“Colour is the finishing touch on everything...” - Marc Jacobs

Summer is the perfect time to celebrate colour. In this issue, we travel the world to bring you a selection of exceptional homes where colour is a key element. Our cover story (p. 168) walks you up through four floors of Tim Yap’s townhouse— designed by Carlo Calma—where every square inch of wall bursts with the colour and texture of his contemporary art collection.

In the gorgeous light of a perfect summer day, nature’s hues, too, are amplified. Step into a suburban sanctuary south of Manila designed by the architect Noel Saratan for Patsy Zobel de Ayala. His ingenious architecture makes you feel immediately one with nature as the luscious greens of tree ferns and palms, and the calming blues of pools and ponds blur the lines between indoors and outdoors. (Natural Connection, p. 128).

In a similar fashion, the vivid African sky seems to float right into The Observatory, the spectacular home of IT entrepreneur Rory Sweet, nestled high in South Africa’s Waterburg Mountain Range (The Sheltering Sky, p. 156).

For a full-on play of colour, the Singapore residence of the interior designer Wendy Smith is a must-see (Art of the Mix, p. 202). Here, Peranakan style meets Matthew Williamson in a bold and vibrant psychedelic fantasy.

Also cause for celebration is the landmark show of the acclaimed Filipino painter Elmer Borlongan. My thanks to Sheila Ramos for focusing an insider’s lens on the artist and sharing her unique perspective with us (p. 70).

Find this and a lot more colourful inspiration on these pages.

FROM LEFT Tropical prints in the Singapore home of Wendy Smith and Nishan Weerasinghe; both clad in plaid, Javi Martinez and Tim Yap in their study

cover credits: tim Yap engulfed in art along the staircase of his townhouse. photography aldwin aspillera styling: Mia Borromeo

Mia borromeo Editor, Philippine Tatler Homes