The fact is, Gretchen Barreto, Angelica Panganiban and Venus Raj’s “major major” underwhelm me. In my life ,I know of a far more interesting and deserving disaster in Nina Santamaria, head of interior design firm Grupo Santamaria . Society people are talking in hushed whispers of how she botched the renovation of the ancestral home of Robert Bjorn Santos. Santamaria is now the object of a two suits, a civil suit as well as a complaint with the Professional Regulations Commission.
Because of the botched renovation job, Santos sleeps in a couch in a dressing room and struggles with a urinal that was placed too high - where is our sense of madness and our appreciation of the spectacular?
Since this issue came out, clients from Forbes Park, Dasmarinas and Urdaneta are questioning Santamaria’s abilities.
“Admittedly and regretfully, there was a lack of supervision on my part otherwise, it wouldn’t have dragged on for this long. Although it seems too late already, I wish I could have had more suppliers bid for the different works, assigned more carpenters on site or at least managed your expectations more.” said Santamaria in her very incriminating email to her ex-client Santos. What a disorganized mess – a total run-of-the-mill answer worthy of discussion.
Sad that she represents herself as having a grasp or an understanding of the field, while she is clearly incompetent. However, I do not agree that formal education shapes and molds the best designers. The best designers possess the ability to design before they are even able to understand the concept of interior design.
The object of much controversy in the industry boasts of her ties with Louis Vuitton as she designs their local exhibits, when in fact she has been working with an expired license since 2008! Are her other clients aware of this?
Remember, if you’re not good at something, the likelihood of you succeeding is not very high. Talent and knowledge are keys to success in any industry and one should apply these rules when considering interior design as an income earning activity.
So, when’s our next surfing trip?
