Eclectic American Home in Manila, Philippines
Where do I even start with this one?
I’m a big fan of Amber Folkman, the founder and author of an expat mom blog A Momma Abroad based in Manila, Philippines.
For those of you who live in Manila, whether you are expats or local Filipinos, you might have heard of A Momma Abroad. This post features the writer of the blog, Amber’s home in Manila. It was surreal in some sense for me to be able to photograph her home since I have admired her blog for some time even before I moved to Manila.
A MOMMA ABROAD BLOG
The very first time I stumbled upon her blog was around December 2017 when I started researching about life in Manila for expats shortly after my family and I found out that we would move to the Philippines in the summer of 2018. I think many expats do the same. I started following her Instagram account and have witnessed her grow her popularity within a short period of time.
There are many expat bloggers out there. As you can see I’m one of them. However, only a handful of expat bloggers become known to the level of Amber. She is way above my league. If you are thinking about starting a blog as an expat, you should read her blog because her blog can be a textbook sample of a good quality blog filled with great ideas, beautiful photos, and captivating writing. It’s not a product of a casual blogging. It is the creative mind and voice of Amber that is tactfully and carefully curated and planned out on a blog platform. It’s brilliant.
Amber has done an interview on a popular blog A CUP OF JO in August 2017.
15 Surprising Things About Parenting in the Philippines
I have known, read and admired A CUP OF JO blog for the last 10 years. It has readership all over the world. I was impressed to say the least of her achievement.
HOME AWAY FROM HOME
Just by seeing her home in Manila, you can probably learn a lot about her style. She is creative, vibrant, positive, and welcoming. I feel that her personality is permeated in every corner of the space in her home.
It is a labor of love and form of art that she worked on a canvas called home. She has a great sense of aesthetic.
Amber’s home was featured on DESIGN MOM in March 2019. She unveils her life in Manila as an expat while introducing her home through beautiful pictures.
Living With Kids: Amber Folkman
This feature is another of her amazing accomplishment. If you don’t grasp the scale of success to be featured on DESIGN MOM blog as a design lover and blogger, here’s a fun fact. Joanna Gaines of Fixer Upper, a successful HGTV program filmed in Waco, Texas, and her home were featured on DESIGN MOM’s Living With Kids series in January 2012 long before the program became widely viewed.
If I remember correctly, this is the blog post that made Joanna Gaines noticed by an HGTV producer and lead to an idea of a big hit program, Fixer Upper.
Are you ready to explore her home now?
As I introduce her home in a photo tour, I hope to help you see some wonderful ideas in her home that you can also adopt when you create your home, especially your home away from home. Amongst the numerous ideas presented in her home, I would like to point out 10 of them on this blog post.
LIVING ROOM
The living room seemed to me the center for the Folkman family where they are gravitated to be together. It is the space of entertainment and gathering. I noticed that it was decorated without any electronics. The jute rug, leather sofa and chairs with elegant colorful pillows bring out happy tropical feel as well as the attainable luxury to the room.
I asked Amber what this room meant to her and family. She said, “Our living room is very much the center for the beating heart of our family. I originally used to think that children’s toys should only stay in one designated area then I matured and realized that was a crazy non-sensical idea. A lot of play for both parents and kids happening the living room and our house is about our family, not just Mom and Dad.”
Not just in the living room, but also throughout her home, she has put many thoughts into design with her family in mind. As she wrote on her own blog and interviews, even though she now loves Manila, it wasn’t the love at the first sight. What helped her feel settled in Manila and eventually fall in love with the city was this following tip.
1. BRING THE CULTURE IN
“Bring the culture in” are Amber’s words. You can read a blog post written by her on how to feel settled in a new home.
Settling In: Bring The Culture In
I simply can’t agree more with her points.
2. BRIGHTER AND BIGGER ROOM WITH NO CURTAINS
One thing you may notice in this room is that she does not use any curtains in this room. Ambers says that neighbors cannot see in and no one walks around naked in this room. Having no curtains makes this room look even bigger and brighter. Amber and her family picked this house because of the ample amount of natural light that pours into their living spaces. It is perfect not to have any curtains.
3. DECORATION WITH MEANING FOR YOU AND YOUR FAMILY
Ever since I saw a photo of the clocks on the wall in her living room on her blog, I have wondered about the meaning of the time zones she picked. Here is what Amber told me.
“The clocks hanging in our front room are more to remind us that the world is a very big place. Phoenix represents my mom, Seattle is for Jake’s family, Buenos Aires was a place my husband lived in his young adult days and New York is just for fun.”
It is a fun way to fill a long wall space.
KIDS ARTS & CRAFT CORNER
According to Amber, the kids art corner was crafter to inspire her to do more art with her kids. She used to have the art supplies tucked away in a closet, but she realized that it actually meant they were hidden. Her intention of this corner is that with art supplies readily available she and her kids will create more.
