How Catriona Gray Incorporated Local In Her Eclectic And Bold Sanctuary

In her latest vlog, Catriona Gray, the “new Pasigueña” tours viewers around her “little piece of peace” where one of the major selling points is a balcony that shows a gorgeous view of Metro Manla. Her furbabies, Theo and Bailey, both Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, love to sun bathe in the balcony that she plans to spruce a bit more, looking forward to “sip and paint” activities with her friends. For now, a pair of green Zarate Manila chairs sit in the space.

In her video tour, Catriona comes clean on her design process: while she enlisted the help of Hurray Design, she honestly confessed that her vision was “set in stone,” without taking many suggestions because her home was a dream that took a long time to fulfill.

“Ever since I moved out of my parents’ house, I’ve always dreamed of having my own home and being able to do what I wanted with it,” she reveals. The collaboration with Hurray gave her an eclectic home punctuated by punchy pops of colors and made warm with pieces that tell a story.

Even in decorating her home, Queen Cat took the call of duty to promote Filipino to heart. “It’s no secret that one of my favorite weaves is Yakan,” she says, sharing that her throw pillows were by Malinkgat Weaves. A sunny orange inabel throw from a trip to La Union with friends is perched on her sofa’s armrest. “I like picking up little things like that [from my travels] to really show the beauty of our culture,” she shares.

Colorful basket chandeliers hung in varying heights by Calfurn crown her living room. “I wanted to utilize this high ceiling so I thought it would be a beautiful accent piece to really incorporate again those woven textures,” she says, reminding her viewers of her status as NCCA (National Commission of Culture and the Arts) ambassador, incorporating local and artisanal things into her space.

“Usually the heart of the home is the kitchen, but I have to say in my house, it’s always been the dining area.” Her 5-seater rectangular acacia wood table by Casama Mo was an Instagram find. Local textures such as a capiz chandelier by West Elm and an inabel table runner make the space very cozy. Her dining chairs were custom-made by Calfurn. For those of you who want to bring in more life to your spaces, take a cue from the Queen, and incorporate a plant. She got her climbing mini monstera from PGD Botanique. A mini bar cart for friends and family who come over is another dining room essential she didn’t miss on.

One of Catriona’s dreams is to learn how to play the piano, prompting her to invest in a Roland digital piano upon her fiance, Sam Milby’s prodding. Living in a condo, they considered controlling the volume of her piano playing, which one is able to do with a digital piano. Her custom piano bench by Studio Fino provided the opportunity to incorporate another piece of Filipino textile, an inabel weave by Abel Philippines.

Her content room is enveloped in fun creamsicle colored walls, complementing the deep blues and greens in her home. Cabinet doors in the same color conceal a Murphy bed. The highlight of the space is a dreamy painted accent mural wall by Mikra Faux. Woven textures in this room are courtesy of a pair of pink chairs by Calfurn. A print by Agnes Cecile, a watercolorist based in Rome also adorns the space which contains a special heirloom from Catriona’s paternal grandmother. She uses chair by Junk Knot, made of recycled single use plastic as her work chair.

One of the spaces that brings Catriona joy is her powder room. It is “wrapped in art” by Raxenne Maniquiz an artist known for painting flora and fauna endemic to the Philippines. Catriona had the opportunity to customize a wallpaper bespoke-printed with art work by the artist done exclusively for her.