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Lark Street Residences: An Understated Elegance
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There’s always something enticing about building a home that is stately and grand, whether in scale or in the design. But Anthony Nazareno, Principal Architect and Designer of Nazareno Architecture + Design, prefers a delicate balance between creating a flashy showstopper and designing a statement piece that bears a quiet confidence. This understated elegance, as he calls it, is evident the moment you arrive at the gates of the Lark Street Residence.
A Desaturated Palette
Standing at two floors and spanning an enclosed area of 1,100 square meters on an 805-square-meter lot, the residence exudes minimalist sophistication. The facade features a combination of gray travertine in a faceted pattern, and Parklex HPL panels in dark walnut finish. This minimalist material palette extends to the interiors, aligned with Nazareno’s and the owners’ shared vision of a cohesive design.
“We wanted the colors of the house to be really absolutely tone and tone. If you take a look, the color palette just didn’t jump,” Nazareno gestures, pointing out the absence of accent walls and striking contrast of elements. “Nothing was overly saturated here; in fact, we tried to desaturate some colors. But it came to the understanding of how we could lay down that color palette, except, of course, for the artwork, which stood apart.”
The Art of Collaboration
Art also served as the catalyst for the strong collaboration between Nazareno and his team, and the owners, who were very clear and deliberate about every detail they wanted for each of the spaces. “In pretty much every single wall that had anything hung with an art piece, the owner was very involved,” he notes, adding how the owners were very particular, down to how the paintings in the second floor could be viewed from the spaces below. “In that regard, it was a collaboration between the owners and myself, deciding on the size of the paintings, the framing of the paintings, and how we were going to light them. It’s a reflection of how well he understood how he wanted to convey his collection.”
All the work poured into the collaboration was clearly worth it. The Lark Street Residence now stands as a personal statement of who the owners are as a family, and a testament to Nazareno and his team’s dedication to playfulness, innovation, and attention to detail.
This article has been abridged for digital publication. Read the full story behind Lark Street Residences by ordering your copy of BluPrint’s “Design Conversations” at Sari Sari Shopping, Shopee, and Lazada. E-magazines are also available for download here or through Readly, Press Reader, and Magzter.
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Photographed by Ed Simon
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Frequently Asked Questions
Architect Anthony Nazareno utilized a tone-on-tone color scheme, avoiding accent walls or striking contrasts to achieve what he calls “understated elegance.” By intentionally desaturating the colors of the walls and furniture, the architecture maintains a quiet, minimalist sophistication. This neutral backdrop ensures the structure feels cohesive and grand without being flashy, allowing the family’s vibrant art collection to serve as the primary visual focus.
The exterior features a refined combination of gray travertine arranged in a faceted pattern and Parklex HPL panels in a dark walnut finish. These materials provide a tactile, high-end texture that complements the residence’s 1,100-square-meter scale. The choice of durable, low-maintenance HPL and natural stone ensures the home retains its “stately and grand” appearance while adhering to a minimalist aesthetic.
The collaboration between Nazareno and the owners was so deep that structural decisions, such as the placement of walls and lighting, were dictated by specific art pieces. The home was designed with sightlines that allow paintings on the second floor to be viewed clearly from the ground level. Every wall was meticulously planned in terms of size, framing, and specialized lighting to properly convey the owners’ personal collection.
Despite being on an 805-square-meter lot, the residence maximizes its 1,100 square meters of enclosed area through a two-story vertical design. The layout is optimized to provide a sense of “quiet confidence” and spaciousness without overwhelming the property. This is achieved through open-plan main areas that provide guests with immediate glimpses of the upper floor, creating an airy, expansive atmosphere within a compact urban footprint.
The project was a rigorous partnership where the owners were involved in “pretty much every single wall.” This synergy between the architect’s vision for innovation and the owners’ deliberate attention to detail resulted in a home that acts as a personal statement. The final result is a testament to how a shared understanding of art and lifestyle can produce a house that is both a functional family home and a curated gallery.
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