Above left: Lime is splashed across the main wall, providing a fresh and invigorating ambiance. A secretary’s desk, a large bed and a smaller version of the Papa Bear chair are some of the space’s key pieces.

MANILA, Philippines – As people become more aware about how design enhances the living experience and how a more inspired touch (meaning, a beautiful marriage between material and concept, form and function) makes a world of difference in the evocation of space, a boutique hotel provides the best entry into the joyous shapes, forms, and strategies of the material culture.

For one, it offers a heap of surprises as it is expected to toe the line of the usual design solutions and interventions, injecting that element of newness that simply can’t be found in the behemoth hotel franchise. Another important quality of a boutique hotel is the way it provides a sense of imaginative transport, especially when it embodies the aesthetic sensibility of a far-flung country and culture.

Design-savviness and flight of fancy were the two most evident traits of SPACE Boutique Hotel. Even if only a room presented this purported hotel (temporary and merely representational at that, being a part of the recently concluded furniture exhibition Manila Now), one could conjure the entire hotel in one’s mind: a place of fun and seduction, swaddled in the freshest of colors and punctuated with furniture pieces of evocative forms.

The “imaginary” boutique hotel was the creation of interior designer Wilmer Lopez, head of his own eponymous design studio and owner of the furniture shop called Space Encounters. The hotel room, showcased as part of the Philippine Institute of Interior Designers (PIID) exhibit, was the embodiment of what various magazine editors and clients have loved about Wilmer: the uncanny and eclectic intermingling of elements, the bold use of color and a wholesome reference to East and West designs—all these, somehow, getting tied together in a seamless and (no other word for it) beautiful space.

Upon entering a brief passageway (marked with the skirt of a lamp illuminating a pair of glass accessories), one would be welcomed by “furniture pieces (that) accentuate form. Fluid curves allow one to lie back comfortably as if enjoying the scenery. In contrast, sleek, clean lines define tables, and the legs of the armchairs. The abaca fabric brings a new dimension to the mid-century modern form, placing it firmly in a tropical context.”

Wilmer, in a design statement, added: “The center tables in cool aqua add the pop of color, as well as the pillows with creatively charming prints. The table lamp with a furry lampshade adds a touch of old world glamour. The bedroom soothes and cocoons the dweller in warm, earthy tones. The texture of wood, and an oversized abstraction of nature print—which also highlights the wall-to-wall headboard—add the comforting organic feel.”

Tying all these pieces together was the “radiant” lime color splashed on the main wall, with touches of mustard daubed on some of the furniture pieces. The bathroom, though featuring an untreated cement wall, got its color from a duet of bird paintings; a three-dimensional bird made from cast resin gave off illumination near the sink.

Foreign buyers were intrigued by the space, with some asking if the boutique hotel actually existed (even toiletries were branded by the SPACE name).  “They are happy and surprised that they are seeing new things because some of the colors and furniture are totally unexpected,” Wilmer said.  “They want us to produce things for their country: South America, Beijing, France, Norway.”

When others claim that travel is all about the journey, SPACE Boutique Hotel proved that the destination—as long it provides “freedom, relaxation, warmth”—also counts.