Check Out Consul Agnes Huibonhoa’s Workplace Transformed By Almario Sisters To A Home For...

By Marga Manlapig December 21, 2018

Honorary Consul of Gambia Agnes Huibonhoa transforms her workplace into a cosy bower that serves as a home away from home,

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When we think of consular offices, the common image that pops into our minds is that of a staid—even sterile-looking—space with plain white walls and filled with institutional furniture; a place that exudes cold professionalism inside and out.

Stepping into the Consulate of Gambia in Manila then comes as a pl easant shock to the system: it’s laid out more like a cosy, yet elegant, home rather than a standard-issue workspace— one that distinctively bears the mark of a woman of excellent taste and sophistication: Honorary Consul of Gambia Agnes Huibonhoa.

Located in the heart of the Makati Central Business District, the consulate is a three-bedroom residential apartment with an approximate area of 300 square metres. When it first opened, it was arranged to be just like any other diplomat’s office. But, as Huibonhoa recalls, she wanted something a little different, something that would exude a more relaxed and welcoming atmosphere.


One of National Artist Benedicto Cabrera’s collaborations with Moooi faces a demure geisha by Spanish artist Teresa Calderón in the dining area of Agnes Huibonhoa’s homey office in Makati

“I remember how things were when we opened the office almost a decade ago,” she says. “I did not quite like working in a place that was so bare, so I called in [the design team of Ivy and Cynthia Almario] to come and help make the office a little warmer and more pleasant to work in.”

Huibonhoa and the Almario sisters transformed the basic office into a rather unique consulate. In its current state, it serves as a venue where the consul could host intimate gatherings. Likewise, it also does double-duty as a homestay for visiting dignitaries who would prefer a homelike environment as opposed to standard accommodations elsewhere.


Honorary Consul Agnes Huibonhoa

There is a definite Asian slant in the interiors here, as seen in the eclectic array of Oriental artefacts artfully scattered throughout the flat. Antique Japanese dolls dating as far back as the Meiji Period occupy the side tables alongside prayerful Buddhist statues from Thailand and Indonesia. A pair of brass lamps—each in the form of a graceful apsara—flanks an antique rosewood escritoire desk from Vietnam, a paean to Huibonhoa’s own Vietnamese heritage. Terra cotta figures from China smile benevolently from the coffee table amidst a jumble of books about art and art history. All of the items are from Huibonhoa’s personal collection that has been growing for quite some time.

“I’ve loved antiques since I was a young girl,” she explains. “Whenever I travelled with my family, I would keep an eye out for objects that would catch my fancy. As I grew up, I would buy a few pieces here and there.”

It is in the master’s suite that one truly gets a sense of the consul’s elegant taste when it comes to antiques and objets d’art. Chinese lacquerware and hardstone portraits hang on one wall, flanking a set of large, delicate celadon bowls in glass cases. Larger celadon vases stand in the corners, complementing the subtle green-and-white palette that colours the room. Adding to the air of serenity is a large, ornately carved Buddha, its hands raised in benediction. It is certainly a room that invites guests to take their ease, far above the bustling cityscape outside the window.


Huibonhoa’s portrait by Rupert Jacinto has pride of place in the dining area

Oriental artefacts complement the green and white master’s suite

An Isabel Diaz canvas adds a feminine touch

“Not everything here is Asian, of course,” Huibonhoa adds, pointing out the bulk of the furniture in the space which is more French in terms of design. “The furniture helps soften the overall look, and the Persian carpets on the floor add a bit more warmth.”

Art is another thing that sets this particular consulate apart from its peers. As one enters the consulate, the first thing that one sees is the amount of rather expertly curated art on the walls—mostly the work of local artists, save for a distinctive mixed-media piece depicting a geisha with demurely downcast eyes. This piece by and I kept thinking about it. When I came back to Manila, I was worried that someone else had bought the painting; there were others in the gallery at the time I was there. But I was able to contact the gallery, then the artists, and the painting was soon shipped to me.” Bali-based Spaniards Mersuka Dopazo and Teresa Calderón serves to emphasise the space’s feminine aesthetic with its soft colours and delicate brushstrokes. For Huibonhoa, it was a painting she could not get out of her mind.



Antiquities from different nations share space on a console table

“I first saw the painting when it was on display at [the Modus Art Gallery] in Paris,” she says of the piece. “The face of the geisha caught my eye and I kept thinking about it. When I came back to Manila, I was worried that someone else had bought the painting; there were others in the gallery at the time I was there. But I was able to contact the gallery, then the artists, and the painting was soon shipped to me.”

The Dopazo-Calderón painting is just one of several pieces that add colour and character to Huibonhoa’s homey workplace. In the open layout sitting room that spills over into the dining area, a pair of Isabel Diaz’s floral canvases blooms on the walls, transforming the space into an urban bower. In one spot, abstract pieces by Jigger Cruz add a hint of modernity here. To one side, a woven version of one of National Artist Benedicto Cabrera’s Sabel paintings—part of his collaboration with Dutch carpet company Moooi—occupies a large section of the wall, its hints of brown and ochre complementing the soft shades of the interiors. As a stark contrast, there is a predominantly jet-black abstract painting by Nicole Coson that hangs in the dining area, as well as Ronald Ventura’s surreal black-and-white illustration of a crouching human form, a tangle of vines in place of its head.




(opposite, clockwise from top left) A set of celadon jugs; Brass apsaras flank a Vietnamese desk; An antique vase with a serpent motif; Detail from a Japanese screen


“I know these are unusual,” Huibonhoa admits when she points out the contrast.“But I like to keep things interesting by hanging up artworks that can serve as conversation pieces.”

Indeed, this can also be seen in the small gallery that occupies one wall of the room that serves as the consul’s office. Here, it is the surrealists who seem to have made themselves at home: the work of maestro Salvador Dali joins more contemporary pieces by Andres Barrioquinto, Rodel Tapaya, Juvenal Sansó, and the later, more abstract paintings of Alfonso Ossorio. These add an interesting and colourful touch to a simple room that calls to mind the interiors of French Indochina with the white shutters at the windows and elegant desk, another element that serves as a throwback to Huibonhua’s ancestry.


Photos from trips to Gambia are displayed in the consul’s office

Despite the fact that this is wher e she works as opposed to where she lives, Huibonhoa has brought a bit of festive sparkle to her consulate as the holiday season draws near. A tree bedecked with botanical ornaments and fairy lights stands in the sitting room, blending right in with the floral artwork on the walls and the fresh-cut flowers that sweeten the atmosphere. Glittering centrepieces rest upon the dining table—a welcoming touch for anyone who comes in. It would not be going to far to say that this space is a reflection of the consul herself: elegant yet approachable, a well-travelled soul who brings the best of the world home.


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