JACQUES’ STONE…
November 22, 2003 | 12:00am
...House or his version of bahay na bato is a splendor to behold. But you never would have known this if you just happened by this affluent ‘hood and stopped short at the heavily guarded gate. The gentleman of the manor, Jacques Dupasquier – part French, part Filipino, pure global citizen – is a man who rabidly cherishes his privacy, thus the deliberately veiled, even overly simplified design of the façade.
"My house was designed so that I don’t see my neighbors and the neighbors don’t see me," Jacques explains.
But go past the foyer and you’ll be absolutely floored by the breathtaking beauty of the abode.
Now, I am no architect or interior designer so I speak no architectural yadda-yadda. Besides, every glossy in town has already chronicled every design and form detail of this stunning house, so let’s spare us that. I will instead tell you all about the housekeeping and the maddening lifestyle that Jacques, a singleton in this gossipy town, lives so well.
The first time I was a guest in Jacques’ home was when he so graciously allowed me and my team to do a fashion shoot of his good buddy’s wife, gorgeous vixen Vivien Tan for Neutrogena. What struck us immediately was how his domestic staff handled us and the entire day’s mission with aplomb and efficiency. When we arrived, we were warmly greeted at the door by uniformed helper. She then handed us over to Yolly, apparently the house CEO who chitchatted with us like we were good old long-lost friends. Soon we were marching up and down the seven-room mansion with Yolly leading the parade to check out where we could do our fittings and costume changes, and areas where we could shoot.
At the end of the march, we were promptly asked what we cared to have for lunch. "Oh no, please don’t bother, we will take care of lunch," we shyly chorused. What impeccable training, I mentally noted.
"Sir will be very mad at me if you do that," Yolly insisted.
After a frenzied hemming and hawing, we helpless guests agreed to four family-size-thin-crust-no-pineapple-extra-cheese pizzas, on the house, thank you very much.
Like Rome, this pan-Asian house wasn’t built in a day, or even two. It took seven years: two years to design, three years to construct and two years to do the interiors. Savvy and gorgeous architect Anna Sy of C/S Consultancy was handed a seven-page brief by the meticulous client (this is a lame word to describe Jacques, but it will do) where he outlined his objective in building this house, both practical and aesthetic.
"I bubble drew the layout of my house…for proportion so that it would fit my lifestyle," Jacques said.
For example, the house was designed so that the family or private wing is separated literally by a door (which can only be bolted from the family area side of the door) from the entire guest room area. The guest wing has its own living room with complete amenities, a private bamboo garden and its own front door.
Why didn’t I think of that when we built our house? I thought. Because my entire house is his guest room area, I snapped, back to reality.
Jacques’ main mission in building this house was to house him and his two dazzling daughters, Charlotte and Olivia, when the girls are in town from boarding school. But because he is also a bachelor, the house had to be both entertaining and private. The solution was to make it modular and multi- purpose, where with a simple opening and closing of doors, a space is created or eased out according to the needs of the occasion. Ballroom, dining room with pool access, dining room only, living room with library setting, and the combinations are endless. And this allows Jacques to choose an air-conditioned setting or an al fresco moment, depending on his mood. The man who says he is in touch with his feminine side (although I had a hard time finding her) is so in control that even flowers in his backyard cooperate with the master of the house.
There’s this calachuchi story I have to tell you about, which is a true story, I promise you. Every morning at a prescribed time, someone is tasked to look for the perfect calachuchi flower from his garden to replace yesterday’s calachuchi in the same exact spot in the dining room on that important antique furniture on the buffet table. "Hey, they know how to do it, same angle, just the right texture...that’s why I’m consistent, that’s why I’m easy," exclaims the consummate houseman.
Actually, I kind of agree with him about being anal retentive and a control freak in order to achieve order, efficiency and perfect functionality in everything you do. Hey, even God is simple, that’s why He’s perfect. Take the Apple or the Mac (as opposed to the PC) which is the original real user-friendly computer (remember the world according to Dos and Lotus where you had to memorize commands even to delete a sentence?) a well written, almost painfully assembled piece of software which is hard to do is what makes something consistent and therefore easy to use. Jacques is like the Mac, consistent, seemingly easy to please because of the standards he sets or each endeavor he embarks on.
On the day we took pictures of this house, he explained that he wasn’t quite finished yet with decorating and fixing. In his bedroom is an office with the latest everything like a wifi Internet connection so he can roam around his palace and still be on line. He then showed me a cabinet where he kept his tech toys. He opened the cabinet and showed me how he was "filing" his phones, radios and gadgets. "You see, this is how I fix it: manual under, phone on top, charger behind, and all the attachments that go with one particular item. There was a myriad number and models of cellular and satellite phones all stacked up in that manner, and there was even a duplicate model of the one he was using now, "just in case."
It was amazing to see order on top of order in an orderly setting. It made me want to cry as I again thought of my own room and the chaos that lurked within. I say our lawmakers and politicians can learn a thing or two from this philosophy in governing this inconsistent country, don’t you think?
