‘minilao’ nestled among trees to the right of its big brother ‘kapitbalai’ as viewed from the sea – image by robert suntay all images courtesy of larawan ink

nestled among the trees along the coast of anilao, batangas, philippines is a one-bedroom structure on stilts called ‘minilao’ by lara fernandez-barrios of larawan ink, a philippines-based design firm. it is an homage to the main house ‘kapitbalai’, designed to fulfill the need of the owner to have his own bedroom when his vacation house is full of his guests. made of local indigenous materials, it aims to blend with the existing landscape and architecture of its neighbors – private main house of ‘kapitbalai’ and recreational scuba diving resort ‘balai’. it shares a main pathway with ‘kapitbalai’ from the entrance by the road, yet the path branches out giving a separate entrance for privacy to both houses.

minilao in essence is just a bedroom with a private bath and a wrap around balcony. when the doors are closed you feel the delineation of the spaces, yet when the doors are open, it feels like the outdoors are part of the space. it is a simple structure on stilts. the area under the bedroom is still yet to be determined, as the space is meant to continue to evolve over time.

minilao by lara fernandez barrios - 2 ‘minilao’ as viewed from the lower deck of ‘kapitbalai’ – images by lara barrios and robert suntay

minilao by lara fernandez barrios - 3 blending in – viewed from the entrance by road image by lara barrios

minilao by lara fernandez barrios - 4 view from main path from road (bottom) showing ‘tower’ of kapitbalai images by lara barrios and robert suntay

minilao by lara fernandez barrios - 5 bedroom by the sea image by robert suntay

minilao by lara fernandez barrios - 6 view from the dining area/work desk showing the cornerless room that blends in with the outdoors image by robert suntay

minilao by lara fernandez barrios - 7 view of the mainhouse image by robert suntay

minilao by lara fernandez barrios - 8 bedroom by the sea as viewed from the lounging area image by robert suntay

minilao by lara fernandez barrios - 9 sunburst detail image by robert suntay

minilao by lara fernandez barrios - 10 (top) view with doors closed (bottom) view with doors open images by lara barrios and robert suntay

minilao by lara fernandez barrios - 11 bathroom  image by robert suntay

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