LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
It’s been a year since the COVID lockdown was imposed. We are still in the same boat, and still in a form of quarantine. Many think that 2021 is just an extension of 2020 as the pandemic continues to shape the way we live. With our vaccine situation still uncertain, there is no end in sight as of yet. Will this new normal persist, or will we go back to the normal pre-pandemic? Maybe not. With millions of people around the world still stuck indoors, the “home” went beyond being a shelter, or a place of rest and comfort. More than anything, it became a focal point where we create meaningful intimate moments with those dearest to us. It has transformed into something more multi-functional and multidimensional. It was a bastion of peace, safety, or, for some, a place of confinement or isolation that many want to be freed from. Well, it’s no longer that.
People made home their world now. It is now somewhere they can work, exercise, play, entertain, and, more importantly, learn, discover, and create new experiences. Suddenly, work chairs, gym equipment and home entertainment fixtures have become in demand. Single dwellers, like me, suddenly invested more in pieces for the home than shoes, clothes, and frivolous fashion accessories that have no use for now.
In this month’s issue of Lifestyle Asia, we want to focus on and explore the new meaning of home, its different dimensions as defined by different individuals with different lifestyles. Our beautiful and chic cover personalities are both in the business of homes and are quite known for their discerning, polish, and classy taste. Jess Kienle-maxwell and Steph Kienle-gonzalez share what the new meaning of home is for them. (This is also the first time that we will see the new Dasmariñas Village home of Jess and her husband Jesse.)
The sisters both work at their family’s four-decade-old luxury furniture business Philux. They describe “home” the same way—it’s all about family, the people living in it, and creating memories and moments within. Steph adds that it is also a vessel of learning and discovery.
We are also featuring both new and newly-renovated houses of interesting individuals that has never seen before. Derek Ramsay meticulously chose every detail of his new house, from the materials down to every piece of furniture. This is the house where he intends to create his own family. Atom and Nathalie Küpfer Henares’ new home was built with the help of Ramon Antonio. Nathalie, who founded PORTORO Interior in Manila and, most recently, launched a new home line, reveals how their new home reflects both her and Atom, how they live, move, enjoy, and experience life together. Pie Alvarez, a person who has always been present in the metro’s social scene has transformed her home to a more meaningful one, as she gave birth to baby Nara. Her home became a place of work, where she works out with her trainer, and where she entertains family and friends who visit almost every day. She made her home about connecting and a place where her love can be expressed to her loved ones. Cecile Zamora has a style of her own, and I must say that I’ve always been fascinated by it. It’s minimalist, but still warm and full of personality. She says that her newly renovated home has one essential element that remains the same: love. Last but not the least, we are featuring the mid-century home of esteemed jeweler Candy Dizon. She decided to renovate and restore their charming family home, infusing it with a bit of modernity.
We hope that you will enjoy this special issue on the new meaning of home and get inspired by the stories and other interesting home articles. The issue is packed with articles on travel, fashion and beauty as we usher in new trends in 2021 that will make your year a bit more interesting despite the fact we are still living a quarantined life.