Go with the Flow
To keep up with a busy schedule and maintain a healthy lifestyle, Donnie and Crickette Tantoco opt for two homes—one in the city, the other in the country
Donnie and Crickette Tantoco opens their homes that are designed to suit their daily grind
For someone who’s running a retail empire most of the week, time is so precious that living near the workplace is certainly an advantage. Being in a fast-paced environment during the week calls for a rejuvenating escape in the weekend. And for husband and wife Donnie and Crickette Tantoco, it is the reason why they decided to start dual living five years ago. “It affords us the best of both worlds,” says Crickette, as she eagerly shares how they manage to split their time between Makati and Alabang. For half a decade, the couple has been spending four days in the city and three days in the suburbs. “My weekends are all about detachment. In our city home, we rest so we can be ready to work hard again the next day.
In our house in Alabang, that’s where we get deep rest so we come back to the city fully recharged,” explains Donnie, who indefatigably helms one arm of their familyowned business, Rustans Commercial Corporation.
Their modern apartment in Makati, while obviously more limited in terms of space than their weekend home, still provides all the basic comforts of a home. “It’s a smaller space and because of that, it forces some level of simplification. We curate the things here based on what supports our needs. We base it on my job and the daily evening recharge that I need to be ready for work the next day,” shares the man of the house. Donnie typically starts his day early, waking up at 4:00 am during weekdays, and
at 6:00 am the rest of the week. He loves how their city home is just a mere five-minute drive to his workplace, which enables him to still do his usual morning coffee and prayer to kickstart the day. In the weekend, when he and his wife go to their second home for a well-deserved break, their son usually invites friends over. “By Friday morning, we are out of the apartment to go get some rest in Alabang so he entertain his friends here. There’s a fully stocked bar that’s just for him,” laughs Donnie.
Despite the apartment’s limited floor area, Crickette, whose style is very eclectic, is still able to put in her touches. “The first few years we lived in Makati, there was no single framed photo of us there. My son moved in with us and with his active lifestyle comes his surfboards and shoes, which also take space. As the years go by, we started adding cute things but very restrained. Most of our things are gifted to us and I would really find ways to put it in our space,” admits Crickette. Everything in the apartment seems to flow fluidly while keeping everything they need to dwell comfortably in the city.
Their second home down south is where they indulge in guilty pleasures: deep rest and quality time with the family—something that the couple look forward to weekly. “It’s more lived-in. All the rooms are used,” says Crickette. The expansive suburban house is designed according to the flow of each of the family members’ daily routine. “She was very thoughtful. I noticed that’s what she did, apart from making the house beautiful aesthetically, is that she studied how each of us flows through the day and she created spaces based on that. For example, she knows that I start [the day] a certain way, so she made a nook with a table overlooking the pool for that. It’s the best place for me to do my morning rituals like having coffee and reading the bible,” he amorously speaks of his wife. This particular spot in the home allows him to just look out into the garden and gaze at the birds that he says “he might definitely not see anywhere else.”
Crickette, knowing her twins Nicole and Camille very well, also created a special place for them. “She knows that Nicole and Camille love each other, but they also get to fight sometimes. So what my wife did was gave them their own rooms and bathrooms. But, where they come together, is in the communal dressing room. It’s not just where they dress up; it’s where they bond while trying to look their best doing their beauty activities. And if one of them locks it, it simply means ‘I need space,’” Donnie muses, adding that Crickette might have thought of their future grandchildren when she created the garden and the family room.
Their suburban abode gives them the luxury of time and space to do the things that they love. Donnie is very passionate about dancing and so there is a dedicated dance studio in the attic. “When I’m here, I hold three dance sessions,” Donnie shares. In the dance studio is a gym where they do their low intensity fitness activities. Crickette, on the other hand, built a kitchen and a garden, so she can personally prepare meals for her family now that she’s retired. There is also a pool house meant for their children and their friends to enjoy, in which their son, Christian has set up his photo studio.
Their most favourite part of the home is the dining area. Comprised of two eight-seater square tables overlooking the living room, the spacious and cosy dining area makes for a perfect backdrop to both intimate and lavish family celebrations.
“When we’re having meals in our Makati apartment, we just eat and have shallow conversations, and then separate so we can work or be ready for work the following
“We are very happy to have two homes: one for convenience and one for real deep rest so by the time Monday comes around, we’re fully recharged and more efficient for work”
Clockwise, from top: The dressing table and the bathroom are kept sleek and functional for weekday efficiency; muted tones lend a calming feel to the master bedroom
day,” says Donnie. “Here in Alabang, time is different. We can just sit for hours having breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and talk about many topics. We’re more transparent. This place is more conducive for detaching and deepening relationships.”
The spaces are very versatile, giving the owners the flexibility to turn the rooms according to its purpose, or even knock down the walls to create an open plan layout. As they get older and their lifestyle changes, they want to have that freedom to expand and create spaces according to their future needs. “We can put a bar or a lanai, or turn the pool house into our bedroom when we’re old. Basically this home is designed for when we get older,” says Crickette.
Dual living may be tough for some, but for Donnie and Crickette, it comes highly recommended. There is that advantage of enjoying two different lifestyles. “Here [in Alabang] is about fresh air and the outdoors; just very relaxed. In the city, life is fast-paced.” Crickette happily recounts their two-dimensional way of life. The couple is very happy to have two homes: one for convenience and one, as Donnie puts it, “for real deep rest so by the time Monday comes around, we’re fully recharged and more efficient at work.”
“She was very thoughtful. I noticed that’s what she did, apart from making the house beautiful aesthetically, she studied how each of us flows through the day and created spaces based on that”