Truth be told, my favorite spot in this dream house is the kitchen, even if I don’t cook. It’s got that sleek industrial look. And he has equipped it with only the Rolls Royce of kitchen appliances. There’s that big fat Subzero with all those drawers and the biggest chiller you’ve ever seen to put all the finest wines Bacchus is willing to sell you. And if Jacques is feeling like Bobby Flay or Nora Daza, he fires up his Viking range and hosts dinners. He’s even got that Viking ice maker that can make ice to fill a skating rink. When I grow up, I will definitely make me a kitchen like that.
And Jacques’ favored room in this stone house is, of course, his room. Like the rest of his domain, this area is designed so that the occupant can be completely entertained with a state-of-the-art home theater system in a sitting area, separate from where the bed sits, much like you see in a grand luxe suite. Or be totally chilledout in a four-poster bed with heavenly gossamer curtains draped on those posts, while reading three versions of the Kama Sutra – or is it Arabian Nights II?
A highlight for me here is the walk-in closet and the toilet and bathroom. No, it’s not the size that matters. You see, he ordered two sets. One is for Mrs. Dupasquier who isn’t there yet and one for Jacques. (I thought I was special with our His and Hers sinks). His super organized walk-in closet reminded me of the men’s suiting department in Saks Fifth, minus the personal shopper. Hers, since she’s still missing in action, is his "junk" place for the moment. I say junk because he is still in the process of "filing" the stock pile that’s parked there.
His bathroom is Japonesque so he can be Zen while taking his bubble bath. Hers is Burmese with an extra large porcelain tub, a luxurious bidet, and that marvelous rain shower head. What a room, baby. And oh, lest Yolly unexpectedly enters his room while Jacques didn’t need her, there’s a foyer/sitting area in his bedroom for these occasional drop-ins by the busy domestic staff.
The other night we were over again at Jacques’ for a birthday dinner party for Vivien Tan. Jacques was a-dither in the kitchen making sure the wines, champagne and spirits were flowing, the food served right, the desserts ready to sweeten the mood and the guests. The house was all aglow with candlelight and saffron illumination and the weather was just right for such a get-together. Several Magnum bottles later, a chilled-out Jacques is relaxing and enjoying his beautiful surroundings and thinks about perhaps building another architectural wonder. But not now, not now, he says. Work isn’t done here yet, he clarifies. "Maybe when I am done, I just might build another house because after all these years of fixing this house, I might miss the multi-tasking."
And he just might, all right, because for people like Jacques, it’s about the process. The journey is what makes reaching the final destination a satisfaction. "I think I like the journey more than the destination," thus spoke Jacques.
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"My house was designed so that I don’t see my neighbors and the neighbors don’t see me," Jacques explains.
But go past the foyer and you’ll be absolutely floored by the breathtaking beauty of the abode.
Now, I am no architect or interior designer so I speak no architectural yadda-yadda. Besides, every glossy in town has already chronicled every design and form detail of this stunning house, so let’s spare us that. I will instead tell you all about the housekeeping and the maddening lifestyle that Jacques, a singleton in this gossipy town, lives so well.
The first time I was a guest in Jacques’ home was when he so graciously allowed me and my team to do a fashion shoot of his good buddy’s wife, gorgeous vixen Vivien Tan for Neutrogena. What struck us immediately was how his domestic staff handled us and the entire day’s mission with aplomb and efficiency. When we arrived, we were warmly greeted at the door by uniformed helper. She then handed us over to Yolly, apparently the house CEO who chitchatted with us like we were good old long-lost friends. Soon we were marching up and down the seven-room mansion with Yolly leading the parade to check out where we could do our fittings and costume changes, and areas where we could shoot.
At the end of the march, we were promptly asked what we cared to have for lunch. "Oh no, please don’t bother, we will take care of lunch," we shyly chorused. What impeccable training, I mentally noted.
"Sir will be very mad at me if you do that," Yolly insisted.
After a frenzied hemming and hawing, we helpless guests agreed to four family-size-thin-crust-no-pineapple-extra-cheese pizzas, on the house, thank you very much.
Like Rome, this pan-Asian house wasn’t built in a day, or even two. It took seven years: two years to design, three years to construct and two years to do the interiors. Savvy and gorgeous architect Anna Sy of C/S Consultancy was handed a seven-page brief by the meticulous client (this is a lame word to describe Jacques, but it will do) where he outlined his objective in building this house, both practical and aesthetic.
"I bubble drew the layout of my house…for proportion so that it would fit my lifestyle," Jacques said.
For example, the house was designed so that the family or private wing is separated literally by a door (which can only be bolted from the family area side of the door) from the entire guest room area. The guest wing has its own living room with complete amenities, a private bamboo garden and its own front door.
Why didn’t I think of that when we built our house? I thought. Because my entire house is his guest room area, I snapped, back to reality.
