise… surprise… value of this book over at Biblio.com is 97USD.

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Trading Spaces, Instant Impact – Pack your home with personality

trading spaces, instant impact

Trading spaces is an old book we got (2004) based from a reality home tv show of the same name. Hosted mainly by Paige Davis.

This book is a nice read for DIY interior designer (cough) or to those who want some doable home improvement projects. Not really heavy on stuff about furniture but more on low-cost instant home – room makeovers. Each topic or section, it gives 2 to 3 sample projects. And i must say, it’s kinda inspiring and makes me wanna to some redecorating around the house.

The book dwells on fabrics, paint finishes and painting methods and architectural detailing (from this section, i learned a lot) and embellishments. The most entertaining part for me is chapter four, “artwork, made easy.”

The great thing about this book is that, the insertion of easy to accomplish projects like sewing, wallpaper, pillowcase making, repainting of furniture. Quickie tools, tips and techniques for topics like stitches, fabric terms, paint brushes and paint rollers use, architectural and construction materials are all worth reading.

And in fact, the book is in my re-read lists. Grab a back issue copy (from eBay!) and say… “it’s time to get busy and have fun.”

Book description from here.

• Hit television show inspires more than a dozen ideas to decorate any surface in any room.
• Power decorating techniques for anyone with limited time or money.
• Chapters are organized by decorating topic so readers can choose a technique and instantly engage.
• Room tours and advice for many decorating styles and room types.
• Easy-to-finish projects require a few simple steps and readily available materials.

Back cover description…

Trading Spaces, Instant Impact. Pack your home with personality. Filled with ideas to take your home from blah to beautiful, Trading Spaces – Instant Impact is your all-in-one guide for inspiration, expert advice, and cool projects.

This book includes:

• 15 Amazing Makeovers featured on Trading Spaces and Trading Spaces: Family
• Quick and easy step-by-step projects – from bedding to furniture fix-ups – sure to bring wow factor to every room of your home
• Tried and true strategies for adding architectural detail, painting, framing artwork and more!
• Instant replays that feature some of the very best project ideas from trading spaces talented designers.
• Ideas for adding architectural details to a room, embellishing furnishings, creating decorative accessories, and beyond.