There are home designing habits that are distinctly Filipino, from displaying stuffed toys to having an altar at home. And there are condo design hacks that will let you embrace your Filipino ways. The following tips will let your proudly showcase a Pinoy condo room design.
Old wooden drawer for your altar
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Over 86% of Filipinos are Catholic. A common staple of homes in the Philippines is the altar. You will often find a nook where religious items are displayed. Filipinos like to have a prayer haven where they can place replicas of Sto. Niño, Mama Mary, and patron saints. These are often adorned with sampaguita flowers. These altars function as mini churches where family members can say their prayers and feel the presence of God.
If you have limited space in your condo, you can follow this simple condo design hack to have an altar of your own that is both functional and decorative. Simply look for an old wooden drawer cabinet that is no longer in use, preferably the smaller ones. Pull one drawer out and paint it with the color of your choice. Attach it to a wall and use it to store your religious replicas. You can also use the drawer handle to hang your rosaries.
Hidden canned goods storage
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Filipinos are known for their affinity to canned goods. These are always a part of the family’s grocery list, mostly because they are cheap, can be bought just about anywhere, affordable, and have a long shelf life. Coupled with generous servings of rice, canned goods make for a hearty meal.
You can add a storage space in your home that is made especially for your much-loved canned goods. Make use of the narrow space between, say, your refrigerator and the wall. All you need is a space that is about 6 inches wide, then you can install a sliding secret pantry. It will be a wooden shelf that extends inward and that you can slide in and out from the tiny space. What you would see from the outside is a wooden board with a handle.
Extra bathroom storage
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In the Philippines, the extended family is the basic unit of society. Beyond just the nuclear family members, Filipinos like to stay in close contact with extended relatives both from the mother and father’s sides. Within a given household, families can average six to eight members in size. Sons and daughters who are unmarried often stay to live with their parents and help out with the expenses at home. Additional extended family members like cousins, uncles, aunts, and grandparents may also live in the same home.
Because of this, it is common to find plastic baskets after plastic baskets in a bathroom, each housing a family member’s own toiletries. Sometimes, it would almost look like a boarding house full of students from faraway provinces.
If you are in an arrangement like this, you can install an extra bathroom storage that will keep things organized and easy to the eyes. Simply add a second shower rod where you can hang the baskets where a shower curtain is supposed to be.
Coat hooks for storage
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A tropical country, the Philippines is mostly warm and never gets overly cold. Because of its temperate weather, people rarely wear heavy coats, making coat hooks unnecessary. But you can still install attractive coat hooks in your condo. They will be serving a different purpose though. You can use the hooks to hang your ironing board. This is also a great place to store your walis tambo, yet another Filipino home staple. Filipinos do not just use just any broom you will find in the malls. They prefer brooms made of tiger grass and that are produced in the provinces. These often have “Baguio City” printed on their wooden handle. As opposed to the walis tingting, the walis tambo is especially made for indoor use. Filipinos like to sweep their home free of dirt every so often, and love to have the walis tambo kept somewhere they can easily access. Coat hooks hung on a wall adjacent to the main door can be a great storage place.
Open shelving room divider
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Filipino mothers like to prove that they are capable of buying things. They take pride in the fruits of their labor. One of the ways they manifest this pride is by putting prized chinaware on display. These are pieces of luxury for many Filipino moms.
Filipinos also like to put their stuff toys on display, mostly because they like to put value to everything they own. Stuff toys serve two purposes for Filipino families. One is for the kids to have stuff to play with, and second is so they could showcase them. Stuff toys often have their own space in cabinets. There are cases when the kids are not even allowed to touch them.
Family-centered Filipinos are known for displaying a lot of family photos. They also like to put family achievements front and center. You would find trophies, medals, diplomas, and certificates on full display.
Displaying all sorts of stuff in the home, especially if it’s not too spacious, can result to unwanted clutter. An open shelving room divider offers a great solution. This functional furniture can serve as a room divider, decoration, and storage. You can use this piece of furniture to visually distinguish your living room from your dining room while maintaining a good flow of light and space. Add in all the stuff you like to display in a non-cluttered and aesthetically appealing way and you have yourself a visual delight!
Toothbrush storage
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Filipino family members tend to share a single bathroom. Because of this, you would often see a number of toothbrushes stored in a single container. This is something you should avoid though as toothbrushes stored in one holder can result to cross-contamination. Microorganisms from the oral cavity, as well as those coming from the environment, can transfer to the toothbrush, making it home to many types of bacteria. You can avoid this by always keeping them clean, keeping them properly aired out, and storing them separately. One hack you can do is using the plastic laundry clips common in Filipino homes. Simply clip every toothbrush into the clip in a slanting position, and facing upward, then keeping them on open shelves or racks with the clips serving both as a holder and a stand.
Bathroom vanity dresser
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It may seem weird, but Filipinos like to store plastic bags. As they tend to store all the plastic bags they get from their groceries and shopping sprees, the stuff can pile up. Because of your propensity to store stuff you feel you could still use in the future, you should be able to maximize every chance for storage you can get. One of the ways you can do this is by converting a dresser into your bathroom vanity. This way you can have extra storage beneath your bathroom sink. You can have a professional do this for you. You will love how it is both functional and stylish, not to mention inventive.
Make the most out of your condo living in the Philippines with these fun hacks. They will make you love your DMCI Homes properties even more!