furniture – Jellybeans in the City

Home Buddies Bazaar: Your Ticket to Budget-Friendly Home Style

In the bustling world of home enthusiasts, the renowned Filipino group, Home Buddies, is poised to mark its third anniversary with a remarkable event. Aptly named the Home Buddies Bazaar, this grand celebration on October 1, 2023 from 11am to 10pm at Ayala Mallls Manila Bay Activity Center showcases the best in home improvement, décor, and design from over 30 passionate local merchants.

A Fusion of Style and Savings

At the heart of Home Buddies Bazaar lies a dedication to budget-friendly shopping without compromising on style. The event offers a thoughtfully curated selection of furniture essentials, household treasures, and decorative pieces, all embodying the community’s mantra of affordable elegance.

Mayora’s Vision: A Boundless Celebration

Founder Frances Lim Cabatuando, lovingly known as ‘Mayora’ by the devoted HB community, shares her excitement about this extraordinary event. “It’s the first independent event that we’re doing, so we have no limits,” she exclaims. The bazaar is set to host esteemed brands like Tough Mama, PLDT Home, and Ayala Malls Manila Bay as co-presenters, along with prominent home professional organizations like United Architects of the Philippines (UAP) and Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers (PICE) offering free home consultations for eager attendees.

Unleashing the Home Enthusiast’s Dreams

The Home Buddies Bazaar brings to life Pinterest-inspired concepts through specialized booths and shops. More than 30 home and living merchants will gather, promising to ignite the inner budol (an endearing Filipino term for irresistible purchases) in every visitor. This event also marks the inaugural “grand eyeball” of the growing online community, boasting over 3.2 million followers on Facebook to date.

A Day of Extravaganza

Set against the vibrant backdrop of Ayala Malls Manila Bay in Pasay City on October 1, 2023, this one-day event promises an immersive experience. Beyond the extensive array of home improvement merchants and booths, attendees can enjoy on-stage segments, engaging games, thrilling activities, and soul-stirring performances. Alt-rock icons Barbie Almalbis and Sandwich will headline the event, joined by promising newcomers I See Bees, New York Heights, Raven and the Papis, and Sofia Carpizo.

The Force Behind the Bazaar

Home Buddies Bazaar is co-presented by PLDT Home, Tough Mama, and Ayala Malls, and is graciously supported by esteemed partners including GNN Entertainment Productions, the 210.ph, MStudio, NYMA, UAP, and PICE. Special thanks extend to sponsors like FWD, Davies Paints, Tinybuds, Samgyupsalamat, Omni Electrical and Lighting, CW Home Depot, 3D Appliances, Bostik, and other generous brand buddies.

Your Invitation Awaits!

Hosted by Eryka Lucas, Kevin Montillano, Coco Cordero, and Frances Cabatuando, this event promises a day of revelry and discovery. Admission is free! Stay updated on all the excitement by following the Home Buddies page or joining their vibrant group on Facebook. Save the date, because Home Buddies Bazaar is where style meets savings, and home dreams come alive!

Details provided in a recent press release.

Header image by dit26978 on Freepik

Designing a living room for socializing: Creating the perfect conversation space for the holidays

The holiday season is a time for gathering with family and friends, sharing stories, and creating memories. However, the challenge for many hosts is how to make their living room a space that promotes conversation and connection.

Creating a conversation hub is an art that can take some thoughtful planning and preparation. Fortunately, with a few simple tips, you can turn your living room into the perfect gathering spot that fosters meaningful conversations and creates lasting memories.

Arrange your furniture in a way that encourages conversation. Consider grouping seating together in a circular or semi-circular arrangement to promote face-to-face interaction. Place chairs and sofas close enough together so that people can comfortably talk to each other without shouting or straining to hear.
Add cozy elements to create a welcoming atmosphere. Adding warm, soft textiles like throw blankets and pillows can make your living room feel cozy and inviting. You can also incorporate warm lighting by using candles or dimming your overhead lights.
Create a focal point. Adding a focal point like a statement piece of art, a fireplace or a large Christmas tree can draw people’s attention to the center of the room, creating a natural gathering point.
Provide snacks and drinks. Having snacks and drinks on hand can help break the ice and give people something to do with their hands while they chat. Arrange a variety of easy-to-grab finger foods, like a cheese platter, veggie tray or festive holiday cookies, along with a selection of drinks that can include hot cocoa, mulled wine or a festive punch.

