This house's interiors remained the same since it was built in the 1960s, until one of the residents had his bedroom renovated by interior design consultant and family friend Louis Luna in 2003. Eventually, the family decided to renovate the major areas as well. Since the residents were staying in the house during the re-do, it had to be done portion by portion within a span of about eight years.

"The structure was very streamlined. The furniture [pieces]were basically colonial, maraming ukit-ukit," recalls Louis. He liked the streamlined shell, but not so much the furniture selections, which he found too old. "One of the owners had already started collecting antiques [then], so I took a look at his antiques and [based on that] tried to make a design na hindi naman antique-y. There were pieces na tinanggal ko muna, then I injected some modern accents," he shares.

Louis may have taken quite some time to finish the re-do of the home, but he says it’s one project he’s happy to have done and is proud to show around for he successfully updated it while retaining its old soul.

(First published as "Sixties Shakeup" in the "Real Home" section of Real Living Philippines' December 2011 issue. Photos by Miguel Nancianceno. Pictorial direction by Joanna Enriquez-Bohol. Adapted for use in Female Network.)