By ERIN EMOCLING
Photos from CURIOUS SETTING
FASHION stylist Pam Quinones has a library in her home, which is accessible only by using a ladder. The library’s unusual location (the loft) is not due to space constraints; on the contrary, her French-themed house with its high ceiling and muted earth colors is quite spacious.
Quinones’ home is featured in Curious Setting, a new inspirational website about “cool spaces and interesting people.”
“The site is devoted to finding inspiration in the cool and unusual,” according to Bea Ledesma and Ria Prieto—the brains behind Curious Setting.
Their paths crossed through their jobs. As lifestyle editors, Bea and Ria would frequently run into each other during events. So they started hanging out and that’s when they discovered they have so much in common: i.e., flipping through coffee table books, looking at interiors, and scouting for thrift shops.
Since then, the stylish duo had been sharing with each other pictures and stories of cool places and interesting people.
The idea of an inspirational website stemmed from the success of their first venture, Narra jewelry line available in Greenbelt and Rockwell.
“Curious Setting all happened organically,” Bea recalled. “We wanted to work on an online platform but instead of aggregating news, we wanted to generate content.”
“We started the blog because it was an excuse to get inside interesting homes and places,” Ria added. “Because we have a blog, we aren’t snoops. It makes what we do legit.”
“Everyone’s a Curious Christy, that’s why tabloids make so much money,” Bea quipped. “It’s in our line of work to shoot interesting things. [Curious Setting] was really just a lateral shift in thinking.”
Bea runs the fashion section of The Philippine Star’s YStyle section while Ria is editor in chief of Red Magazine—the monthly insert of the Philippine Daily Inquirer.
The Curious team includes three local photographers: Jo Ann Bitagcol – a former model, Edric Chen – an egg farmer by day, and Tammy David – a photojournalist and the duo’s good friend.
They also have three contributors—Lesley Choa, Tin Legaspi, and Mara Milano, whom Bea described as bright and hardworking, “all of them…slaving behind the scenes.”
Asked about what a “real home” should be like, Bea and Ria seem to have a common denominator. They both agree that a real home should be a personal space where you can feel free to express your personality, and at the same time, satiate your lifestyle needs.
“Modern minimalist homes are great but could I live in them? So while I dream of the obsessive neatness of a Patrick Bateman pad, my place is more likely to resemble the home of that dude who skinned girls in Silence of the Lambs – minus the cave and the murder part, obviously,” Bea joked.
“If the owner feels free to do whatever he loves regardless of trends or other people’s opinions, then that’s a home sweet home,” Ria added.
Some of the coolest finds featured on Curious Setting (aside from Quinones’ house) are fashion designer Hindy Weber Tantoco’s farm with its charming pergola, London-based designer Lesley Mobo’s airy light-filled townhouse, and a super fancy bathroom of Bea’s friend which she described as “light years fancier than my entire apartment.”
Designer Eric Paras’ A11 pad in Pasay City is the focus of “Home Is Where the Decor Is” while “The Arty Couple’s Home” story takes a look at a ‘60s-inspired roomy residence filled with local art. Another interesting piece is about the artsy and minimalist abode of Carlo Calma, which he designed himself.
For Bea, her dream feature article for Curious Setting would definitely be about singer Mariah Carey’s house. “I adore her. Ever since I saw her house on MTV Cribs, I knew she was insane and yet that only made my admiration grow to a full- fledged fandom,” she confessed.
As for Ria, her dream feature would be the house of architect Daniel Romualdez. She said: “His place gets featured abroad but, sadly, he isn’t ready to have it featured here in Manila. A lot of Filipinos admire him and his taste is exquisite and exciting.”
Aside from showcasing cool places and interesting people, Curious Setting will also be having a store on their website. “It is going to be a really cool mix of objects and artist collaborations,” Bea added. “Things fall into place easily enough when you’re willing to pursue something wholeheartedly.”
“We enjoy what we do and sharing it makes us happy,” Ria added.