MANILA, Philippines?Singer-actor Christian Bautista follows the same principle in love as in the art of interior design.

?Looking for the perfect furniture is like trying to find Ms Right,? Christian explains as he ushers Living Stars into his four-story home in Addition Hills, San Juan. ?You should be patient and persistent. You should not be impulsive. Every move should be calculated.?

Christian swears he got the expensive-looking Italian three-seat couch in the living area for half its actual price, as well as the antique chandelier in the guest room that interior designer Lin Javalera ?redesigned? especially for him.

?I first saw the antique wall clock at a store in Makati,? relates Christian. ?I didn?t want to buy it because medyo mahal, but I came back for it after two months. It matches the look of the house.?

Thrift shops

Christian, together with his friend AJ Ocampo, an industrial designer, bought the antique bedside drawer and a few wall ornaments from thrift shops in Bangkal, Makati. The molave console table, mahogany eight-seat dining table and the wooden bed-frame were all purchased at marked-down prices in Baguio City. ?When we buy something, we refurbish or repaint it to fit the house?s overall look,? Christian notes.

He says he?s fortunate to have friends like landscape designers Neri Libalib and Dino Estrada, who helped him build the Zen garden on the fourth floor. Libalib, who runs his own company, provided Chinese hollies, forget-me-nots and water cabbages in the garden. ?I was also able to buy the plant pots, water fountain and picnic table at a discounted price,? says Christian, a landscape architecture graduate from the University of the Philippines.

?The house reflects my personality,? he says. The fun room on the fourth floor is where he ?goes wild and crazy.? He gets to relax in the garden. ?The guest room, which doubles as the library, has the classic look. The living area is the only place that?s formal,? he adds.

No-fuss

The bedroom is simple and no-fuss, he says. ?I took out the television and radio. I have a hard time sleeping when they?re just within my reach. I also made sure the mattresses are soft,? he notes. ?The lamp shade, which was a gift from a fan, used to be color blue. Since it didn?t match the color scheme, we painted it black.?

On the fourth floor is a small space that Christian calls the ?humble room,? which holds all his trophies, commemorative plaques and posters. ?If I?m sad, I come here and am instantly reminded of how much I?ve achieved in my career,? he says. ?I recently signed up with Universal Records. My newest album (?Romance Revisited: The Love Songs of Jose Mari Chan?) will be launched this month. I?m excited. Hopefully, I could put more of these (trophies) in here.?

Most of Christian?s stuff stored in the Bautista compound in Cavite City were already transferred to San Juan. This includes his working clothes, books, toy collections, his wakeboard and the golf set, which he inherited from his daddy Ebert.

?I?m still looking for paintings to put on the bare walls. I also want to get more antiques,? the singer says. ?I still want to fix the garden. If I get more money, I also want to convert the fun room into a home theater just like that of (fellow ABS-CBN contract artist) Sam Milby?s.

Half-way home

?This house is 11 years old,? Christian recalls. ?Its previous owner, Larry Garriz, designed it himself. He decided to sell it because his family is growing and in need of a bigger space. At the time, travelling to work from Cavite to ABS-CBN became too tiresome for me. The traffic was always horrible. I had to find a half-way home. The first time I saw this house, I instantly wanted to go in and check it out.?

It?s a house built for a bachelor, the 27-year-old singer says. ?It?s for somebody who can easily go up and down all four floors. The resale value is reasonable and the location is excellent,? Christian points out. ?A hospital is very close. I?m near Makati, which is the central business district. It?s also a stone?s throw away from Manila and Quezon City.?

E-mail mcruz@inquirer.com.ph