Name: Mike & Lendel
Location: Fresno, California
We live in a generic house that’s in a generic suburban neighborhood in Fresno, California. It was one of those homes built in the early part of 2000. It was the best that we could buy because we just wanted a house in a good public school district. At the same time, I understand that homes speak a language that’s familiar to many. As Filipino immigrants, we find ourselves struggling to incorporate our new culture without having to risk losing our own originating culture.
This becomes complicated when cost is factored in. How do we decorate without breaking the bank while at the same time invest in furniture? (I once had the experience of selling our leather love seat for less than a tenth of its orginal price.) We promised not to renovate but live with what’s originally built in the house. We promised never to spend more than our mortgage (Which is small compared to LA or San Francisco Bay Area standards.) Nothing we own is brand new. All that we own have been acquired through garage sales, estate sales and onsite and online auctions. I learned to haggle, be patient, but more importantly know what good design is the moment I see it.
Through all this, my wife and I realized that a lot of the pieces that are already in the mainstream are influenced by the Asian Aesthetic. Hans Wegner and Charles and Ray Eames, all exhibit lines that echo Asian design. It's this fusion that we find appropriate and endearing to us who live a life always in between.
Thanks Mike & Lendel!
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Comments (13)
No tour? I would've loved to see more of that house. The yellow and green chairs are awesome.
Getting anything MCM in Fresno is an achievement; doing it from Craigslist, yard sales, etc. is astounding. Your place looks great!
sweet....love the chairs and the vornado fan.
I'm a recent Fresno transplant and have had the hardest time finding anything on CL or vintage shops that isn't huge, bulky, heavy, traditional (blah) furniture. It is so not the land of the modern, and it's so great to see Fresno represent on Apartment Therapy. We need more great examples like that!
Hooray, Filipino pride! I love your place. Any chance you have the giant fork and spoon on the wall that my parents have? :)
My parents, Filipino immigrants, also had a similar dilemma. My dad was very crafty, so he ended up remodeling our little New Jersey ranch house on his own, the entire process taking over 15 years and continues until today. They have a very modern aesthetic, but they like to incorporate traditional Filipino stuff... like the occasional barrel man, Batik print fabric stretched across frames, and bamboo elements.
Wow. I am so impressed to see Fresno show up on SF Apartment Therapy. I didn't think you knew it even existed.
If you're living in the 'No, you gotta be shopping at the former-auto-parts-warehouse-turned-vintage-mecca that is Yoshi Now! It's the bees knees...Yoshi turns up all sorts of great finds, and hint, hint, the people in L.A. get great stuff because Yoshi takes truckloads of stuff to the Rose Bowl flea! They also have vintage buyers in regularly from as far away as Japan. That store and the Vineyard Farmers Market are the only things I miss from the five years I lived there. If you go to YN!, tell Joy and Rio that Jocelyn says hi, and I bet they give you a discount!
best filipino owned house i've ever seen. awesome taste and amazing finds!
full house tour please! & yes, a lot of mcm design (and modernism in general) has been inspired by asian culture, esp. its minimalism.
very Styling and not "overdone". clean and simplistic style!
How I love a well thought
interior design.!!
Very nice. Great selections. Looks like it cost a lot more than you describe. I hope you and your family enjoy it. Interiors are for living and not stage sets.
You have some REALLY nice pieces! If you would like to tie it together and alleviate the 'generic house', try to paint whole or accent walls with a darker or bright color that goes with your awesome furniture. Anyways, great eye!
kudos to your family! love the concept and style you put in- so different from most traditional "filipino-style" homes in the US. I really liked warhol-like photos and yes the green and yellow chairs. Best of all they are rare finds and on right price(budget)! Enjoy and may you have lots of wonderful memories in it just like how wonderful it shows~