Incorporate interactive activities. Games or activities can help break the ice and get people talking. You can set up a board game, a puzzle or even a DIY craft station for guests to work on together.
Encourage conversation starters. If you’re worried that your guests might be shy or hesitant to start conversations, consider having conversation starters placed around the room, like a jar filled with prompts or question cards. This can help get people talking and can also make for a fun icebreaker activity.
Set the mood with music. Playing music in the background can help create a festive and welcoming atmosphere. Consider creating a holiday playlist or choosing a radio station that plays holiday tunes to keep the mood upbeat and festive.
Make your guests feel comfortable. Lastly, making your guests feel comfortable and at ease is key to creating a great conversation hub. Consider providing extra seating options like floor cushions or ottomans and make sure there are plenty of blankets and pillows for guests to use. Also, don’t forget to greet your guests with a warm smile and introduce them to others in the room to help break the ice.

Transforming your living room into a conversation hub for the holidays can be a fun and rewarding experience. By following these simple tips, you can create an inviting atmosphere that encourages meaningful conversations and fosters lasting memories. Remember to be thoughtful in your planning and to pay attention to the small details that can make all the difference in creating a warm and welcoming environment.

Ultimately, the goal is to create a space where guests feel comfortable and at ease, where they can connect with each other and share stories and laughter. With a little bit of effort and creativity, you can turn your living room into the perfect gathering spot that brings people together and creates a sense of community. So, start planning and get ready to create a conversation hub that will leave your guests feeling welcomed, happy, and fulfilled this holiday season.

If you’re fixing up your living room for the holidays, check out and get inspired by the awesome selections at Crate & Barrel.

This US-based retail chain specializing in upmarket and artisanal housewares, indoor and outdoor furniture and home accessories has presence in forty-two countries across the globe.

In the Philippines, its stores are located at:

Level 3, SM Aura Premier, 26th Street corner McKinley Parkway, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. Landline: +63 2 88934255| Mobile: +63 917 8895667
Ground Level, Annex Building, SM Makati, Courtyard Drive, San Lorenzo Village, Makati City. Landline: +63 2 88342780 | Mobile: +63 917 5833573
4th Level, SM Megamall Fashion Hall Building D, Wack-Wack Greenhills, Mandaluyong City. Landline: +63 2 89420761 | Mobile: +63 917 8704796

Shop online for Crate & Barrel products through its website and stay updated on its products and offers by following it on Facebook and Instagram.

Photos taken during a 2022 store visit at Crate & Barrel’s SM Megamall branch.

3 things to do when setting up your dining room

Among the spaces in our house, the dining room is the one that’s most often used for gatherings. Whether for intimate family meals or a social occasion with more attendees, the dining room provides the venue and backdrop for shared experiences of eating and conversing with other people.

We all want this room to be comfortable and conducive to memorable times spent eating and talking with family and friends.

Whether you’re designing your dining room from scratch, or re-designing it to fulfill your evolving needs, here are some tips to keep in mind:

Define your purpose for the dining room.

Are you using it mainly for private family meals and occasions? Or will you be hosting large parties? How often will it be used? Will it perform additional functions such as doubling as a workspace for household working from home or students doing online lessons?

These considerations will influence the type of furnishings that will go into a room such as getting more ornate and high maintenance pieces for more formal setups and more functional, easy to clean and hardy pieces for rooms that will se everyday use, especially by children.

Light up the space.

As an area for socializing, you want this room to appear bright and ambient. It is often advisable to layer various light sources such as using a chandelier or pendant lights above the dining table supplemented by lamps, sconces and the occasional candles to illumine the space at eye level.

If you are also using the dining room as work/study space, make sure that adequate task lighting is also available.

Get your flooring right.

