MikeLigalig.com

By Bayani San Diego Jr.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines—Gloria Diaz, 1969 Miss Universe, gasps in mock horror: “My kids’ friends think our house looks like a jungle. But I love having plenty of plants in my home. If you turn off the lights at night, the place does look like a rainforest!”

Her glamorous screen persona notwithstanding, the award-winning actress confesses to having a green thumb.

Case in point: She has taken up the fine art of bonsai. The miniature product of her patience and persistence stands in the garden.

“That’s just one of my hobbies,” she notes. “I also cook. I prefer simple dishes like pastas and salads. My vegetable pasta with lemon is my daughter Isabelle’s favorite.”

When they’re home, Gloria and teen daughters Isabelle and Ava Daza usually hang out in the kitchen or in her bedroom.

On such lazy days, her home is transformed into a salon-spa. “We put makeup on each other, or ask a masseuse to come over,” she says.

Her home is a favorite party place for the entire Diaz clan as well.

“I love entertaining at home. On weekends, my sisters come around and we have lunch,” she says. “They feel comfortable here.”

Comfort was precisely Gloria’s goal when decorating the place.

She admits, “It’s very eclectic. I mix different styles. It doesn’t look interior-designed or stiff.”

Antique santo figures, gifts from friends, are laid out with Chinese ceramics and Thai silk lamps.

Casual chic illustrated.

She recalls: “I wanted a home where all my guests, rich or poor, carpenter or President of the Philippines, would not feel intimidated. I’ve had other homes where it felt difficult to move around.”

At one point, she had all-white interiors. “It didn’t work because my kids’ friends would often drop by. It would quickly get messy.”

This time around, she has chosen an animal-print sofa for the TV room “because the stains can be camouflaged.”

Grandchildren

With her two grandchildren by eldest son Rafael running around, she can’t afford to live in a spic-and-span showroom. “This one has a lived-in feel to it,” she notes.

Just the same, she has managed to fill the place with works of art—mostly by relatives.

Indeed, it’s a virtual museum for the Diaz clan.

The underwater scene in the living room and her Warholian portrait in the dining area are by brother Ramon; the parrot painting, by mom Teresa; the vegetable still life, by sister Isabel.

Even daughter Isabelle once dabbled in art, as a kid.

Proud mom has displayed Isabelle’s paintings of a dog and a bedroom in a place of honor in the foyer—much to the consternation and embarrassment of her daughter.

“I don’t know why my mom likes them so much. I just did them for fun. I took up art when I was 11,” says Isabelle, now 19.

An entire wall in the hallway is lined with all sorts of memorabilia—from framed newspaper and magazine clippings to Miss Universe commemorative stamps.

On a table rests her industry awards—including Urian and Metro Manila Film Festival Best Supporting Actress trophies.

Gloria is particularly proud of a statue crafted by an artist from Paete, Laguna. “He’s named Palo and he’s a wonderful sculptor. If you look closely, the statue looks life-like.”

The wooden sculpture is the centerpiece in the dining area, a sharp contrast to the room’s art deco glass blocks.

Her sisters lined up six praying monks/Buddha figures in the dining area, too. “That’s because we had an all-Thai food get-together recently,” she explains.

After the kids and guests have left, Gloria often sits in the lounge chair in the living room—basking in the silence and solitude. “This is my favorite corner in the house. On Sunday mornings, I drink coffee and read the papers here.”

In this eclectic universe of plants, paintings and antiques, she will forever be queen.

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