#cebudesign

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Dream weaver couplefie

Posing with a Boholana weaver of the Tubigon Raffia Gallery as she and companions weave the raffia (buri palm, Corypha elata) during the 2025 Visayâs Art Fair (VAF) at the Oakridge Business Park in Mandaue City, Province of Cebú

The Tubigon Raffia Gallery was established in the northern Bohol town of Tubigon in 2023

Postscript:

For those unaware of the title of my post, it based on the 1975 song "Dream Weaver" by Gary Wright

This photo was taken circa 2025

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1960s Time-warp fashion selfie

Getting nostalgic about the 1960s to 1970s fashion of the Italian designer Emilio Pucci (1914-1992), as I look at the works of the Greek-German designer Miranda Konstantinidou (born 1959) and her brand KONPLOTT, which are on display at the 2025 Visayâs Art Fair (VAF) at the Oakridge Business Park in Mandaue City, Province of Cebú

I am happy to have talked to Miranda, and my students and I will visit her atelier in Mactan soon

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Student Fashion Design photo-shoot BTS couplefie

Shake your moneymaker!

Directing the model of my fashion design students from the SWU School of Design and Communication (sd+c), at the Southwestern University PHINMA (SWU) campus, in Cebú City.

Our fashion design program of the sd+c was in partnership the Singaporean school FMDS (First Media Design School).

This picture was taken circa 2019 by Eisen Alquiza, with the model Pamela Sancio wearing the clothes designed by my student Lea Sanchez Jumao-as.

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Newbie Design Adventure : 5 Fast Tips for Newbies in Designing a Space from Scratch

Interior designers are supposed to be masters of styling, but I have to be honest. It takes a lot of getting used to! There are a lot of elements to consider: Contrast, Harmony, Color, Scale and a lot more. One really has to have a level of confidence, too, to achieve an astonishing set-up.

I had the chance to work with a beautiful and extremely jamming mentor, Idr. Bernadette Uy for Mandaue Foam’s Featured Designer/ Mentorship Program. We were tasked to come up with an “Autumn” theme. We deviated from the usual feel of Autumn and decided to hype it up with more color. Because we were also asked to use only Mandaue Foam’s furniture pieces and accessories, it became a fun challenge!

I managed to dig some tips which I think are really useful when designing a space from scratch.

# 1 - Focus on the theme and sketch a floor plan first.

Decide which furniture pieces you’re putting and do it fast. Anyway, your plan will develop or change by the time you roam around to look for actual pieces. The plan will guide you and help you save a lot of time.

# 2 - Choose main furniture pieces first.

Try not to focus on small accessories yet so you won’t waste your time trying to build everything up from small elements. Found a really cute sculpture? Put that aside first and hope (or try to make sure) that there’ll be an awesome furniture piece that’ll go with that. Accessories are a lot easier to move around than big furniture pieces. Efficiency is key.

# 3 - “You cannot rush art.” Don’t be ashamed of trying and finding error.

Try to look at things from different angles and consider the colors and patterns, too. It takes a lot of mixing and matching to finally get that look you want. Also, don’t be afraid to ask. If your partner/ friend says that what you came up with seems awkward, then it must be somehow. Although if you feel it in your gut that what you put together is just perfect, try to gently justify it. Let ideas flow like waves!

Idr. Bernadette Uy sure had a lot of ideas in revamping the use of furniture pieces! As seen above, she placed two bar counters together to make a long high table. The chairs are actually bar stools. The bright red cabinet at the back seems even hipper with the two industrial lamps at both side. Again, never be afraid to mix and match pieces!

# 4 - Consider the scaling of the pieces and the variety of heights they have. 

This is a great tip, and I’m fortunate to have learned this. Try to see if your setup has high, mid and low elements. These will create a balanced, “put together” look and will really give you an impact that you may not be aware about. If your pieces are all tall, chances are your whole scene will look intimidating, crowded and heavy. If all pieces are on the mid / eye level, then you’re not really making good use of your vertical space. Don’t get me started with pieces that are all low! I bet you already know that a scene like this isn’t comfortable to look at at all. It feels incomplete. 

# 5 - Play with textures and materials when choosing accessories.

The fun part — accessories! These details will either make or break your whole look. One thing to consider is that you don’t have to choose items that match. A shiny, metallic finish goes great with a bold, solid color. Never forget botanicals, too! They make a scene look alive and their vibrant, unpredictable shapes really make everything look less robotic and stiff. 

