DESPITE HIS KILLER SCHEDULE, which includes frequent trips to suppliers in Vietnam and Cambodia, fashion designer Angelino “Boyet” Fajardo still finds the time to dabble in interior design for himself and his friends.

Fajardo’s latest project, his own two-story home in a gated community in Pasig, is a juxtaposition of various antique and contemporary furniture and accent pieces from all over Asia. With hardwood walls and floors as its backdrop, the setup exudes a chic, ornate and eclectic feel that’s neither purely Filipino nor purely Balinese.

Except for a number of old glass and crystal chandeliers from Europe, almost every piece in the home’s interiors— including artworks by Zalameda, Belleza and Antonio—comes from the Orient.

The setup includes an accent chair with a hollow backrest fashioned from an old banca by artist Raffy Ignacio. Fajardo himself transformed a number of intricate wooden dividers from the Philippines, Thailand and India into doors and wall accents in several rooms and sitting areas.

Hardwood furniture

Using hardwood sourced from torn-down houses in the countryside, Fajardo also designed a number of furniture pieces, particularly the dining room set fashioned from kamagong and his version of a four-poster bed made of molave in the master’s bedroom.

“I’ve accumulated a great deal of used hardwood over the years,” he says. “I’m also the type who loves to collect stuff from my travels here and abroad with no clear idea as to when and how I intend to use them.”

He later parlayed his penchant for collecting into a thriving antique business in Quezon City. Located near Eastwood, in a building that once housed Don Henrico’s restaurant, Angelino also carries more contemporary accent pieces.

Apart from items sourced from Angelino, the house’s many focal points on the ground floor include several huge Maranao drums from the south, wooden dancing figures from Thailand and life-size images of the Sacred Heart and Our Lady of Manaoag in the living room.

Traditional marble floor tempers and provides an ideal foil to the elaborate arrangement downstairs. For the second floor, however, Fajardo opted for the warmth exuded by molave planks. The house is also noteworthy for its liberal use of beveled mirrors in the dining room area and walls adjacent to the high ceiling.

Design as therapy

“For me, interior design is a form of therapy,” says Fajardo. “As long as I have enough time, I don’t mind giving advice to friends for free.”

He bought the property, a corner lot with an old house located several streets away from his first home, several years ago. Before he could even begin transforming it into his idea of a tropical abode, Fajardo had the old structure, once owned by retired Chief Justice Felix Antonio, torn down and a new one designed by architect Raul Revantar built in its place.

“The old house was still livable, but it looked quite dated,” he says. “The only feature I retained is the swimming pool. I also had to overhaul the garden to make way for my own design, an Asian oasis with Mediterranean touches.”

Sensing an impending increase in the price of raw materials brought about by world events, including the Beijing Olympics, Fajardo had to double the number of his staff to finish the entire project in less than 10 months.

“Gas prices were just beginning to climb,” says the astute businessman. “Then I factored in the coming Olympics, and how prices of raw materials could dramatically increase as China tries to corner everything to meet its own deadline.”

Success in RTW

Fajardo may be one of the country’s most successful RTW designers. His label, Boyet Fajardo, which now includes a men’s line, has been around for almost two decades and is carried by some of the country’s leading department stores such as SM, Robinson’s and the Landmark.

But before he became a fashion designer, the Pampanga native was an aspiring interior designer taking up Fine Arts at the University of Santo Tomas. To support his education, he worked as an illustrator for various fashion designers, including Ben Farrales.

“My first love was really interior design,” he says. “When I was young, I had no inkling that I’d end up one day as a fashion designer. But fate has a way of deciding things for you.”

Before he knew it, Fajardo was doing wedding gowns and party dresses for the blushing brides, career women and socialites of the day. A stint as an RTW designer in Singapore in the late 1980s introduced him to bigger, more lucrative possibilities.

“When I returned home a few years later, I used my knowledge and my contacts abroad to start my own RTW line here,” he says. “I have no reason to regret my decision. But no matter what happens, my passion for interior design will always remain.”