Becoming Her Own Architect

Once a dentistry student in UP Manila and while on a world tour with the UP Concert Chorus, Cara Marcelo saw the architecture, art, and designs in Europe, Asia, and the United States, and became fascinated by it all. She went home thinking, "Do I really want to look at teeth for the rest of my life?"

Detour Dilemma
Cara then considered shifting to Fine Arts, but decided against it during the talent exam when she couldn’t even sketch a crumpled piece of paper. Then she heard of Interior Design and felt it was the perfect balance between architecture and arts.

Designer Quandary
Fate played a series of practical jokes when Cara took the three-day Interior Design licensure exam: Her drafting table broke, her slide ruler’s string snapped, she made the mistake of inking all her drawings when they were only required to draw in pencil, plus the last day was almost postponed because of flooding in Manila.

It was anxiety-driven, "so when I found out that I had taken the top spot, I was very surprised, thankful, and proud that all my hard work paid off," Cara recalls.

Project Kitchen
At present, Cara is an Interior Designer and Manager for the Home Furnishings, Kitchen Division of Focus Global Inc. With a team of nine designers, she executes the production of dream kitchens. She says this company has helped her "develop discipline and exercise creativity."

In 2006, Cara's work was recognized by Sub-Zero and Wolf Kitchen Design Contest, the most respected in the design industry. She was chosen for the International Category from more than 1,000 entries from professional kitchen designers all over the world. She tailored the kitchen of a family who owns one of the biggest restaurant chains in the country. "The [kitchen] setup exudes warmth, is more energy efficient, and encourages family interaction," she explains.

Pinay Eloquence
Being the first Asian and Filipina ever to win the international category, Cara made it a point to let the world know about Filipino culture and talent. "I hope that I was able to show them that [Filipinos] are well-educated, cultured, innovative, and stylish," says Cara.