The couple says the moment you expand, everything else expands. "We prefer to contain it in this amount of space and live simply.” (Photo by NOEL PABALATE)

The house of Maricar and Alby Xerez-Burgos is a very good example of how Filipinos can make light and space harmonize in a domestic setting.  Modest and unassuming, it is a showcase of the practical as well as the sophisticated sensibilities of the couple, which in turn helped create a home that’s uniquely their own.

Despite its sturdy construction, the Xerez-Burgos home has a free-flowing characteristic with a courtyard, corridors, and areas deliberately left open for the breeze to flow through.  Like most traditional homes, the windows are huge and expansive as well (sometimes floor to ceiling length and often sliding).  This allows sunshine to enter in unfiltered and adds to the house’s relaxed atmosphere.

Precisely because of its homey atmosphere, the Xerez-Burgos residence has been the scene of countless parties.  When queried as to how often they entertain, the couple admits that they have get-togethers at least once or twice a month. This figure does not even include the informal meetings that they hold with their staff at Landco Pacific (their family’s real-estate firm of which Alby is president), which they usually conduct at their elegantly appointed dining room.

Considering their professional background, it is not surprising that they already had an idea of how they wanted their home to be.  It seems that even before groundbreaking occurred, they’ve already envisioned the house’s layout, leaving out the more mundane aspects of construction to the so-called professionals.  “It was only after that that we hired a contractor,” Alby says, adding that the latter was given the task of measuring the appropriate dimensions of each room for construction purposes.

Since both were busy at that time with one of Landco’s developments (Ponderosa in Silang, Cavite), it’s no surprise that their home reflected similarities with that Mexican-inspired community—with a major difference.  The Xerez-Burgos house eschewed the deep, burnt color of Mexican homes, opting instead for paler colors that can complement the occasional splashes of color they’ve resorted to in the more public areas of the home.

This is very much apparent in their very elegant dining room wherein the pale colors of the walls are enough to showcase the reddish hue of the chair upholstery, as well as the velvet curtains.  To be sure, the room is not very large and as such, mirrors were placed along one wall to create the illusion of space.  To offset the harsh glint of glass, a crystal chandelier with a silver frame was chosen for overhead lighting for a warmer glow.  The end result of course is a room as charming and as elegant as both Alby and Maricar envisioned.

The same can be said of the living room, which is the first room that visitors see upon entering the door of the Xerez-Burgos home.  With furnishings bought locally as well as from Mexico during their trips abroad, the room exudes an informal and spacious feel, complemented in turn by the windows that open to the small front garden that the house has. Of particular interest are the doors that were sourced from Vigan, which hermetically seals the room should the occupants want to switch on the air-conditioner.

As in most Filipino homes, the very spacious kitchen is where the family spends much of their time.  “That’s my room,” Maricar admits, considering that she likes to cook and experiment with new dishes.  The very large center island is where the family usually takes their meals.  Of additional interest is a pocket garden (where a proposed fish pond was supposed to be) that provides much needed greenery into the room.

At 400 square meters, the lot area of the home is not very large—at least in terms of use considering that they already have three children.  Both Alby and Maricar solved this by building upwards and in the process creating what is surely the most unique and most often used area of their home—their roof deck.  Indeed, the third-floor area of their house is where most of their entertaining occurs as it provides enough space for 65 people at most.

“It’s a work in progress,” says Alby, noting that the family den was supposed to be located in one of the rooms on the third floor.  However, the roof deck’s popularity as an entertainment area has overtaken it and they’ve left it as much of an open space as they could. Actually, the third floor roof deck houses not only a multi-purpose room but additional quarters also, along with a trellised area.

Certainly, it’s easy to imagine how the couple entertains, receiving most of their guests before dusk either in the living room or the dining room and thereafter (at around 6 pm) retreating to the roof deck.  “It’s usually cooler around that time,” shares Maricar.

Coincidentally, Maricar notes that the roof deck is spacious enough to accommodate their kids’ outdoor activities. “It’s where my kids ride their bikes,” she says, underlining the fact that they need not go out to the streets to have their share of exercise.  At other times, they usually hang a hammock and just laze around the roof deck—weather permitting.

All the other qualities of the house notwithstanding, one thing is certain: it’s a home that fits perfectly with the needs of the Xerez-Burgos family—as most well-loved and well-designed homes should be.