The dining room gets a lot of foot traffic and is also the site of many spills and splashes. The floor should not only look good, but it should also be easy to clean and able to stand up to wear-and-tear.

Hard flooring may be best for dining rooms that see a lot of use, particularly for entertaining. Softening touches may be applied to amp up the comfort and coziness through area rugs that add texture and color.

If you’re shopping for your dining room furniture, fixtures and accessories, check out and get inspired by the awesome selections at Crate & Barrel.

This US-based retail chain specializing in upmarket and artisanal housewares, indoor and outdoor furniture and home accessories has presence in forty-two countries across the globe.

In the Philippines, its stores are located at:

Level 3, SM Aura Premier, 26th Street corner McKinley Parkway, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. Landline: +63 2 88934255| Mobile: +63 917 8895667
Ground Level, Annex Building, SM Makati, Courtyard Drive, San Lorenzo Village, Makati City. Landline: +63 2 88342780 | Mobile: +63 917 5833573
4th Level, SM Megamall Fashion Hall Building D, Wack-Wack Greenhills, Mandaluyong City. Landline: +63 2 89420761 | Mobile: +63 917 8704796

Shop online for Crate & Barrel products through its website and stay updated on its products and offers by following it on Facebook and Instagram.

Photos taken during a store visit at Crate & Barrel’s SM Megamall branch.

5 things to fix in your bedroom for a blissful slumber

With our very busy lives, we deserve our restful sleep as well.

After all, getting enough sleep has a myriad of health benefits that we simply can’t ignore. These include heightened immunity, prevention of weight gain, as well as improved mood, memory, productivity and heart health.

As a place to rest and restore ourselves, our bedroom needs to be set up and decorated accordingly.

So scan through your bedroom and take note of what you can improve to give yourself a well-deserved blissful slumber.

Bed.

The primary furniture in the room determines much of your comfort as you slumber. The quality of your mattress, pillows and beddings will greatly factor into your sleeping conditions.

Gadgets.

According to the National Sleep Foundation, the use of electronic devices at night tend to delay the time that we fall asleep, reducing the total sleep duration. These devices also affect our brains, stimulating our minds and making it harder for us to doze off. The blue light they emit also disrupts our body’s production of melatonin, the hormone that regulates sleep.

Now, it would be highly unlikely for us to ban all our technology from the bedroom but we can pare down our use of them once we enter our sanctuary. We can avoid using them an hour before we go to sleep, place them in drawers to keep them out of sight and resist the urge to reach for them when we wake up at night.

Lighting.

Light is the key player when it comes to regulating our circadian rhythm, with the darkest possible room cited as the most conducive to sleep. Darkness also reduces potential visual distractions and disruptions to sleep.

To help make your bedroom as dark as possible, consider equipping the room with blackout curtains and a small, low-power lamp. If you still have considerable light in the space which disrupts your sleep, you may want to purchase a comfy yet close-fitting eye mask.

Ventilation and Temperature.

As we enter the hot summer months, proper ventilation and room temperature become even more crucial to catching our Zzzs. Aside from air-conditioning, you can also help cool your room down by using electric fans to circulate air, and creating cross-ventilation within the home by opening or closing doors and windows.

Scents.

Don’t underestimate the power of your nose. Some fragrances can help promote relaxation which, in turn, makes it easier to fall asleep and wake up the following morning feeling well-rested.

Clean-smelling sheets have been observed to help in promoting comfortable sleep, as well as the use of aromatherapy in the form of essential oils applied to pillows or placed in diffusers. Lavender, rose, roman chamomile, jasmine and ylang-ylang are among those that have been seen to contribute to restful slumber.

Clutter.

In the same way that messy surroundings impede your ability to work at optimum levels, clutter in your bedroom could also prevent you from getting the sleep you need.

Clear out items that do not help you relax by regularly tidying up your bedroom and storing your electronic gadgets and small items in your drawers. Vacuum your bedroom rugs and mattress regularly to get rid of dustmites that trigger allergies.

Ready to set up your room to give you the best kind of sleep?

Shop for bedroom essentials that will help you get to Sleep Town at AllHome.

