Are familiar with this chair’s name? This is called a Butaka, a piece of furniture that is respite, birthing clinic, and time machine rolled into one stylish yet functional piece in traditional Filipino homes. The Butaka is a handcrafted chair usually the size of 70cm x 57cm x 118cm and made of Narra hardwood. Its long armrests weren’t really meant for arms; they were used for legs. It was commonly…
The history of the Kapiya can be traced back to the Spanish Colonial Era, where the simple piece of furniture evolved alongside the Philippines’ own history. What Cebuanos call ‘bangko’ is known as the kapiya, which traces its roots in the country’s spiritual influence by Spain. The Filipino Kapiya is a kind of a settee which was derived after a Church pew. A settee is a long upholstered or unupholstered…
Let’s try the difference between these four different things: the stairs, ladder, steps, and stepladder. These may be divided into two sets of classifications, depending on whether they are moveable or fixed. The ladder and stepladder are moveable equipment, while the stairs and steps are fixed to the building. A ladder has a series of rungs between two upright wood or metals and is always leaned against a wall or…
It’s one of those things we think we already understand, because we’ve heard about it most of our lives. At times, we tease our friends with big houses to invite us to their “mansion.” But what really is a mansion? Mansions in modern-day pertain to houses usually 460 square meters and above, with luxurious components. But did you know that mansions used to be a kind of fortified house during…
When we think about Bungalows, the image of the one-story house with verandahs comes to mind. But like any other kind of house, there are different kinds of Bungalows and two of which are the craftsman style and the prairie style. The Craftsman Bungalow is the most common bungalow design. It is characterized by roof gables that are facing the street and large overhanging eaves. Usually, it has shingle roofs…
Although we see these glass panels in old houses and some contemporary revival, there is not much written about this architectural gem. These classical glass panels are often found in Spanish Colonial heritage houses in windows and dividers and are often with capiz windows. The Ylang-Ylang/Sampaguita Glass is a type of pressed glass with motifs such as flowers, leaves, and tendrils. A pressed glass is actually molded glass. Pressed glass…
Bamboo Roof Shingles are one of the primary derivatives for nipa thatched roofs in vernacular rural housing in the Philippines. Bamboo Roof Shingles are a kind of roofing in rural homes in the Philippines that makes use of materials that are readily abundant in nature. In this kind of shelter roofing, spliced buho bamboo or “Schizostachyum lumampao” are layered on top of each other. The roof frame has to be…
In our previous posts, you’ve seen glimpses of these windows during mentions of old Spanish houses. Capiz Windows, also known as exotic windowpane oyster panels, are classic windows in Philippine colonial architecture. These were widely used in Spanish-Filipino colonial houses. These windows are a combination of beautiful cut oyster shells framed inside Philippine hardwood. A bit of trivia about the shells: The capiz window pane oyster is called Placuna placenta.…
We often refer to an urban residence with an open plan as a bachelor’s pad or a studio apartment. These residences can be seen in condominiums or rentable spaces inside the main residence’s compound. Like many of our previous posts, let’s point out how these two are not alike, despite their similarities. While these two terms are sometimes mistakenly interchanged, they are actually quite different. A bachelor’s pad is smaller…
Before World War II, the Philippines had the largest community of Japanese immigrants in Southeast Asia. However, not much is known about this heritage in the Philippines due to its sensitive and painful history. One of the Japanese economic influences in the country was the establishment of Bazaars. Japanese Bazaars were famous and run branches in Manila, Cebu, and Davao during Pre-WWII Philippines. To name a few are Nippon Bazaar,…
