This Northern home is a reflection of Pineda’s love for Modern Filipino architectural style. There’s a pair of paintings in the foyer of the house that sums up, in a tongue-in-cheek way, the personalities of the couple who live there: one depicts a king and a yellow Lamborghini, the other shows a queen, with an Hermes Birkin. The house itself is a celebration of a successful marriage: the couple were college sweethearts who stayed together throughout a long-distance stretch before settling together in Tarlac where they are both from and where they built a flourishing fueling station business in their area, one that has allowed them to enjoy their 30s in the ease and relaxation of a Royal Pineda -designed oasis.
Their residence, ostensibly in the center of busy downtown Tarlac City, feels as secluded as a private island. Yet, what they’ve crafted goes beyond mere isolation but a feat of integrated living. Just a short walk from their expansive, light-filled home are their offices and warehouse, their two worlds encompassed in one property spanning over a hectare in size.
Unlike most builds where the landscaping comes as the finishing touch, with this project the garden came first. The husband, a garden enthusiast, tapped renowned landscape artist Ponce Veridiano to create the lush grounds first, working with existing large trees that grew on the property. By bringing in a variety of full-grown plants, the couple didn’t have to wait for their green paradise to sprout, i.