The Corinthian Gardens residence designed by Architect Murphy Tansipek is a showcase of modern and Asian influences. With the expanse of glass in the living room (above), Murphy adopts the trend of bringing the outdoors indoors. (Photo by NOEL B. PABALATE

MANILA, Philippines -- Architect Murphy Tansipek was supposed to renovate this house in Corinthian Gardens but he ended up designing a completely new structure. He says the client wanted to keep most of the existing house at first. “But when we started meeting and drawing the plans, the only thing that was eventually left of the existing house was the stairwell,” he says while laughing.

The house, which belongs to a newlywed couple, emerged to be a two-storey modern Asian home. All the elements are there; the clean uncluttered lines, the use of glass throughout, and the Asian accessories that serve as accents to the interiors.  The style is ideal for the couple, as they wanted the house to be spacious.

As with most Asian houses, Murphy built a living room with high ceilings and large glass windows that offer a panoramic view of the garden. Large windows (which have fixed and operable parts) are also found on the second floor. Glass walls cemented on certain areas serve as dividers.

Sleek lines dominate the drop ceiling and beams, which give more emphasis to the modernity of it all. However, the look of the place is “softened” with textured accessories such as furry rugs and pillows (the client’s personal choices), and rustic wood finish.

But one marked characteristic of a house designed by Murphy is the use of “faux painting.” In this case, most of the bare walls of the house make use of this treatment.  Faux painting is a decorative painting technique that replicates other finishes such as granite, marble, or wood through painting. He explains: “I stumbled upon this when I was doing the house of another client who wasn’t satisfied with the paint job of his place. He had discovered some imperfections on the walls. As a solution, I turned to faux painting, which gives texture and design to ordinary painted walls.”

Murphy attributes his expertise in faux painting to his skill in using oil-based paints in creating artworks. The knowledge he gained on detail and color schemes from short interior design courses also came in handy.

Murphy also assisted his clients in shopping for furniture. Sometimes, it can be hard to look for a certain piece that would make the perfect accent for a particular room.  When this happens, he designs the piece himself. Customized pieces include the cabinets, the beds and the racks, all of them made of wood. “I am fond of using wood,” he says. “It is versatile and durable and evokes a certain character. Good wood is hard to find nowadays. So when you do find it, you have to use it properly.”

The Asian accessories play a large part in setting the Asian atmosphere of the place. At the porch are two red chairs with a high backrest, both of which would seem so at home in a Chinese martial arts movie. On the wall to the right of the chairs are four white scones with tassels.

The gold metal artwork in the dining room is magnificent as it is elegant. It complements the stone table top and olive green chairs. The entire house is adorned with various figurines, vases, paintings that are either Chinese or Filipino in design.

The highlight of the garden at the rear is a wooden trellis. There’s a vine-covered fiber glass that serves as a natural braise soleil or sun breaker. Garden accents include wooden blocks that serve as benches.

Murphy admits building the garden was a major challenge. “We met with a good landscaper but he was too expensive. So I did the design myself.  The final look was achieved through trial and error. Finding the right plants and stones was tedious and time-consuming. But we’re all very happy with the results.”