The third floor of V-Mall in Greenhills, San Juan City, now features an exhibition that merges Filipino popular culture with interactive interior design. Titled “What the Pop!”, the project by the Philippine School of Interior Design transforms four generations of shared experiences into eight distinct spaces, each illustrating how Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z have influenced home environments.
This initiative challenges the notion that design serves only practical purposes. Instead, it positions interiors as cultural repositories where games, music, film, and daily habits form the foundation of a room’s character. The eight displays cover gaming, fashion, food, and cinema, reinterpreting these influences as physical environments. A Bauhaus-inspired family room for Boomers transitions into a Brutalist lounge for Gen X, while Millennials and Gen Z receive distinct spaces reflecting their cultural references.
From Sungka Tables to Coffee Bean Lamps: How Each Generation Shapes Space
The oldest generation’s display, TOYANG, combines Filipino childhood games with Bauhaus aesthetics. A terrazzo game table replicates traditional sungka, while geometric wall patterns reference trumpo and sipa. The design demonstrates that play extends beyond childhood—it shapes how adults recall home.
For Gen X, ISTAMBAY reinterprets the tambayan, the neighborhood gathering hub that flourished during Martial Law. Raw concrete, aged metal, and protest-inspired street art fill the space, transforming a lounge into a visual record of the era’s political climate. Adjacent to it, TUNOG KALYE prioritizes atmosphere over exact replication: dark walls, vintage radios, and cassette tapes recreate the ambiance of 1970s listening rooms without resembling a museum exhibit.
Read Also: Design Firm Prioritizes Comfort and Sustainability
Gen Z’s displays focus on digital habits. SIMULA centers a coffee bar within a dining area, using arched forms and woven textures to infuse the daily routine with intention. The feature wall, decorated with suspended coffee mugs, raises a functional object into decor. Meanwhile, ALIWAN AVE. merges MRT commutes with gaming culture: metal railings, LED light strips, and yellow tactile paving mimic transit stations, while white walls maintain a clean, dynamic aesthetic.
Mid-Century Modern Nostalgia: How Filipino Cinema Shaped Boomer Interiors
The TeleBisyon booth reveals how Baby Boomers’ homes reflected the Golden Age of Philippine cinema. Unlike TOYANG, this space uses a muted sepia palette to evoke vintage film tones. The design draws from domestic interiors of the era, where televisions, often the living room’s focal point, were paired with traditional elements like capiz windows and solihiya. A banig mat and wooden coffee table ground the nostalgic style in familiar Filipino craftsmanship. The booth avoids replicating specific film sets, instead capturing the quiet intimacy of homes where movies and news became shared experiences in dimmed light.
Beyond the Booths: How the Exhibition Redefines Cultural Design
The final two booths, SIMULA and ALIWAN AVE., show how Gen Z’s digital rituals and urban experiences translate into physical spaces. SIMULA centers on coffee culture, blending domestic and social elements. The feature wall, adorned with hanging coffee cups, transforms the dining area into a space where routine becomes intentional connection. Unlike earlier booths rooted in analog nostalgia, this design balances tactile and modern elements, where coffee aroma and mug clinks evoke shared moments in a generation shaped by instant messaging and café culture.
ALIWAN AVE. merges the structured movement of MRT commutes with the fragmented energy of gaming. The design reflects how Gen Z’s concept of home extends beyond four walls, into spaces they traverse daily, whether a train or a virtual world.
