Restaurateurs Yoko and Jong Garcia had lived in Malate for many years. This colorful district, after all, happens to be the couple’s stomping grounds. They owned a very happening place, Arkadia, which presented great food, great drinks and great entertainment.

Today, they own a restaurant located just next to Arkadia. It’s called Socialista, which serves lunch and dinner. After 10 in the evening, the fine dining restaurant turns into a bar. As it’s a venue meant for huge parties, it is stylishly decorated.  So when somebody runs a watering hole that’s been designed to accommodate exciting parties, one would expect his own home to look similar.

Well, the home of the Garcias does look as it was made to be a party venue, if the party is for seven or eight guests at the most. They’ve just moved into a two-bedroom condo in a high-rise building located at The Fort, and not in Malate. 

“We decided to move out of Malate because the pollution was getting worse. We wanted to live in a quieter place, where there is more open space,” says Jong Garcia.

As they acquired the apartment just beneath the penthouse, they enjoy an expansive view of Taguig City and Laguna de Bay. They also like the kind of security The Fort provides.

It also helps that the place is also quickly becoming Metro Manila’s trendiest watering hole. The building the Garcias live in is just a short walk away from Serendra and Bonifacio High Street. The husband and wife agree that the longer drive from The Fort to Malate is well worth the effort.  “We’re also planning to put up a restaurant or bar at Bonifacio High Street,” says Garcia.

As they have no children yet, the two-bedroom condo is ideal.  They can’t hold big parties in the place – they can always have that at Socialista -- but guests at the apartment will feel as if they’ve entered a fashionable establishment.  The look isn’t too far from that of Socialista.

As it happens, Garcia hired the same interior designer who did the restaurant, Aiza delos Santos.

“I didn’t have anything to do with decorating the place,” laughs Yoko Garcia. “It was Jong who worked with the designer. I let him have his way. This home was his project. He worked with Aiza to come up with this look.” 

Thus, the resulting collaboration resembles a bachelor’s pad that looks ideal for intimate gatherings. “Aiza created a gallery of sorts,” says Jong Garcia. “The whole apartment highlights the works of the artist Alfred Galvez.”

When Garcia mentions the artwork, he doesn’t necessarily mean actual paintings; he could be referring to the art that serve as wall and ceilings accents. The works are done in metallic acrylic and they can be seen throughout the apartment.

“We did this to impart Jong’s personality,” says Aiza delos Santos. “Jong is a very outgoing man. He’s adventurous, he likes hosting big parties, and he likes experiencing new things.”

Thus Delos Santos sought to fuse various elements of textures. Each room features a different theme and each theme is a blending of various styles. “In designing the apartment, I wanted to bring a little of Socialista into the home of the Garcias,” she says.

The designer found the original look of the condo unit dull to look at, so she set out to have the entire residence wallpapered. Jong Garcia, however, dislikes wallpaper.

Thus what she used instead was padded wallpaper. “The padded wallpaper enhances the soundproofing in the apartment,” says she.

“When there are guests around, the people in the other rooms have more privacy. The padded walls also make the halls look more substantial and  expensive.”

Aiza says a designer should always be open to trying new styles and new materials. “We have to be open to experimentation, to discover new things that can actually make a place look great. As a designer, I always try to capture the personality of my client. And when you have an adventurous client like Jong, you get to discover new and exciting things!”