I’m guilty of hiding many things about which I ended up forgetting. There are definitely benefits to having materials readily available. Her cheerful design of the space adds a fun factor to this arts and craft corner.
4. KIDS ART WALL FOR DISPLAY
The cork boards are for displaying kids art work, the curtain line is for the photos to be hung and the chalkboard is for the kids to draw their imagination. Such a fun wall for both kids and their parents!
The colorful design behind the desk and chairs was done with wall decals created with a silhouette cutting machine. More in the link below.
MEDIA ROOM AKA DADDY’S DEN
The lucky husband of Amber gets a room decorated with his favorite Star Wars paintings and games. Amber asked her artist friend to paint the Star Wars characters on canvas for her husband’s birthday. What a thoughtful gift!!! This used to be the room where her husband slept during the day when he used to work shift work. Thus, it used to be called Daddy’s Den.
5. DISPLAY GAMES AS DECORATION
I haven’t seen this idea before, but I think it is wonderful. How about you display some of your favorite games on wall shelves?
DINING ROOM
6. EMBRACE THE CULTURE: PEACOCK CHAIRS
Amber’s living room inspired me to get a peacock chair for my home. I learned about the store she purchased hers on her blog. With some additional directions from her, I managed to find the store. If you would like to know where you can get a peacock chair, please check the following blog post.
Where to Find A Peacock Chair ☆ Signature Pice from the Philippines On A Bargain
7. DECORATE STAIRS FOR LEARNING
Amber used her silhouette cut printer to create the numbers in Filipino so that they can remember how to count in the language. How creative and lovely is this?
LANDING OFFICE & CRAFT AREA
I personally think that this colorful landing office is the space that represents Amber the most. This is the room where the magic of her blog happens. The desk facing the windows that look over to the back yard looks very dreamy.
7. DIY HOME DECOR
The wall design in the kids craft room, the staircase numbers and this desk background are all Amber’s original creations. Depending on where you live overseas, finding decoration in the exact design that you envision may not be easily accessible. If you can’t find it, why not create one for yourself? Amber wrote a blog post on how she created wall decals to decorate in a blog post. You can read more about the process and advice from Amber in the link below.
8. YOU CAN NEVER HAVE TOO MANY BASKETS
Amber has a thing for baskets. I love baskets myself. They are hands-down the best accompaniment for people who move a lot. You can use them to decorate, organize or store items. The Philippines is a basket heaven.
9. CREATE ART FROM OLD CLOTHING ITEM
This wall decor used to be a shirt from Mexico that Amber’s mom owned. It was no longer used, so Amber got it and change it into a wall decor. How clever!
MASTER BEDROOM
10. HEADBOARD WITH WEAVED BASKETS
It is very ‘in’ to decorate a wall with baskets. Amber added the whimsical feel to the bedroom with the clever use of baskets. A great thing about this is that the Philippines is no stranger to earthquakes. Having something soft like baskets to decorate the space above your pillows is very smart as opposed to any heavy or sharp objects that can harm you in case an earthquake happens during your sleep.
BOYS BEDROOM
I love that all boys sleep in one room. That is what I did when we lived in our home in Virginia. (You can see our previous home in the U.S. here.)
The subtle blue and white being the main colors of this room, the bright green and red became accent colors. I asked her what her favorite color was. She said to me that her favorite colors were hard to peg. Then she added that she definitely loved dominant bright white spaces with loud pops of color.
KIDS PLAY ROOM
This room used to be Amber’s youngest son’s nursery until recently. Right before I went over to her house for a photo shoot, she moved her youngest into the room with the older two boys and converted the nursery into kids play room. Homes evolve as children grow older. It is always bitter sweet. This room felt very sweet with some toys and decor meant for the little one.
You can see how this room looked when it was still a nursery in the link below.
Settling In: A Toddler’s Room Made Of Stories
MEET AMBER
Amber is genuinely friendly and very easy to talk to. She makes you feel as though you are her friend for a long time. Even though she is extremely talented, she is very humble and approachable. Amber welcomed me into her world in Manila soon after I had met her by attending her #perksofpina workshop. She was as warm, witty, dynamic and charming as I had always imagined.
I’ve also got to see Amber in action as a mom with her younger two kids. She looked to me a natural loving mom who gives undivided attention. Lucky boys!
May I point out how I love this awkward angle of the head because of the mask? I caught my son do the same one time and I thought it was hilarious and adorable. You can see the photo of him here.
This concludes the home tour of Amber’s house in the tropical paradise of Manila, Philippines.
As much as I love writing about inspiring homes of my friends, I realize that doing so is not necessarily my strength. I feel that way because I spend way too much time editing and writing. I’m not a natural writer. Thus, I struggle to come up with sentences that would sound original, interesting and creative. That being said, I tried my best to make this post as interesting as who Amber is to accurately portray her home. I hope you enjoyed the tour!
It means a lot to me that you took time to read my post. I would love to receive your feedback if you have the time! Thank you so much for visiting my blog! Thank you, Amber, for the opportunity!
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