6 homeware shops to make an artful home
Your home is the first place you see when you wake up and the last place you see before you fall asleep. It’s important you like what you see. And while furnishing your home to resemble an art gallery isn’t necessary, the benefits of surrounding yourself with beautiful objects go beyond aesthetic social media dumps.
According to a UK study, engaging with the arts and culture is associated with a reduced risk of depression and an improved quality of life. Incorporating the arts into your daily life through smaller, statement decor is one way to enjoy the benefits without the maintenance needed for a large art collection.
These six home decor shops and boutiques curate an array of products that are both easy on the eyes and easy to integrate into your lifestyle. And, like every good work of art, each object carries a point of view and could even deepen your own.
Hanoia
5/F Rustan’s Makati, Ayala Center, Ayala Ave., Makati City
Vietnamese brand Hanoia specializes in lacquerware, the age-old craft of sanding and applying multiple layers of resin, typically onto wood. “The idea of Hanoia is to preserve craft,” says CEO Christian de Ruty. “We want to make sure this craft can continue to live at the level of excellence we have.”
Making lacquerware involves a laborious process where one incorrect step results in a flawed object. Sand the wood too hard, and the pigments might chip. Apply the top coat carelessly, and it might not dry properly. This craft demands the highest level of skill from its artisans.
Traditional lacquerware features design motifs like flora, fauna, and patterns. Hanoia preserves this visual language while also giving it a modern twist for homeware, like vases, trays, boxes, and even chessboards. “We want to be timeless, but very contemporary,” says De Ruty.
Hanoia’s Gallop and Silky collections embody this balance. The Gallop collection consists of vases and sculptures that celebrate the value and symbolism of the horse, while the Silky collection’s rich gradients fit in both minimalist and eclectic homes.
Beyond designing their collections and collaborating with artisans, Hanoia supplies most of the global luxury houses with decorative items and even jewelry.
Silverlens Den
2263 Chino Roces Ave., Makati City
Founded in 2004, Silverlens Galleries has grown into one of Southeast Asia’s leading art galleries with spaces in New York City and Manila. In late 2025, gallerists Isa Lorenzo and Rachel Rillo unveiled Silverlens Den.
As the name suggests, Silverlens Den is a cozy space through a back door in the smaller of Silverlens Manila’s gallery spaces. The industrial space houses home decor and lifestyle objects—from sculptures and art books to clothing—that reflect the gallery’s avant-garde approach. Their incredible selection of art books easily elevates any coffee table or bookshelf, making them must-haves for your home.
Guava Sketches
Level 2, Karrivin Studios, 2316 Chino Roces Ave., Makati City
Tucked in the second floor of Karrivin Studios, right next to Automat, is cult homeware and lifestyle boutique Guava Sketches. In 2016, Joan Cantemprante partnered with her sister and left her day job in retail to focus on Guava Sketches full-time. After initially setting up shop in Greenbelt, Guava Sketches moved to their current home in Karrivin Studios.
Their lineup includes offbeat homeware and clothing, such as incense holders and bookends made from conch shells, handwoven placemats, and caps with ironic witticisms stitched on the front. They even feature limited-edition products from local artists, such as Garapata, which makes shopping with them even more of a thrill.
Design Story
Unit C-11, 2/F, Building C, 2316 Karrivin Plaza, Chino Roces Ave., Makati City
On the other end of Karrivin Plaza is Design Story, a boutique that carries high-quality products from designers such as Hay, District Eight, and Exploratory Projects.
Design Story offers a range of products to easily furnish any type of home, whether a minimalist Japandi studio or a maximalist, tropical house. You could spend hours perusing their lineup. But if you want to immediately change your home’s atmosphere, choose from their selection of accent lamps and side tables.
Their lamps, such as the Anagram Table Lamp from Hay and the Flowerpot VP9 Lamp from &Tradition, combine functionality with an eye-catching edge that makes you look twice. Meanwhile, side tables, like &Tradition’s Shuffle MH1 and Hem’s Hide Table, add an unexpected touch of color and texture to any room. Design Story has helped Miss Universe 2015 and influencer Pia Wurtzbach-Jauncey furnish her new home.
Pietro Collection
W7, La Fuerza Compound, 2241 Chino Roces Ave., Makati City
Located in the same compound as Finale Art File and Vinyl on Vinyl, Pietro Collection offers chandeliers, table toppers, vases, and even dried flowers.
What distinguishes Pietro Collection from similar stores is the diversity of materials present in the shop. You can buy glass fruit-shaped table toppers, ceramic decorative sculptures, and marble-inspired vases and bowls. Their decorative banded onyx bowls also make conversation-worthy centerpieces. In fact, Wurtzbach-Jauncey picked up a few vases and bowls for her home, too.
Pietro Collection, along with the boutiques featured, shows that adding artistry to your home doesn’t require renovations or overhauls. You could start with one vase, bowl, or tray, and grow your collection organically from there.
Lanai
2/F Retail Row 2, The Powerplant Mall, Rockwell Dr, Makati City and 2/F Makati Shangri-La, Ayala Ave, Makati City
Lanai’s floral arrangements range from the refined to the opulent, without losing any sense of elegance. Standout floral arrangements include orchids and anthuriums. These blooms function as a piece of nature in your home, especially if you live in the middle of the city.
Beyond flowers, Lanai offers homeware inspired by nature and the tropics. Lifestyle Inquirer columnist Candy Dizon even has a curated collection of vases, lamps, trays, and trinket boxes that play with texture, pattern, and color there.
