The Philippine Star

MLTV SHOWS THE BEST OF URBAN LIVING

- By FRANCE NICOLE S. TEVES

The second to the last episode of Modern Living TV Season

9 shows fine discoverie­s in the urban community, featuring passionate Filipino women blooming in their chosen fields, worthexplo­ring urban finds, FURNitalia’s sophistica­ted and quality furniture, and Geo Estate’s convenient and comfortabl­e community.

Best of Women We Love

Filipino women prove that there are so many things that make a woman inspiring. Iza Calzado, an actress and co-founder of She Talks Asia; newly appointed Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat; and Nina Ellaine Dizon, CEO of Colourette Cosmetics share their learnings, accomplish­ments and experience­s on their different fields.

By engaging herself in a womenempow­ered advocacy organizati­on, Calzado expresses her passion for making all women feel good about themselves. She also shares the story behind her very own self-love campaign project ,# Body Love Revolution .“I guess there are phases in our lives when we don’t feel so happy in the body that we live in. But when you go back to why you should appreciate and love your body, you just start counting the things you are grateful for. Maiisip

mo na, ‘Oo nga no, Lord? Praise God! Thank You, Lord’.”

Despite her tight schedule as a new department head, Puyat fully pours her heart into her projects. “What’s important is sustainabl­e tourism, and I really think that we should promote tourism without harming the environmen­t,” she shares.

And through cosmetics, Dizon encourages and empowers Filipino beauty. She says, “It’s just that I wanted everyone to feel comfortabl­e in their own skin and the colors that they wear.” Colourette Cosmetics celebrates diversity as it starts collaborat­ing with couple Joey and Angie King: “We stand for diversity and we celebrate with the LGBTQ Community; we’ve always been big in this things.”

Best of Manila finds

American Greg Dorris proves that the Philippine­s, especially Manila, is worth exploring. Aside from holding walking tours around Binondo, Intramuros, and Quiapo, he owns a two-story American-colonial style wooden house called Coco’s Garden, which he decided to keep with a Filipino classic look — with “a little bit of style, age and ambiance.”

He has traveled around the Philippine­s over the years, which is why his home is filled with local antiques from different parts of the country. His collection­s include traditiona­l baskets, and palayok from Kalinga.

Amber Folkman, a blogger from California, shows her excitement as she gives tips in choosing affordable export-quality local handcrafte­d items and home interiors from Dapitan Arcade in Quezon City. “Find something that can be utilized in multiple places. For example, you can buy a really nice wooden bowl here that can be used to serve food, but can also be used as a decor item in another room.”

FURNitalia

One of the country’s premier Italian luxury furniture stores, FURNitalia offers genuine and timeless furniture pieces in its BGC store. Florence Ko, the company’s owner and managing director, makes sure to offer highqualit­y items. “I want to give the client a really good piece for their home — aesthetica­lly and commercial­ly — and also an investment for them,” she says.

FURNitalia carries different luxury Italian brands like Poltrona Frau, Molteni & C, Giorgetti, Mood by Flexform, Yam, Veblen and RODA, which have different categories for each brand. “Not all models are on the pricey side, and we can help you choose,” Ko adds, as she tours around to take a glance at Roda’s high-end outdoor furniture, Poltrona Frau’s leather pieces, Molteni & C’s specialize­d system furniture, and Giorgetti’s unique designs, which differ from most of the brands in Italy.

Geo Estate

Soluna, Geo Estate’s exclusive gated community in Bacoor, Cavite, is accessible to key destinatio­ns in the South. “Soluna is a perfect fit for my family because of its location. It’s very accessible. It’s walking distance from the market and hospitals. My kids are studying nearby, and it only takes 30 minutes going to De La Salle University Dasmariñas,” shares Rhea Carandang, a Soluna resident.

Also located along Molino Boulevard in Bacoor is Geo Estate’s another new developmen­t, Solviento Villas. The 17-hectare residentia­l community provides ultimate comfort and convenienc­e for its residents and promises a “master plan for life,” as it contains its own supermarke­t, retail shops and service establishm­ents, and a college.

 ??  ?? Iza Calzado in She Talks Asia Summit
Iza Calzado in She Talks Asia Summit
 ??  ?? FURNitalia’s furniture pieces
FURNitalia’s furniture pieces
 ??  ?? Soluna’s comfortabl­e and convenient community
Soluna’s comfortabl­e and convenient community
 ??  ?? Greg Dorris in his Coco’s Garden
Greg Dorris in his Coco’s Garden

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from Philippines