AllHome is the Pinoy’s one-stop shop for all home needs. It offers an extensive range of top-quality home-improvement products such as construction supplies, hardware, appliances, indoor and outdoor furniture, homeware, décor, and even electronic gadgets all under one roof.

Its Metro Manila branches include:

Vista Place (Wil Tower), Eugenio Lopez Drive, Brgy. South Triangle, Quezon City
E. Rodriguez Jr. Brgy. Bagumbayan, Quezon City
Starmall EDSA-Shaw, Ground, Epifanio de los Santos Ave, Mandaluyong
Worldwide Corporate Center, Shaw Boulevard, Mandaluyong
Vista Mall Taguig, Levi Mariano Ave., Taguig City
Vista Mall C5 Extension Road, Quirino Ave. Pulang Lupa Uno, Las Piñas City
Vista Mall Las Pinas, CV Starr Ave., Philam Village, Pamplona, Las Pinas

You may also shop conveniently online at allhome.com.ph to take advantage of AllHome’s wide array of original and top-quality items, easy payment methods and fast delivery timelines.

In-store photos taken at AllHome WCC and Libis. Used with permission.

Spruce up your outdoor areas to supplement your wellness goals at AllHome

Summer’s almost here and you know what that means: more time spent outdoors!

During pre-pandemic times, outdoor living spaces such as patios, decks and porches – were used mainly for entertainment and recreation. However, in the past two years, people are increasingly doing activities outside such as gardening, barbecuing, playing with their kids and pets, exercising, or simply relaxing.

International Casual Furnishings Association executive director Jackie Hirschhaut reported that in contrast to consumer behavior in early 2020 where outdoor spaces were being designed to complement homes and lifestyles, current trends indicate outdoor spaces are now being created to supplement that “supplement our sense of well-being and transform an outdoor area into an outdoor room.”

Clearly, outdoor areas are being used for purposes that promote physical, social and mental health.

These include:

Having a convenient place to get exposed to enough sunlight to boost vitamin D levels.
Providing opportunities for activities that promote eye health such as “screen breaks” – time away from gadgets – and viewing objects at a range of distances – for example, a nearby potted plant and a bird flying at a distance – to manage eyestrain.
Having adequate spaces for increased physical activity and movement.
Providing opportunities to meditate, be closer to nature to reduce stress.
Providing opportunities to spend time with friends and loved ones for fun shared experiences.

When designing or reorganizing your outdoor areas to support your wellness goals, keep the purpose of the spaces top of mind:

Exercise. If increasing physical activity is your objective, then consider the size, mobility and storage of fitness equipment that you will include in the space.
Socializing. Families and friends come together over good food so aside from your outdoor grill, consider the spaces needed for convenient food preparation, serving and dining. Including gathering points or conversation pieces such as bonfire pits or water features will also help in getting people to gather up and converse.
Relaxation and De-stressing. Nature has a way of bringing down stress levels so incorporate nature into your outdoor spaces through greenery, water features, wide open spaces and the materials of your furniture.

Ready to translate these ideas into outdoor spaces that promote health and wellness? Then drop by your nearest AllHome branch today!

Its Metro Manila branches include:

Vista Place (Wil Tower), Eugenio Lopez Drive, Brgy. South Triangle, Quezon City
E. Rodriguez Jr. Brgy. Bagumbayan, Quezon City
Starmall EDSA-Shaw, Ground, Epifanio de los Santos Ave, Mandaluyong
Worldwide Corporate Center, Shaw Boulevard, Mandaluyong
Vista Mall Taguig, Levi Mariano Ave., Taguig City
Vista Mall C5 Extension Road, Quirino Ave. Pulang Lupa Uno, Las Piñas City
Vista Mall Las Pinas, CV Starr Ave., Philam Village, Pamplona, Las Pinas

You may also shop conveniently online at allhome.com.ph to take advantage of AllHome’s wide array of original and top-quality items, easy payment methods and fast delivery timelines.

Outdoor photos credits: Klara Kulikova, Cagin Kargi, Sonnie Hiles and Farhan Abas on Unsplash.

In-store photos taken at AllHome WCC and AllHome Libis. Used with permission.