Carpets make a warm comeback

For the past decade or so it has been ripped up and tossed out but now carpet is making a comeback. People are keen to cover their cold and draughty floorboards and sink their feet back in something with a bit more comfort, warmth and depth. From cut pile to shag, block color to swirly pattern, wall-to-wall carpeting is once again smothering wooden floors.

As for renters , a great rug renaissance is in full swing.

“While wall-to-wall carpets used to be passé, they are definitely having a bit of a moment now,” says Elizabeth Metcalfe, the author of New English Interiors: At Home with Today’s Creatives. “There is a nostalgic charm, but I think they also bring coziness and warmth to a space – a hugely appealing prospect when we’re faced with rising energy bills.”

Liza Laserow Berglund, the co-founder of the Stockholm-based rug company Nordic Knots, which has gained an almost cult-like following for its simple but striking designs, describes a rug in a room as “the fourth wall”.

“It frames a room,” she says. “People think about curtains but the floor really needs texture and warmth as well.”

One of Donald Trump’s first memos to staff was an instruction to change the Oval Office’s floor covering. As the Bidens were still packing up, the Democratic blue rug was being swapped out for a pale beige circular version, originally designed by Nancy Reagan for her husband’s time in office. Trump previously had installed it during his first term. According to White House aides, this time around pieces of the Resolute Desk had to be disassembled so the rug could be placed underneath it.

Lorna Haigh, the creative director for Alternative Flooring, a UK-based company that sells everything from sisal to chunky wool carpets, says this year carpet is going to “take preference over hard flooring”. Ruggable, which makes machine washable rugs in tufted and shaggy styles, reports a 67% surge in website traffic. Its most popular size is a generous 185cm by 275cm.

Even luxury fashion designers are championing the trend. At the recent menswear shows in Milan and Paris, the typical stripped-back catwalks were covered in plush overlay. At Prada, a giant scaffolding set jarred sharply with a tactile blue art deco-inspired carpet. It was sourced from Catherine Martin, a homeware brand owner and costume designer who has collaborated with her husband, Baz Luhrmann, on several films including Elvis (a carpet devotee who covered Graceland in a thick pile).

Prada’s co-creative director, Raf Simons, described the carpet as “alive” and “a reaction to what a set usually is”. Meanwhile, at Brioni models plodded along a burnt orange shag-pile rug while at Amiri, a brand best known for its streetwear-inspired pieces, there was an 80s-esque plush fawn-colored version.

After years of greige interiors where every listing on Rightmove has begun to blur into one, a maximalist backlash has begun. Social media is peppered with posts of floors in bold prints and saturated colours. At Ruggable it is colour-blocking designs, nature-inspired motifs and “AI-generated visuals” that “blur the lines between reality and fantasy” that are most popular. Metcalfe mentions rug combing, where rugs are overlapped or laid side by side to create a layered look as an emerging style.

Elsewhere, the designer Henry Holland has swapped out his beige stairs for a custom-made swirly brown and white patterned runner inspired by 90s rave culture. The Standard Hotel in London embraces the electric blue carpet while in Claridge’s newly revamped suites, the designer Bryan O’Sullivan has used floral art deco rugs. On Instagram, Alexa Chung described feeling “sick about how much I like this carpet” alongside a photo of a floral Heartsease patterned carpet at Castle Howard in North Yorkshire.

Martin credits the periodic nature of fashion as fueling the trend. “Everything in life is cyclical … naturally, the fashion or the desire for a different decorating style is swinging back towards carpet.”

Berglund, who has a rich honeyed color “Leo” rug in her bedroom with a matching headboard and curtains, describes it as very soothing. “Your home is your most intimate space. It’s your safe haven. With how the world is today it’s even more important to create something that you love coming home to.”

Source: The Guardian

Sufficient proof to establish a parcel of land as alienable and disposable

In the Philippines, to establish that a parcel of land is alienable and disposable (A&D)—meaning it is no longer part of the public domain and can be owned privately—you need to provide sufficient proof.

