Inside the creative mind of Cecil Ravelas

As part of the celebration of International Women’s Month, I wanted to feature a woman who embodies the new Filipina, one who is fashionable, outgoing, independent, smart, beautiful and witty! Here are the highlights of my interview with interior designer par excellence Cecil Ravelas, whose work can be seen in Aseana City, El Nido, and The Forum in BGC, to name a few. She was also tapped recently by First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos to work on a “presidential” project. 

How did you get into interior design? 

“At a young age I was a curious learner exploring things and objects. I was into arts and crafts. I remember doing my own paper dolls and paper dresses and eventually my own bags and clothes. I was always part of the arts and homemakers club. During my high school senior year my course elective was Fashion and Interior Design.

“In college, I got into an engineering course in La Salle. But as soon as I was drilled into formulas and numbers, the right side of my brain was just rebelling and I literally dreamt of giant numbers running after me. I took that as my cue and so I negotiated and declared to my dad that I am shifting to architecture. But while shifting courses, I was caught in between the trimestral and semestral school calendar so I thought while transitioning that I might as well enroll in the Philippine School of Interior Design (PSID) preparatory program.

“In PSID, I rediscovered my love for designing and eventually completed all modules in the school intending to pursue architecture after I finished my Interior Design course. However, during the student exhibition I met my first client. I chanced upon an old woman viewing the exhibit so I approached her and offered to tour her in our show. At the end of the tour, she said, ‘Young lady, thank you. I know all these tile products you are discussing as I happen to own the company. Please give me your card... I am Mrs. Coseteng, by the way.’ The next day, I got a call from the Mariwasa tile company and was commissioned to design their exhibition booth at the World Trade Center. So that was how I landed my first project.

“Anyway, so I was thrilled to earn my first check and that enticed me to start doing small projects from retail design to home design to styling. My plan to pursue architecture dissipated when DLS-College of Saint Benilde offered a consortium program with PSID that allowed me to earn my bachelor’s degree in a year’s time, subsequently enabling me to take the PRC board exams and earn my license to practice.

“I then worked for a design firm that expanded my horizons further as I got involved in bigger and more challenging projects ranging from residential to commercial. I was invited to teach in PSID and DLS-CSB and the academic practice refined me further. In 2006, the construction of the new School of Design Arts building fell on my lap and the project was a fountainhead by Ed Calma. It was an out-of-the-box building so implementing it required an unconventional approach and it took so much from me that a year after the building opened, I quit.

“While deciding what to do next, a family friend asked me to join his project management firm to help him build a five-star hotel property in Cebu. And then I said, ‘But I am not an engineer,’ to which he replied, ‘but I like how you think and that’s what I need.’ So, okay, this is different, a new challenge for me to take on and another opportunity for further learning so I said yes. After that, I got pulled into another challenging project and then another and the level of challenges just kept leveling up and I just kept saying yes. When the leisure entertainment city in Aseana came up, I got involved in most of the property development in varying degrees as the project manager, design manager or the local designer on record. It was hectic because everybody wanted to open right away. I hardly slept because I had meetings with US-based operators in the evenings and then worked onsite or with the team during daytime. On top of that I am always in a plane flying out to a factory to check on room mock-ups or material sourcing. Eventually, I hit the tipping point and I decided, ‘Okay, enough of that.’ I wanted to slow down so I took a sabbatical.

“But it wasn’t long when clients from my previous firm started requesting me to do projects for them which prompted me to put up my own studio. At that time, I was ready to go back to do design and creative work again. As a refresher, I went to Milan for a professional course with the goal of re-calibrating and refining my work experiences from when I was doing academic works, design and project management. It was a short period but it was enough to synthesize my learnings from the various projects I got involved in and merge them with new insights from mentors who encouraged me to further push the envelope.”

You were recently handpicked by First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos to renovate Laperal Mansion with 11 other interior designers. How were you chosen, and what was your inspiration?

 “Last November, I received a message from someone in Malacañang who introduced herself and asked for my email address. They emailed me and sent me a formal letter of invitation for a briefing. Eventually, I was told a colleague recommended me and I made it to the shortlist. There were 16 of us tasked to do the interiors of the guest rooms of the Laperal mansion in Arlegui. Each room is a homage to a past president of the country and we drew lots. I got President Manuel Roxas.

“In most of our projects we work with the genius loci or the spirit of the place and the Laperal Mansion is quite historic and we cannot disregard the days of old. President Manuel Roxas was the last president of the Commonwealth of the Philippines from May 28 to July 4, 1946. Consequently, the American commonwealth period had many typologies so we focused on mid-century furniture pieces that were emerging then. The bedroom pieces were implemented in local materials but maintained the clean and modern lines consistent with the period style.

“The shade of blue we used was also from the era, while the shades of grey gave a sense of balance and calmness. The collection of prints in the room are representations of his heritage and identity. He fought for autonomy and independence from the American government. The special grey paint on the wall which depicts the stucco finish is reminiscent of the European influence but it also gives the room a contemporary setting. We furnished the room with minimal details to keep it light and spacious but selected each piece to establish a more modern classic Filipino theme.”

What are your interior design tips for Filipinos on a budget?

“Make a list of the things you need and want. There’s a difference. Needs will help you prioritize the areas to develop and also help you identify the materials to purchase. It’s good to plan everything from the start and then as soon as you are able to prioritize your needs, you can phase the work according to your budget. What is also nice now is online sourcing. Just plan carefully and be patient to find the materials and pieces you need. And invest in your consultants. They may seem expensive but your professional designers can advise and guide you properly. It saves you from all the stress and also time and money.” 

Which project are you most proud of?

“For my design work, I think I am most proud of the boutique hotel I did in El Nido a couple of years back. Its DNA was a case study in school which I re-conceptualized for the client’s requirements. I am proud of it because during its implementation, I was able to involve different sectors of the community. It was a perfect model where we engaged the locals and developed products from the immediate surroundings and placed them inside the property. The project also contributed to putting the town on the front pages of travel magazines and generated resource for the owner and also the townspeople.”