The Big and Small of It
A beautiful three-storey townhouse is A lesson on downsizing with style
Carol Masibay Garcia’s stylish townhouse maximises space with flair
Carol Masibay-garcia has lived a colourful life. As the muse of the late, great Filipino designer Jose “Pitoy” Moreno, this former beauty queen and model was a mainstay of many a fashion show and social gala in what is regarded as the “Golden Age” of Philippine fashion. Through her work, Carol was able to travel the world from a young age. Eventually, she settled down and started a family that lived in beautiful residences both here and in the US. While she looks back on these experiences and the different places she has called home with great fondness, anyone speaking to her today gets a sense that her current abode holds a special place in her heart.
Now a gorgeous grandmother of three—(“with one more on the way!” she is keen to add)—carol has moved into a three-storey townhouse tucked in a quiet suburb in Makati. One could say that moving into a smaller home after years of living in larger spaces was a bold choice. In truth, however, it was just what Carol needed.
Prior to her most recent move, Carol lived by herself in a premier loft in the Central Business District. With her children’s help, however, she opted to return to a more traditional living set-up closer to the people she loved. Thus, when it came to a location, the village where her son lived was on top of everyone’s minds.
It was an easy decision to make for the doting grandmother, who couldn’t resist the prospect of living closer to her grandchildren. “My children said, ‘Don’t you want to move there? There’s security, and you’ll have a garden and everything.’ ‘I don’t mind,’ I said. ‘I love living near my apos [grandchildren],’” recalls Carol. “I couldn’t live in Alabang, for example, as it’s so far away from my kids and grandchildren who are all in Makati. It’s not only my granddaughter who lives in the same village as I do, but also my two other grandkids who live in the neighbourhood across ours.”
As far as selecting a property was concerned, Carol was likewise pragmatic. “The price you’d pay for a house today is not practical if you’re living alone,” she explains.
“I also really wanted a townhouse because my family and I lived in a beautiful one in the States before, after we sold our house there,” she says. Carol developed an affinity for townhouses after years of living in the United States. As a result, when the time came, she opted for a similar property.
Moving into the cosy space quickly proved to be a great decision for Carol, who unexpectedly found it to be a catalyst for rediscovering and reconnecting with her old passions and hobbies—home decorating among them.
The glamorous socialite, who has helped beautify friends’ homes through the years, got to work right away on her very own. She began with renovations, making sure it was remodelled into a space that suited her lifestyle and her needs. “When I got the property, it looked like most of its kind in this area,” she explains. “But I had everything knocked down; all the partitions. I made it like a square and I started from there.”
Eliminating most of the walls greatly opened up the unit, creating a versatile space where Carol and, on occasion, her family and guests could move around with ease. On the ground floor, where the foyer, living, and dining rooms flow freely into one another, the walls are painted in subtle beige tones to keep it light and breezy. This common space is also appointed with a curated set of old furniture and decorative pieces—frames, mirrors, paintings, and statuettes—from the lady of the house’s past homes, with only a few details like cutlery and plates introducing little pops of colour here and there. “These are all pieces I’ve acquired through my travels,” says Carol. “Every time I visit a new place, I always make it a point to go to an antique store.”
This intent to maximise spaces is evident across the whole unit—from the living areas down to its façade, where Carol had what used to be a garage transformed into a pocket garden. This breezy section of the home, which besides acting as a patio of sorts serves as a receiving area, immediately sets the tone for the home’s bright aesthetic. “I have people come in and they say, ‘Wow, I want a place like this. It’s so inviting,’” says Carol.
anyone speaking To her Today gets a sense That her Current abode holds a special place in her heart
Perhaps the most notable space is the spacious master bedroom-cum-dressing room which she designed to occupy the entire second floor. This personal area, which Carol has dubbed her anteroom, used to be two separate bedrooms. The owner resolved to merge them into one multipurpose, lounge-like space, which she now regards as her favorite in the house. “Instead of putting another bed here, I put a dresser. So I dress up, put on my makeup, and even eat here,” she says. “Everything a woman needs, I put them all together here. So when people tell me they like my anteroom, I tell them it’s because I studied the space to know what needed to be there.”
Overall, the lady of the house appreciates the new sense of freedom afforded by her new home—in spite of its smaller scale. “I’m happier here than I was when I was living in a condominium,” she says. “There [were limitations]. That’s why I moved here and made sure to model the space this way.”
Unlike her former high-rise condominium unit, this new abode allowed Carol to create new spaces that supported her lifestyle and hobbies. Among them, her pocket garden, which she personally tends to. “One of the great things about living here is I have all these new spaces, which I couldn’t have before,” she says. “I have no complaints about this home.”
Walking through the townhouse, one can’t help but admire the beauty created by such seemingly basic, structural changes. It’s a space small enough to be cosy and familiar, yet wide enough to serve as a home for the owner’s many pursuits, whether as a decorating enthusiast or a doting grandmother.