This Condo Unit Has A 'Refined-Luxe,' Hotel-Like Vibe That You Can Easily Achieve, Too!
"'Refined luxe' is the theme," says the lady of the house, who was dressed in a stylish powder blue ensemble from her own fashion label ZOO. Her outfit was soft and easy-on-the-eyes, but it stood out against the subdued palette of her condo unit. "I wanted a very hotel feel," she adds.
Most hotel interiors are designed with timelessness and universal appeal in mind—and this is just the design direction that let this cozy home exude an elegant ambiance the homeowners will still love years down the line. But what a typical hotel's aesthetic lacks in terms of personality and character, Kat Zulueta and her husband Paolo Melgarejo made up for with well thought out home accessories and accents.
The house is predominantly in neutral shades of gray, nude, and ashwood, punctuated with golds. Prints, patterns, textures, a mix of materials, and luxe details keep the house from looking plain.
The painting highlighted by the wall sconces from Keystone was from Ubud in Bali, Indonesia. The couch and chairs are by Heima. The carpet is from DecoLiving. The accents are from Pietro, Z Gallerie, Crate & Barrel, Pottery Barn, and West Elm. The pillow cases are from Pottery Barn.
The dining set was customized by Heima. The dinnerware is from Crate & Barrel. The statement lighting fixtures, which Heim turned from black to brass, are from Azcor Lighting. "I wanted this kind of setup for the dining area. As you can see, they’re all mismatched. There are two wingback kabiseras, a bench, and two chairs. I just like how it’s put together," the lady of the house says.
The couple, who recently welcomed their first baby, used to live in another unit in the same building, but they moved here because they needed more space for their family.
At 132-sq.m., the condo unit, which was designed in collaboration with Heim Interiors, features two bedrooms, four bathrooms, a maid's quarters, and a balcony. It has an open layout that is key to making a small space look bigger. "When we got this house, it’s a 3-bedroom unit. But my condition to Paolo was I would only move here if we'd knock down the other bedroom. Why? Because I love entertaining and I needed a bigger space," Kat shares.
From the stark black kitchen, the home gets a warmer, cozier, and more luxurious feel in the dining room. The formal and informal living areas look cohesive, thanks in part to the customized furniture that match and help tie everything in together. "The experts at Heim told me that if you don’t have a big house, it’s nice to have a monotonous color scheme to make it look bigger and enhance the hotel feel," shares Kat, citing how they matched one couch with another one by customizing it with similar fabric from Studio 11.
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The couple stuck to the original layout and design of the kitchen, only adding a black backsplash for a more elegant feel.
This space is what Kat likes to call the "informal living room." It serves as an entertainment space and also has her workspace at a nook.
Kat is a fan of Sophie Paterson, who is known for her impressive portfolio of luxurious residential interior design projects, so Kat and Heim Interiors took inspiration from her style. Beautiful is an understatement for the output because not only is the home visually interesting and soothing, it also gives the homeowners a relaxing, hotel staycation-like experience every single day—and that is wonderful.
To further achieve the hotel-like interior, linen wallpaper, wall sconces, picture lights, display shelves, and a chandelier at the formal living area were added. The accents that go well with the sophistication of the space are from Pietro, Z Gallerie, Crate & Barrel, Pottery Barn, and West Elm.
READ: See Before & After Photos From The Transformation Of This Art Deco-Themed Condo Unit
Kat shares, "The shelves are customized by Style Modular. The reason why I placed shelves there is because I needed more storage, so this one, you get to hide your stuff but at the same time make the display nice."
The nursery is gender neutral; it features a crib from buybuy BABY, carpet from DecoLiving, rocking chair from Furniture Source, and toddler bed from Incy Room.
Aligned with the design of the rest of the house, Kat opted for a gender neutral color scheme for their nursery. As she isn't a fan of loud colors, their son's bedroom is predominantly gray, with the paint splatter-style accent wall providing the much-needed accent.
At the time of the shoot, the room still has plenty of spaces to fill, but as with the other areas of their house, soon, they will need to make certain baby-proofing adjustments when their son starts to crawl, walk, and eventually run around the house. Using an ottoman from Crate & Barrel as a center table, to avoid sharp edges, is a pretty good start.
This new home is symbolic of the new chapter in this couple's life. It's bound to undergo changes. But whatever changes those may be can be achieved a little easier because the core of its design isn't defined by trends but by classic sensibilities that will surely stand the test of time.
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The lady of the house is Kat Zulueta-Melgarejo, ZOO label founder and Pitchpine Tagaytay and Zulu co-founder. In her and her husband's bedroom, the focal point is this four-poster bed customized by Heima. The abstract artwork is by Grace Katigbak.
See more photos of this hotel-like condo unit in the gallery below:
[photos]
Photographs by Daniel Soriano
Makeup by Angelica Garcia
Hairstyling by Rudolf Davalos
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BEAUTYMar 14, 2023