“It was a tough task for [Laurel] because I had a mix of things: French, Italian, Filipino, and other vintage pieces from my parents,” she shares. “Plus, the house came with some existing furniture.”

Laurel agrees that, while this presented a challenge in the beginning, not rushing became their way of doing things. “Decorating the house was really a matter of waiting for the right pieces to come,” he says. “The creative process had more to do with getting to know the owners more deeply, instead of finding items that matched perfectly.”

With Maritess’ collection of beautiful Moroccan carpets as a point of reference, Laurel went about intuitively sourcing pieces that would complement them. “That was my thought process,” he explains. “I wanted what they wanted.”

The house has an open two-storey layout where the upstairs can be seen completely from the first floor. It’s the perfect backdrop for the couple’s treasured assemblage of paintings, sculptures, carpets, and other precious objects. “I don’t like storing art,” says Maritess. “I like seeing things hanging on the walls.” Describing herself as a lover of art rather than a hard-core collector, she buys primarily from artists whose styles appeal heavily to her. “My most recent purchase is  from Mona Santos,” she shares. “I love how she paints her flowers, and the piece now hangs in our bedroom.”

Instantly recognisable works by iconic Filipino artists can be found throughout the house. Hung above the main staircase are framed plates featuring paintings by BenCab and Fernando Amorsolo, from special collaborations done for Rustan’s in 2016 and 2018, respectively. In the living room, a sarimanok sculpture by National Artist for Sculpture Abdulmari Imao rests on the baby grand piano. A portrait by the contemporary painter Andres Barrioquinto is just behind it.

Upstairs, an Arturo Luz marks the entry to Maritess’ private prayer room and coffee nook. The latter is filled with specially framed rosaries collected by her mother, the Tantoco clan’s late matriarch and Rustan’s co-founder Glecy Tantoco. In the guest bedroom, a pair of delicate Anita Magsaysay-Ho lithographs hangs over the bed. 

Equally important to Maritess are the furniture she inherited from her parents. “I actually didn’t need to buy new furniture,” she admits. “[Laurel] reupholstered what I had; now, everything looks good as new.” One of her most prized possessions is a settee covered in Aubusson tapestry that originally occupied the office of her father, Rustan’s co-founder and former Ambassador Bienvenido Tantoco Sr., at the Sta. Elena Golf and Country Club. “I asked him if I could have it,” says Maritess. “My mum loved Aubussons and now it can always remind me of her.”

Maritess identifies the living room as her favourite spot in the house. “The emerald green colour chosen for the sofa is perfect,” she says. “It makes the room so elegant  and welcoming.” In the living room, Maritess can be surrounded by mementos of her family and the travels of her youth: a Moroccan carpet, bird print pillows, framed Vietnamese paintings bought on different visits to the country, even side tables purchased at auctions in Paris in the ‘90s. All these are just a few symbols of the wonderfully vibrant life she and Renato continue to live.

But it is the dining that most accurately captures the spirit of the new house. With its mix of tropical and oriental patterns, it faces the outdoors and is perfect for entertaining. Originally part of the garden, the couple chose to convert the space into the main dining room due to its proximity to the kitchen and for the view, which currently includes a pool, a Moroccan fountain, and small garden beyond. Uninterested in having a pool, Maritess mentions that soon, the outdoors will be transformed into a main garden where her pets—Nemo, a Norwich terrier; and Bambi, a Himalayan Persian cat—can play.

Till then, she, Renato, and their beloved Bambi and Nemo (who are always by their side) can certainly bask in the beautiful dining room, where the key element is a floor-to-ceiling mural on both walls depicting indigenous flora and fauna: coconut trees, calachuchi, a hornbill, a cockatoo, and a peacock, among others. “It was inspired by the floral wallpaper in my old apartment,” says Maritess. “But this time I wanted to include Philippine influences.” While these are all national symbols, they are also personal references to the birds kept as pets at the couple’s countryside farm or in her father’s house. The artist, Alfred Galvez, who also worked on Kasbah Habibi with them, is scheduled to finish the mural in time for Maritess’ birthday in September.

The square wood and glass dining table, which sits eight was repurposed and pieced together by Laurel from existing kamagong side-tables. Its chairs were custom-made using the same kamagong.“They had these blocks of wood with them for the longest time,” Laurel explains. “They told me I could do whatever I wanted with the materials, so I put them together to create a dining table and matched that with a Filipino-style chair designed with solihiya [cane-weaving].”

Laurel mentions that the dining room is an example of why it is such a joy to work with Maritess. “Sometimes she might call me ‘moody’ and at first we had small misunderstandings,” he says, laughing. “But she has a certain vision, and in the end there was a beautiful friendship that developed.”

As for Maritess, she feels that it is too soon to say anything about memories that have been made in their new home, since it has barely been a year since she and Renato moved in. What she is most enthusiastic about is the fact that the couple now has a place they can truly call their own. “Finally being in our own home feels like heaven,” says Maritess. “I can move freely and there are no more excuses not to do things.”