Bed dress for Daphne

Tim Yap talks to Dapne Oseña-Paez about her babies and her linens

How do you feel about carrying your third baby?

I feel like a pro. This is our third baby. A total surprise initially but I realized I was secretly wishing to have a third baby.

Each pregnancy is different. With Sophia I was bedridden for two months because of a hematoma in my uterus. With Lily it felt so easy and I was very inspired to dress up and go out. With this third baby, the first trimester was a period of being so lazy. I spent days lying in bed, feeling nauseated and uninspired. I was like a sloth. But I’m entering my third trimester now and I’m like the energizer bunny again. Multi-tasking galore.

We heard your other baby, your bed linen line is doing very well. What was your inspiration in coming out with it?

While renovating our 40-year-old wooden home, I was very particular about how our bedrooms turned out. I had always been a bit of a bedsheet-snob. We spend one-third of our lives in bed. And I’ve always invested in good bedsheets. I would buy our linens in New York or Toronto during trips to see our family — and always scrounging around for  sales. I was very finicky about it being 100% cotton and having high threadcounts. During renovation, I met with the owners of Linens Direct, a company that imports luxury bedsheets. I asked for specific designs. And we toyed with the idea of me designing and building my own brand based on my design asthetics.

Since this is our labor day special—we wanted to ask you if you had any labor pains (yes, with the babies and your new bed baby)?

I have a high tolerance for pain, so I’m told. I like to feel what it’s like to be in labour. Yet I choose to give birth with a shot of epidural at the last possible moment. And then it becomes a party. Both labour for Sophia,6 and Lily,2 have been pleasant and borderline pleasurable. I found it really exciting and exhilarating. After I delivered Sophia, I remember telling Patrick that it was really fun and I was a bit disappointed that the pregnancy was over. That lasted a good two minutes. Then I was ecstatic again when I saw Sophia’s face. With the fancy birthing rooms and newly built hospitals now, giving birth can literally be a party.

The Daphne Oseña Paez for Linens Direct was so easy to give birth to. Absolutely no birthpains from my end and my partners.

How different is your stuff from the others?

My line is not heavy on prints or colours. I started with mostly whites and I’m slowly bringing in a very muted palette of blues and sage and other neutrals. My new designs also incorporate fine embroidery and subtle accents like pin tucks and pleats. But more than the design, what Daphne Linens is all about is comfort and luxurious feel. All my sheets are 100% cotton with a minimum of 380 threadcount. Im not competing by going with the  highest threadcount number. Because we live in the tropics, 380 is perfect.

Please describe to us your most pleasurable experience in bed.

When our two girls climb up our bed at 5:30 in the morning to snuggle. And when they allow me to sleep in a few more hours while they watch Disney cartoons in the lowest volume.

And your best reward for creativity?

Seeing my work appreciated by many. This goes for both the bedsheets and the custom-made gold charm necklaces that I make. When people trust me to design something so valuable and personal like my Colonial-period inspired necklaces. And when people write to me to tell me that they actually collect Daphne Linens and look forward to new designs. And of course, seeing my name and logo in the packaging.

How are you able to focus on your different roles—as mother, wife, entrepreneur—and still come out looking poised and perfect?

I keep it simple. I don’t like to think anymore when it comes to fashion and grooming. I stick to what I’m most comfortable in — dresses. I don’t bother with accessories except for my gold chain with handpainted enamel medallions. I wear the same necklace whether I go to a social function or just hang with the kids on weekends. 

Now with technology a lot of my TV work can be done from home and sent to the editing room by e-mail. Less carbon footprint and more time for me at home.

Do you ever lose it sometimes?

Of course. Especially when the kids act up in restaurants and I feel like everyone is staring. It’s a Twilight Zone moment and I imagine I can hear the soundtrack. But that’s what parenting is about. Your heart just grows and you discover that you have a lot more patience than you thought you had. 

What is your security blanket?

 My husband, Patrick. Ironically he is never present when I work and do major public things. But I know he’s with me every step of the way before getting there. He has his own work and I have mine. But we are each other’s best advisers. As much as I’d like to show that I am an independent, progressive and driven woman, having my husband’s approval and support is important to me. With everything I do, I ask for his opinion. We’re partners in every way.

Who else, aside from your husband and babies, would you want to share your bed with?

My laptop. My husband complains wifi often gets in between us.

Your secret to a good night’s rest.

380 threadcount. 100% cotton. Daphne Linens. Try it...