MANILA, Philippines ? Pink happens to be Alex Bitong?s favorite color. This used to be so evident in his shop?from the signage to the walls, from the curtains to framed wall décor.

These days, however, except for the signage and framed dolls resembling miniature harlequins, his shop in Makati is nearly devoid of pink.

For a change, he had the place painted dove gray. Most of the framed pink décor had to give way to a series of framed silver-plated brooches inspired by such animals as frogs, giraffes and tigers.

?I wanted a look that was less showy,? says Bitong, who still betrays his love for pink in his shirt. ?Since this is a busy street, I avoid displaying precious objects that might attract undue attention.?

He was vacationing in the United States years ago when he chanced upon the animal figures. Not only were they inexpensive, they were also striking enough to be framed individually or as a group.

?They came at the right time since I was thinking of changing my shop?s look,? says Bitong, a graduate of Fine Arts from the University of Santo Tomas. ?And I was proven right. Barely had I hung a set of framed brooches in the form of frogs, when one of my long-time clients noticed the set and asked me if she could have it.?

Production area

When he moved to the place a decade ago, Bitong wanted his shop to have a high ceiling.

Since the unit had no second floor, his dream of receiving customers in a high-ceilinged address was dashed to give way to a mezzanine floor for his workers.

To create an illusion of space, he had a set of floor-to-ceiling mirrors installed on one side of the room. He then commissioned a team of carpenters to do a series of fretwork based on his design.

?These patterns break the monotony of an otherwise boring space,? he says.

The designer also tapped the team to do his worktable, a sturdy, nondescript piece of reused narra. He also had an old family couch reupholstered in silver gray fabric.

?They may be old, but some of these pieces have sentimental value since I got them from my late mother,? says Bitong, who confesses that he hardly reads the dailies because they remind him of his late parents and their daily reading habit.

Soft, fluid

Like his colleagues, Bitong has amassed coffee-table books and glossies. Alber Elbaz and the late Gianfranco Ferre are two of his idols.

?I love Ferre?s work, especially when he was working for Dior,? he says. ?I also admire Elbaz for his soft, fluid and romantic lines.?

Apart from the usual stuff on a working designer?s table, Bitong has a foot-tall wooden image of the Sto. Niño, which has an interesting story to tell.

Bitong had another image of the Holy Child that needed cleaning. His friend, who knew a woodcarver in Pampanga, volunteered to take the image to be restored.

?It took my friend some time to go back and get the image,? says Bitong. ?When he finally did, the woodcarver and his shop, including my Sto. Niño image, were nowhere. Nobody knew where he moved.?

To make up, Bitong?s friend offered to replace the missing image. The replacement now sits on the designer?s table, with a few other possessions he holds dear.