Learning the Ropes of Carpentry

Enrico or Rico as he is fondly called by his colleagues has developed a knack for creating furniture. Having been sent to one of the Nordic countries inspired this I.T. professional to kick-off his (growing) woodwork projects. 




1. What made you decide to pursue such hobby?

I recently moved in into a new apartment that has no built-in cabinets. I tried to negotiate with a carpenter to build them for me but he was busy. After a while, I remembered what my experiences from another country told me, the homeowners would usually build things on their own like paint their own houses, make their own patios, create their own furniture, and many more things that will not require special license to accomplish. I can build furniture too that will exactly fit the little space that I have. I also thought it will be fun. So I decided to just do it on my own.

DIY Custom Dresser

One of my ultimate dreams in life is to own a furniture shop and sell original pieces at affordable prices. But since I still lack the resources and hours to go at it full time, I decided to start small. Back in the '80s, space planning and storage solutions weren't given that much thought when building homes. Our house is no exception. My room is a square area, probably 9 x 9 ft., and on one side is where my floor-to-ceiling closet is located. I have no side tables or drawers to store the clutter that I have accumulated over the years, so I decided to build one. I hired a carpenter to build the dresser and then finished it myself. It took the carpenter two days to do his work and took me three days to complete the finishing.

I wanted something that would liven up my room so I searched the Internet for a pattern that will match the color of my walls and then decided that I wanted a distressed finish for the sides and the top.

Here's how it turned out:

The RONAC Art Center

The RONAC Art Center opened its doors to the public late last year. Right along busy Ortigas Avenue, you can find this one-of-a-kind structure standing out amongst its neighbors. If you take a look, the windows may seem small and insufficient for natural light to permeate, which is actually not the case once you see it from the inside. And here's a bit of trivia for you--the window design actually is morse code for the lyrics of Kanye West's Stronger. Amazing.