Metallic plate we used as a charger, paired with a folded fabric placemat  (we had to use the resources that’s available), topped with a black round soup dish. The plastic moss balls were just additional details to help let the bold colors pop. Red and green are complementary colors, by the way. This means they lay directly across each other from the color wheel. They are two opposing colors. If you use them in the same level, they will clash, but if you make the other one subtler than the other, they actually  will balance each other out.

The fun artificial branches we placed on an empty space helps liven up the area. 

It sure was a great experience styling and being really hands on with design. The slight pressure of  putting things together in a limited time is quite addictive, and I’m sure I will be doing it over and over again.

I hope you’ll have your own newbie design adventure as well!

Remain excited!

<3 

Idr. Ced Karmela

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Why-You-Need-to-Hire-an-Interior-Designer Reason #3: We're the Home Shopping Mafia

Yes, we're pretty cool when you put us in our environment. We can talk our way to suppliers and salespeople's cold hearts and get you pretty big savings. YES. There are actually shops that offer special discounts for interior designers and their clients. Sales come all year round for us! We also have a magical map to stores and shops that you may not know about. Like that secret passage you didn't even think existed in Mario RPG? That exists in our world! Where'd you get that fabulous lamp? Ask an interior designer this and your jaw's gonna fly open. There are more reasons coming soon! So stay tuned! Remain excited! ❤️ Idr. Ced Karmela

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Why-You-Need-to-Hire-an-Interior-Designer Reason #2: It’s our job to stress over which kind of white you should use. OUR JOB.

I know you’re probably aware of this… that every color has plenty of other colors in it. That pretty little color wheel you drew back in elementary school? We had a full semester in college dedicated solely for that subject, and now we actually do our jobs with that tattooed on our brains. We “study” colors. We “feel” colors. We look at people and we can see colors! Well, I’m kidding, but I have to over-stress that colors are the most essential elements of a space or a design. They make or break everything and it’s our job to please them and provide each of them a home where they can lay in peace. Of course, so that you can also lay in peace at night without worrying about them. Ever.

Remain excited!

❤️

Idr. Ced Karmela

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Why-You-Need-to-Hire-an-Interior-Designer Reason #1: Years in College

Let's follow-up our first ever blog post with our first ever reason: our  interior design degrees. We're pretty sure that those 4 to 5 years in a university have some worth. Trust me, if you study a course that's more concerned on taste and not on theories, then you will understand that the struggle is real. We spent the majority of our teenage and post-teenage lives convincing design-conscious critics (in this case, the professors) that we deserve that diploma. You can absolutely be sure that the interior designer you're going to hire is more educated in colors and schemes than that hardware salesperson. There will be more reasons to breathe easily soon, so put down those paint samples and hire an interior designer already!

Remain excited!

♥

Idr. Ced Karmela

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Why Do You Need to Hire an Interior Designer, Anyway?

Well, it sure isn't an accident that you stumbled upon this silent, humble blog page so.. Welcome! Grab yourself some tea and read on!

Have you ever had a boring wall that you were just itching to splash paint on, or have you ever considered buying new furniture? Then I'm pretty sure you've already asked yourself a couple of questions about INTERIOR DESIGNERS.

Focus on the tingly sensation that your mouth just created when you read the words, so please read them again... INTERIOR DESIGNERS.

They're more than just those people walking around with cloth and paint swatches (no, not the watch brand), by the way. The lady in the cafe with those "zombie" eyes latching on her laptop screen which showed alien-like scribbles of 2d furniture, circles, lines and more lines? Nope. Not quite.

If you do have some knowledge of interior design and interior designers already then I applaud your awareness of our existence, but if you still are scratching the surface, then you've come to the right place! 

In the next series I will be posting a lot about interior design, interior designers, and the interior design industry. If you're a beginner in this field (which is perfect) then we'll journey on together. Being a newbie myself, I just want to create a space where I can share everything I have learned so far, from tips, warnings, to great design experiences, all of which can help you through your own understanding about interior design, designers and the industry as well.

So let's ask this question again, "Why do you need to hire an interior designer, anyway?" Follow my blog to be updated on how I answer this question everyday in my journey through the interior design world. Welcome to this page again and please continue enjoying that cup of tea!

Remain excited!

♥

Idr. Ced Karmela