FEELING GOOD

HAPPY ONGPAUCO-TIU’S My Happy Home gathers pieces that ignite warmth and inspire joy

Our living spaces speak volumes about us, and the way we design and curate them reflect how we want to feel at home. And for chef and restaurateur Happy Ongpauco-tiu, what she wants embracing every room of her house is positivity. Describing it as “modern tropical,” her own home design is bright, warm, and playful. She extends these traits to her newest venture, My Happy Home, a store for her curated home finds. It opened last year and has been enjoying a fruitful and positive reception since then.

There is a “mish mash of themes and motifs to cater to every home and lifestyle,” Ongpauco-tiu says of her new store. She worked with interior designer Chat Fores, who is known for eclectic design sensibilities. “She wanted to showcase the variety and even highlight it more,” Ongpaucotiu explains. Area rugs that were mixed on top of each other and porcelain jars of different colors and prints were grouped together and juxtaposed with an organized display of home finds for a lovely contrast.

The best part of the design experience, Ongpauco-tiu says, is seeing everything come to life. On one wall, the store’s name is surrounded by a collage of old plates, pans, and pots from her restaurants all painted in white. Her choice to reuse and display her own preferences manifest her curating process for the store. “I buy those that I know I’ll use for myself as well,” she explains.