Jacques’ main mission in building this house was to house him and his two dazzling daughters, Charlotte and Olivia, when the girls are in town from boarding school. But because he is also a bachelor, the house had to be both entertaining and private. The solution was to make it modular and multi- purpose, where with a simple opening and closing of doors, a space is created or eased out according to the needs of the occasion. Ballroom, dining room with pool access, dining room only, living room with library setting, and the combinations are endless. And this allows Jacques to choose an air-conditioned setting or an al fresco moment, depending on his mood. The man who says he is in touch with his feminine side (although I had a hard time finding her) is so in control that even flowers in his backyard cooperate with the master of the house.
There’s this calachuchi story I have to tell you about, which is a true story, I promise you. Every morning at a prescribed time, someone is tasked to look for the perfect calachuchi flower from his garden to replace yesterday’s calachuchi in the same exact spot in the dining room on that important antique furniture on the buffet table. "Hey, they know how to do it, same angle, just the right texture...that’s why I’m consistent, that’s why I’m easy," exclaims the consummate houseman.
Actually, I kind of agree with him about being anal retentive and a control freak in order to achieve order, efficiency and perfect functionality in everything you do. Hey, even God is simple, that’s why He’s perfect. Take the Apple or the Mac (as opposed to the PC) which is the original real user-friendly computer (remember the world according to Dos and Lotus where you had to memorize commands even to delete a sentence?) a well written, almost painfully assembled piece of software which is hard to do is what makes something consistent and therefore easy to use. Jacques is like the Mac, consistent, seemingly easy to please because of the standards he sets or each endeavor he embarks on.
On the day we took pictures of this house, he explained that he wasn’t quite finished yet with decorating and fixing. In his bedroom is an office with the latest everything like a wifi Internet connection so he can roam around his palace and still be on line. He then showed me a cabinet where he kept his tech toys. He opened the cabinet and showed me how he was "filing" his phones, radios and gadgets. "You see, this is how I fix it: manual under, phone on top, charger behind, and all the attachments that go with one particular item. There was a myriad number and models of cellular and satellite phones all stacked up in that manner, and there was even a duplicate model of the one he was using now, "just in case."
It was amazing to see order on top of order in an orderly setting. It made me want to cry as I again thought of my own room and the chaos that lurked within. I say our lawmakers and politicians can learn a thing or two from this philosophy in governing this inconsistent country, don’t you think?
Truth be told, my favorite spot in this dream house is the kitchen, even if I don’t cook. It’s got that sleek industrial look. And he has equipped it with only the Rolls Royce of kitchen appliances. There’s that big fat Subzero with all those drawers and the biggest chiller you’ve ever seen to put all the finest wines Bacchus is willing to sell you. And if Jacques is feeling like Bobby Flay or Nora Daza, he fires up his Viking range and hosts dinners. He’s even got that Viking ice maker that can make ice to fill a skating rink. When I grow up, I will definitely make me a kitchen like that.
And Jacques’ favored room in this stone house is, of course, his room. Like the rest of his domain, this area is designed so that the occupant can be completely entertained with a state-of-the-art home theater system in a sitting area, separate from where the bed sits, much like you see in a grand luxe suite. Or be totally chilledout in a four-poster bed with heavenly gossamer curtains draped on those posts, while reading three versions of the Kama Sutra – or is it Arabian Nights II?
A highlight for me here is the walk-in closet and the toilet and bathroom. No, it’s not the size that matters. You see, he ordered two sets. One is for Mrs. Dupasquier who isn’t there yet and one for Jacques. (I thought I was special with our His and Hers sinks). His super organized walk-in closet reminded me of the men’s suiting department in Saks Fifth, minus the personal shopper. Hers, since she’s still missing in action, is his "junk" place for the moment. I say junk because he is still in the process of "filing" the stock pile that’s parked there.
His bathroom is Japonesque so he can be Zen while taking his bubble bath. Hers is Burmese with an extra large porcelain tub, a luxurious bidet, and that marvelous rain shower head. What a room, baby. And oh, lest Yolly unexpectedly enters his room while Jacques didn’t need her, there’s a foyer/sitting area in his bedroom for these occasional drop-ins by the busy domestic staff.
The other night we were over again at Jacques’ for a birthday dinner party for Vivien Tan. Jacques was a-dither in the kitchen making sure the wines, champagne and spirits were flowing, the food served right, the desserts ready to sweeten the mood and the guests. The house was all aglow with candlelight and saffron illumination and the weather was just right for such a get-together. Several Magnum bottles later, a chilled-out Jacques is relaxing and enjoying his beautiful surroundings and thinks about perhaps building another architectural wonder. But not now, not now, he says. Work isn’t done here yet, he clarifies. "Maybe when I am done, I just might build another house because after all these years of fixing this house, I might miss the multi-tasking."
And he just might, all right, because for people like Jacques, it’s about the process. The journey is what makes reaching the final destination a satisfaction. "I think I like the journey more than the destination," thus spoke Jacques.
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