In the cookies of life, sisters are the chocolate chips.?Author Unknown

MANILA, Philippines ? The Revilla sisters may be known for their beauty, the Olsen twins for their quirky fashion sense, the Williams girls for their tennis skills and Amazonian physiques, but when it comes to snazzy interiors, the Almario design duo are ready to take them on.

Creating living and working spaces that make an impact, Ivy and Cynthia Almario have gotten their sister act down into a science. From finishing each other?s sentences to joint expeditions in furniture and fabric buying the world over, this design duo is tireless in hunting down the perfect item to make your space just right.

Setting an appointment to meet them together invites a deluge of e-mail and text messages akin to a summit meeting among chiefs of state. Reputed to have the best bedside manner in town, the sisters? tag team promises their clients double the service and attention in half the time. How else could they have gotten half of Greenbelt Five and the majority of South/North Forbes and Dasmariñas village projects accomplished in record time?

The Almario sisters have only been in business for a little over 10 years locally and yet their client roster reads like a Who?s Who of Manila. What is the formula that makes this sibling relationship?the most competitive among family ties?work? Has it always been a case of love-love relationship?

SIM finds out:

Have you always been this close since childhood?
Ivy: For sure! Since I held her hand and took her to pre-school on her first day of classes, I have always felt protective of Cynthia. Now it?s the reverse. She is protective of me!!!

Cynthia: I?ve always admired and loved Ivy. Growing up, she was my idol and I know that she will always be there for me.

Does being sisters make it easier to work together, or is it the opposite?
Ivy: Of course it helps. It?s more fun! It doesn?t feel like work at all.

Cynthia: It?s always fun. It?s a 24/7 non-stop bonding with legitimate long lunches and traveling and shopping with our clients until we drop. We really do not mind working long hours because we are always having a blast!

What made you decide to go into business together?
Ivy and Cynthia: It was a natural progression of events for us, since we both practiced Interior Design in the States. We figured, there is no reason we shouldn?t join forces and practice our profession as partners since we both obviously love the same things already.

Describe your style.
Both: In design, we are chameleons. We design (spaces) using the whole gamut of genres and periods, from traditional, transitional, contemporary, Asian fusion, modern? You name it, we do it! When it comes to site conditions, client preferences and budget, our vision and that of the architect really drives the end product. That?s why even if we?ve been in the industry for more than two decades, we?re still excited! Because we can never second-guess the end product. The end result is consistent though: happy satisfied clients who become dear friends!

Can you work with anyone else? And would you?
Both: Oh yes, we encourage collaboration with people we admire in the industry. The mutual learning is fantastic and the product of the combined talents is usually amazing.

So you finish each other?s sentences? Is that a good or bad thing?
Both: Finishing each other?s sentences makes us get to the point faster (heh heh). That?s usually a good thing, since we?re normally multi-tasking at 120 miles per hour! Thus, the comfort of knowing exactly what the other is thinking really speeds things up!

How do you differ most from each other?
Both: Oh my God! How do we differ most from each other? Barely. You can tell us apart from our hairstyles. She loves long. I love short. Height?she has the obvious advantage. Nothing a good pair of high heels can?t cure. Our voice, laughter and mannerisms are the same though; we are normally mistaken for each other.

Do you share everything?
Both: Almost. Except for husbands! (heh-heh)

What top three guidelines can you give for people who plan to work together?
Both: Mutual respect and trust. Great sense of humor. Similar work ethics.

Your top five priorities in life, in proper order:
Both: A great relationship with God, family, loved ones, friends, clients and peers, staff and suppliers. With people we encounter daily!

A sense of well-being that can be achieved by regularly working out, taking the proper supplements, indulging in massages and of course the normal maintenance routine every woman must have to keep looking like she doesn?t need the maintenance! (heh-heh)

Great work ethic. Passion for work. Loving what you do so much, it?s such a source of joy.

Personal and professional growth. The pursuit of excellence through travel is a must for our industry.

Working and playing hard. That?s why we need to build very soon, our very own Amanpulo!!!

What would end this working relationship?
Both: Death and taxes

American poet Maya Angelou once said, ?I don?t believe an accident of birth makes people sisters or brothers. It makes them siblings, gives them mutuality of parentage. Sisterhood and brotherhood is a condition people have to work at.?

Well known for her spot-on insights into the human psyche, Angelou might just have to consider the Almario sisters an exception to the case; these women were born sisters and effortlessly attained their ?sisterhood nirvana? apparently from birth!