Designing your own condo unit is a fun and exciting experience that will get your creative juices flowing. Unfortunately, some residents may feel limited by the smaller space, thus prompting them to hold back and stick to the bare essentials. However, this need not be the case as you can still spruce up your condo and make it look beautiful regardless of its size. And this does not have to take months to accomplish.

To prove this, the country’s tallest residential condominium St. Francis Shangri-La Place and Depot Home magalog, the Philippines’ only catalog home magazine, together with design consultancy group SMTH Designs, teamed up to create a fully-furnished two-bedroom model unit — all in a matter of one week.

What did they have to work with? Each unit at the St. Francis features wooden floors with a laminate finish, a kitchen fitted with cabinets, tiled floors and marble countertops, bathrooms with rain-style shower heads, and a split type air conditioner for each bedroom.

Themed “Simply Modern”, the result of the task was a 119 sqm unit uniquely designed for a young family. The design team used sea green and beige for the wall colors, with touches of orange for a delicate balance and contrast — a color palette that is simple, elegant and youthful. Furniture pieces and décor were carefully chosen to complement this color combination through fabrics and textures.

The masters’ bedroom features the color purple, said be the symbol of elegance and the arts, as its prominent color. While it is commonly perceived that purple is a shade too feminine for men, the completed condo design completely debunked this notion by matching it with dark wood, black, and other solid accents.

With a playful color combination of cool blues, yellows and whites, the kids’ room exudes a look that is both neat and gender-neutral. With the unit’s ceiling height of 2.9 meters, furnishing the room with a bunk bed, which kids love, didn’t pose a problem. A bunk bed provides more play and study space.

Because the renovations done were superficial, the design team was able to complete the task in a small amount of time, proving that one does not need to spend months trying to decorate and furnish a condo. All it takes are simple yet creative touches that will light up the area and make it look fresh and appealing.

To complement living in the luxurious, beautifully designed St. Francis unit, are the amenities that the condominium’s two-level clubhouse provides, Built at a cost of over P200 million, it features a large and spacious 420 sqm gym equipped with the latest treadmills, cross trainers, recumbent and upright bikes and rowers, as well as hot and cold Jacuzzis, adult and children’s swimming pools, sauna and steam baths, male and female changing rooms and lockers, children’s play room, billiard room and karaoke.

More information is at www.thestfrancistowers.com.