Spruce up living spaces with Urban Sanctuary at the Shang

The world’s collective experience in the past two years has been more than enough to get anyone to rethink about their home, especially if they live in more compact spaces like condos or apartments. Recently, people have learned about the value of enhancing their spatial experiences at home and carefully aligning it with their lifestyle.

With an extensive array of top home brands, Shangri-La Plaza has put together Urban Sanctuary on October 18-27 at the East Atrium. The exciting home exhibition features the contemporary design ideas of the current crop of interior design students from leading schools University of Sto. Tomas (UST), De La Salle-College of. St. Benilde (CSB), and SoFA Design Institute (SoFA). Enabled by participating brands of the Shang, these young design wunderkind are presenting fresh new ideas to maximize living spaces with impactful design choices.

Futuristic living room. UST sophomore students are presenting a living room concept that cleverly pulls off an intimate and cozy space that’s as functional and efficient as one would want it to be. Future living for this young team is all about aligning with the needs of an urban home by maximizing functionality of areas with more limited spaces, and combining an inviting atmosphere with energy efficient design.

Their inspiration is a luxe high-end space in “dark mode” that’s a reaction to the fast-paced urban lifestyle, that incorporates technology in homes to enhance the physical and mental health of its owners. Key highlights include multi-functional and ergonomic furniture from Natuzzi, a massage chair slash personal assistant from Ogawa, and mood lighting from True Value. The living room design also ensures room for recreational activities and sufficient storage for a clutter-free space with brands like Cutting Edge, La-Z-Boy, Ashley Furniture, Bang & Olufsen, Restoration and Yankee Candle.

Out of the ordinary dining and kitchen space. Aptly called “Transcendent Living,” CSB students’ dining and kitchen vignette is a convergence of natural and industrial elements like marble, suede, leather, metal, glass, and ceramic carefully selected to emphasize the space’s main function—as an area where people cook, dine, and commune. With a color scheme of forest green, bronze, and copper, it features sleek furniture and cabinetry with sculptural accessories to break sharp lines and express artistry.

Key pieces of CSB’s work include green dining chairs and a marble table from Furniture Republic and a stylish black Samsung digital inverter fridge from Abenson that has a built-in touchscreen Family Board for exchanging messages, noting grocery lists, sharing schedules, and playing music. The space is completed by home pieces from Ashley Furniture, Restoration, Hacker, True Value, Cutting Edge, BLIMS and Yankee Candle.

A room for rest and productivity. Students from SoFA tackle the master’s bedroom not only as a space for rest, but also as a sanctuary for growth and productivity. Punctuated with warm colors of forest green, dull blue, and terracotta, the vignette includes a sleeping area and allocates separate spaces for lounging, studying, and relaxation.

The room’s centerpiece is a gray super king size bed from Luxeroom with linens and pillows in warm neutrals from Sheridan, flanked by Hyndell nightstands from Ashley Furniture. The lounge features a pedestal chair from La-Z-Boy, the study area includes a home office desk and an ergonomic chair also from Ashley, while the relaxation area fittingly has an Ogawa massage chair as its highlight. The vignette is rounded off with pieces from Bang and Olufsen, True Value and Yankee Candle, as well as Restoration and Hacker.

Spruce up living spaces and enhance city living by taking a page from the next generation of interior designers at Urban Sanctuary on October 18-27 at Shangri-La Plaza.