In the evening, this modern masterpiece turns breathtakingly luminous and translucent

From across the street, the house looks like a work of art. Framed behind a full-grown acacia, its clean and precise lines uniquely contrast with the tree’s graceful curves. It is also a stud y in textural diversity: smooth cement, cool glass, warm wood, and translucent onyx—yes, onyx. This signature detail (sometimes in marble) of the architect Eduardo Calma of Lor Calma & Partners is employed on the front door as well as a third of the front wall of this three-storey house, emitting a warm glow at night and letting in the sun during the day—apart from making this house stand out as, well, different.

The lamp and chair collections of the owners in the living room

It was designed for a young art collector and his wife who were specific as to what  their dream house should be. “They still have no children, so I could play around with a lot of glass,” Calma says of his creative output. “The goal was to make the house something of a museum, with gallery-like rooms where their paintings and other collections can be displayed and admired from wherever you are inside.” Indeed, Calma’s ode to art, his client’s art collection in particular, continues without a pause once you open the amber onyx door.

Spot and identify 86 artwork details in Gao Regaza’s Artopia: The Golden Works. Sharing the space is a pair of mid-century chairs from Germany and an Achille Castiglioni Snoopy lamp

Perhaps the only concession to a corridor in this house is at this entrance, sandwiched by a guest room on the left and the guest toilet on the right. But your eyes will first be drawn not to the right nor to the left, but rather to the dining room at the end where hangs a huge painting on the floor-to-ceiling wall. The girl in Winner Jumalon’s Ventriloquist seems to have been caught off-guard that you can almost hear  her say, “Oh no! You’re already here!” Calma likes this and believes the quirky artwork is the perfect piece for this space.

The clever use of glass creates an unobstructed flow of spaces

The living room will stop you on your tracks toward Winner’s girl, as another painting will vie for your attention. Artopia: The Golden Works by Gao Rezaga, a collage of 86 details of about 80 paintings of the masters, is a challenge for the viewer to spot all of them—which are, by the way, documented in an album that went with the painting. So if you’re stumped, you can cheat and refer to the documentation. Also in the living room are our collector’s prized lamps and chairs collections. “He saw this mid-century chair at Ed’s office and immediately fell in love with it,” the lady of the house relates. “And so he began sourcing chairs from this era.” Our collector became fascinated as well with lamps and proudly shows two of them that are documented in a black book of collectible lamps.

Read more about Eduardo Calma's masterpiece in the latest edition of Philippine Tatler. Grab a copy from any leading newsstand or bookstore or download it on your digital device via Magzter, Zinio, or Pressreader.

Photography by Wig Tysmans, assisted by Tonette Jacinto