A kitchen is one of the hardest-working spaces in a home. It must withstand daily wear, changing routines, evolving technologies, and shifting lifestyle needs while remaining visually coherent within the larger architectural narrative. While every project has its own requirements, experienced designers often return to a similar set of considerations when evaluating a kitchen. Here […]
This 22sqm Student Condo in Cebu Is #Goals
Rizelle Alvarez of UNNA Interior Design Studio, who is an old acquaintance to the owner of the high-rise development. The design team had only an entire month to finish this student condo.
Made solely for inspiration, the student condo showroom definitely embodies the millennial #condogoals — making it especially appealing to first-time solo condo-dwellers who are on a budget. The interior designer shares that even though her and her team were given the creative freedom for this project, they still had to operate on a strict budget. The outcome, however, didn’t look anywhere scrimped in terms of both budget and design.
UNNA designed the space with special attention paid on layout. “We focused on maximizing the space and the physical layout. To add visual focus, we incorporated a new lighting design,” Rizelle tells CondoLiving. Given an open, blank space to work on, the design team designed a layout that does not feel and look like a typical studio unit (and a condominium showroom).
“The unit was designed in such a way that maximizes each nook by converting them into areas for unwinding and conversation, at the same time highlighting how much storage can fit in such a modest room,” explains Rizelle. From the entrance door, an entry-way kitchen, although compact and has a limited counter space, is complemented with a lot of storage. Instead of a backsplash, the design team opted to continue the concrete finish wall and installed a wire mesh which can be used to hold ladles and other lightweight cooking utensils with S-hooks.
Isolating the kitchen from the living area is a custom-built storage system that integrates an open shelving for more kitchen items (i.e. food containers and utensils, and cooking appliances, and a mini fridge), and a clothes rack with overhead open shelf and pull-out drawers underneath for décor or more clothes. Next to this smart and space-saving storage system is the entertainment area with an L-shaped bench for additional seating option. Underneath the bench is storage for shoes, books, or anything to keep the space more organized.
With the absence of a center or coffee table in the living area, the design team built in a bar that serves multiple uses: a divider between the sleeping and living area, a dining area, and a work area. Overhead is another set of open shelves with integrated lighting.
Across the multi-use bar is the sleeping area furnished with a daybed with more built-in storage spaces underneath. On one end of the bed is another bar that run along the full-height windows. The gray wall on which the bed is placed along is also made more curious with black metal details.
On the other end of the bed is a wall of wooden storage for the entertainment system and other decorations. “A major component in the interior is the excessive incorporation of wood, so as to add a natural, warm ambience. The overall aesthetic is a sophisticated take on raw elements, featured with a pop of teal to refresh the eyes,” Rizelle shares. “We also put mostly built-in pieces and some loose, ready-made furniture and accessories which were all locally sourced in Cebu,” she finishes.
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The modern kitchen has evolved beyond its traditional role as a place for preparing meals. It is the heart of the home – a space where daily rituals unfold, conversations linger and the rhythm of everyday life takes shape. As open-plan living continues to redefine residential design, the kitchen is no longer a separate room, […]
Likhang Filipino stands on the former site of the PhilTrade Center along Roxas Boulevard in Pasay City, a landmark that once symbolized the Philippines’ export ambitions and introduced Filipino craftsmanship to international audiences. Originally inaugurated in 1979, the PhilTrade Center was conceived as a national showcase for Philippine exports, with its longitudinal form and sloping […]
Presented during Milano Design Week 2026 at Palazzo Gallarati Scotti, Poltrona Frau’s flagship store in Milan, the “True Over Time” Collection celebrates one of the brand’s most enduring values: authenticity. More than a matter of craftsmanship or material quality, durability is understood as a design’s ability to preserve its meaning over time, remaining relevant across […]
Within a two-building commercial complex organized around a central courtyard, an unexpected layout unfolds. The shops are small and quaint, uniformly sized, and directly face one another like apartment units. This is Atúa. Related Reading: Creative Placemaking: Designing Public Spaces that Reflect Shared Memory What used to be a functioning hotel in the early 1990s, […]
In a curated setting at the The Tile Gallery showroom, architects, designers, and media guests were transported into the immersive world of Italian contemporary lighting brand Lodes, where light illuminated the space through sculptural forms and innovative materiality. The Language of Light event presented a selection of Lodes’ established collections alongside new releases, revealing the […]
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