The bustle of city life often finds its counterpoint in the gentle hush of the sea. In Batangas, where the turquoise waters meet the shore, this desire for tranquility has taken root in the form of a family’s beach house. It is an escape infused with local Filipino materials, cherished mementos, and repurposed pieces that gently encourages its inhabitants to decelerate, unwind, and reconnect.
Upon purchasing the lot in 2021, the homeowners already envisioned their coastal retreat to be a casually elegant two-story beach house where family and friends could gather and seek comfort. It is also where the two of them pictured themselves growing old.
This vision prompted them to build a warm and inviting home that carries history from the beginning. “We didn’t want it to look new at all,” the owner shares. “We want the house to look lived in and we want it to grow old gracefully— not to look like it’s worn down but to look like it aged well.”
Adding another layer to the design concept was the couple’s shared penchant for collecting unique items from their travels. One partner approaches collecting by first acquiring pieces they love, then figuring out where they belong. This mindset aligns with the other’s eclectic style, allowing them to create a home not bound by a single, rigid style.
To help them bring these ideas to life, they enlisted the expertise of architect Miguel Ortiz for the house design. To shape the interiors, the couple tapped Grupo Santamaria—a firm one of the homeowners has worked with for over 20 years. The collaboration marked the start of a three-and-a-half-year undertaking to construct a space equally suited for lively entertaining and quiet moments of reflection and relaxation.
“Designing the house was a bit more forgiving than our other projects because it was just a matter of putting things together that the client liked,” Nina M. Santamaria, Grupo Santamaria’s Principal Designer, explains. “For me, a timeless interior doesn’t have to be so uniform from a certain period, or a certain color scheme. It just needs to have wellcurated furniture and accessories chosen with a lot of thought and displayed with restraint.”
“The only rule was to not follow rules.” By letting feelings and intuition guide the design direction, the couple found a way to incorporate their diverse collections cohesively. Their Filipino sensibility also permeated the space naturally.
At the heart of the ground floor is a lounge area, intentionally open with no doors or windows to foster a seamless flow. Santamaria admires the progressive vision for this living space to be unobstructed because it mirrors a central Filipino living tradition where dwellings were historically unpartitioned.
“It’s so unusual that the living spaces are just open,” Santamaria remarks. “[But] I’m very proud that this newly built house incorporates age-old design principles for Filipino homes by the sea.”
A powder room by the stairs, described as “a jewel box,” features curated authentic pieces, including a painting gifted by Mauro “Malang” Santos. Climbing the stairs reveals a mini-gallery of gifted artworks and striking pieces from the highlands.
The beach house’s dedication to sustainability, coupled with its role as the couple’s cherished long-term residence, naturally nurtured a space of healing and rejuvenation.
“It makes me want to come back here every weekend,” the client shares. “This has become such a safe haven and sanctuary that it really promotes relaxation, peace of mind, and that encourages you to really take that time to take care of your well-being.”
In a way, the very process of creating this home, with its emphasis on thoughtful details and natural elements, also taught the couple to slow down. This unhurried approach ultimately resulted in a design that perfectly mirrors their own understated personalities.
“Timing was never followed and a lot of people who’ve built houses say that it’s the norm more than anything else. And I’m a stickler for timing and discipline so it was very difficult for me to deal with that,” one of the homeowners says. “At some point, somebody told me, just have fun with the process because it’s gonna get done when it gets done. And now you look back and see that it was a good process. So, I learned to let go of the imperfections and just go with the flow and enjoy what we were experiencing.”
Read the full story behind this beautiful beach house by grabbing your copy of BluPrint Homes, available at the sarisari.shopping, Shopee, and Lazada. E-magazines are available for download here or through Readly, Press Reader, and Magzter.
Photographed by Ed Simon
Art Direction by Jegs Santos
Read more: The Essence of Conscious Living
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