Home offices are out. Listening rooms are in
Music makes the people come together,” goes one lyric of Madonna’s hit aptly entitled “Music,” and this sentiment proves true 26 years after its release. Space and art curator Glenn Cuevo and interior designer Rossy Rojales teamed up to put together “Form and Frequency: A Dialogue Between Space and Sound” at the Casa Bella showroom in Makati, which brought music and design lovers together.
Seven curated spaces throughout the building reimagined how music, art, furniture, and lighting can make listening into an experiential exercise.
Where design meets music
Whether it’s attracting thousands of people to concerts or having it in the background in restaurants to complete the ambience, music is a powerful art form that shouldn’t be overlooked in any space. It can energize, inspire, and calm, which is why spaces should make way for how sound moves through them.
“Design is more than furniture. It’s more than lighting. It’s also about the quality of the sound of a space. I think that sound or music is an invisible material in any design. It’s there. You don’t really see it, but you feel it, and it completes a space,” Rojales elaborates.
“Imagine walking into a quiet hotel or going into a very noisy cafe. It can make or break a space. These are things that really make a design holistic,” he adds.
Music and design share a common effect—they both have the ability to instantly change your mood. Just like how the synth beats of the previously mentioned “Music” by Madonna can have you nodding your head instantly, or the pizzicato strings of Harry Styles’ “Coming Up Roses” can relax you, interior design uses texture, color, and lighting to create the same impact. It would only make sense to combine the two for a more potent effect.
This isn’t just mumbo jumbo—it’s a studied science. According to a study by Dr. Daniel Levitin of McGill University, playing or listening to music can improve the immune system and also lower cortisol levels.
Intentional listening
The listening room—a dedicated space to listen to music—has slowly become a trending request of homeowners. It’s a space where listening to music becomes more intentional. “There is a shift to intentional experiences—to slow down, moving from digital to analog,” Cuevo says. “Individuals are prioritizing sensory escapes from screens and notifications.”
For many, their phone is their source of music. However, it is also home to a plethora of other distractions, making listening to music less intentional and most probably less enjoyable. For one thing, the upsurge of vinyl sales is up to 46.8 million in the US alone—higher than it was back in 1989.
As demonstrated in the “Kind of Blue” room at Form and Frequency, a pair of plush Soriana Lounge Chairs is upholstered in soft, broken-in Roy Roger’s denim, with face wall art by artist James Clar that illuminates a soft blue glow. The room is also painted in a soft indigo, a color known to help calm the nerves. And a pair of Sonetto VIII G2 Sonus Faber speakers flank a handsome I/70 Vacuum Tube Integrated Amplifier by Audio Research.
“Since our brand partner Casa Bella is really known for carrying bespoke and Italian furniture, we thought it was perfect to partner also with Sound Sanctum as our sound system supplier. They carry premium sound systems and brands. It was just perfect and a good blend because both Casa Bella and Sound Sanctum carry a history of craftsmanship in their heritage brands,” Rojales points out.
Meanwhile, inside the room entitled “Wouldn’t It Be Nice,” tans and warm browns dominate the space. Low tables made of mouth-blown glass designed by Linda Freya Tangelder dot the space, while a Le Corbusier classic chaise in tricolor cowhide anchors the pieces. A Ramon Orlina glass sculpture entitled “Spectacular Vista” stands on a plinth and is lit up to reveal its multifaceted beauty.
“Orlina remains deeply relevant today—not in spite of his five decades in art, but precisely because of how his work continues to evolve, influence, and speak to the present moment,” Cuevo says. “His art doesn’t belong to a past era, it continues to illuminate the present and influence the future.”
Balanced energies, acoustics, and thoughtful design
Wooden elements are introduced to the space with Patricia Urquiola’s Rondos TV console from Cassina and a pair of Klipsch speakers. The Gyro SE Turntable by Michell is a sculptural statement piece with a floating chassis.
“A true listening room is built around the balance of system synergy, acoustics, and thoughtful design, all working together. There’s an emphasis on comfort by using soft, layered lighting and incorporating one’s preference for art. This would be creating one’s sanctuary that feels personal, reflecting one’s taste, style, needs, and identity,” Cuevo describes.
It’s why the “The Velvet Underground” room is surrounded by skim-coated walls with monochromatic artwork, such as Ponce Veridiano’s diptych of “Waterfall of Laguna 1” or Soler Santos’ abstract work or oil painting of leaves. Pendant orbs of light in black and white, designed by Toyo Ito, hang in one corner over the Massimo Castagna Club 57 Armchair.
The sound system also embodies the palette of the room in luxurious brushed metal—the Network Streamer HiFi Rose and the Luxman M-10X Power Amplifier. There’s an appeal to paring back the colors of a room, sinking into a comfortable chair, and just listening to a record.
“So for all our vignettes, of course, we selected furniture and also the sound system that goes with the furniture. We also curated the art, the lighting, and the music that goes with it. So, for example, ‘The Reason To Stay’ room has a more feminine look. So here we are playing a lot of songs by female artists that are classic and soft and romantic,” Rojales explains.
A reason to stay
In the “Reason To Stay” room, soft pink lighting is reflected on the lime-wash-painted walls. The Clay Lounge Chair, upholstered in textured bouclé in a soft yellow, brings out the colors of the two artworks by Winna Go, while a limited-time edition of Le Corbusier’s 2 Fauteuil Grand Confort in lush red velvet gives the iconic piece a feminine edge.
Tall magnetic speakers by Magnepan radiate sound from both the front and back. Its slim profile allows it to disappear into any room.
“People are craving more tactile experiences like vinyl and film cameras. They’re more nostalgic for some, but also it’s something new for the younger generation. It’s a good thing to have because we realize that, like art, music is something that can be passed down to the next generation,” adds Rojales.
For Cuevo, building and designing around a sound system goes deeper. “The objective would be to stop merely hearing the music and start feeling the presence of the artist and focusing on the performance.”