Republic Act (RA) 11573 entitled "An Act Improving the Confirmation Process for Imperfect Land Titles, amending for the purpose of Commonwealth Act 141," as amended, otherwise known as "The Public Land Act," and Presidential Decree 1529, as amended, otherwise known as the "Property Registration Decree," was approved on July 16, 2021 and took effect on Sept. 1, 2021. This ensures the continued titling of the agricultural lands and simplifies the procedures and requirements for the judicial confirmation of imperfect titles.

As background, before the enactment of RA 11573, the prevailing jurisprudence was Republic vs. T.A.N. Properties Inc. (GR 154953, June 26, 2008, penned by Associate Justice Antonio Carpio), which established the following requirements to prove that the land sought to be registered is alienable and disposable:

"It is not enough for the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (Penro), or Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (Cenro) to certify that a land is alienable and disposable. The applicant for land registration must prove that the DENR Secretary had approved the land classification and released the land of the public domain as alienable and disposable, and that the land subject of the application for registration falls within the approved area per verification through survey by the Penro or Cenro. "In addition, the applicant for land registration must present a copy of the original classification approved by the DENR Secretary and certified as a true copy by the legal custodian of the official records. These facts must be established to prove that the land is alienable and disposable."

However, in the case of Republic vs. Pasig Rizal Co. Inc. (GR 213207, Feb. 15, 2022, penned by Associate Justice Alfredo Benjamin Caguioa), it was stated that the requirements to prove the alienable and disposable character of land in Republic vs. T.A.N. Properties Inc. have been superseded by the enactment of RA 11573.

Section 7 of the RA 11573 declares that a certification by a duly designated geodetic engineer of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) that the land is part of alienable and disposable agricultural lands of the public domain sufficiently proves that it is alienable, to wit:

"SECTION 7. Proof that the Land is Alienable and Disposable. — For purposes of judicial confirmation of imperfect titles filed under Presidential Decree 1529, a duly signed certification by a duly designated DENR geodetic engineer that the land is part of alienable and disposable agricultural lands of the public domain is sufficient proof that the land is alienable. Said certification shall be imprinted in the approved survey plan submitted by the applicant in the land registration court. The imprinted certification in the plan shall contain a sworn statement by the geodetic engineer that the land is within the alienable and disposable lands of the public domain and shall state the applicable Forestry Administrative Order, DENR Administrative Order, Executive Order, Proclamations and the Land Classification Project Map Number covering the subject land.

"Should there be no available copy of the Forestry Administrative Order, Executive Order or Proclamation, it is sufficient that the Land Classification (LC) Map Number, Project Number and date of release indicated in the land classification map be stated in the sworn statement declaring that said land classification map is existing in the inventory of LC Map records of the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (Namria) and is being used by the DENR as land classification map."

At present, the presentation of the approved survey plan bearing a certification signed by a duly designated DENR geodetic engineer stating that the land is part of alienable and disposable agricultural land of the public domain shall be sufficient proof that the land is alienable, provided that the certification bears references to:

(i) the relevant issuance (e.g., Forestry Administrative Order, DENR Administrative Order, Executive Order or Proclamation); and

(ii) it contains a sworn statement by the said geodetic engineer that the land is within the alienable and disposable lands of public domain.

In the absence of a copy of the said relevant issuances, the sworn statement of the DENR geodetic engineer must state: (i) the LC Map number; (ii) the Project Number; and (iii) the date of release indicated in the LC Map; and (iv) declaration that the LC Map is existing in the inventory of the LC Map records of the Namria and is being used by DENR as land classification map. The said geodetic engineer must also be presented as witness for proper authentication of the certification so presented.

Source: Manila Times

Metro Manila condo launches fell to lowest level in 5 years

New condominium launches in Metro Manila slumped to a five-year low in the first quarter, as property developers focus on clearing their existing inventory, according to property consultancy firm Leechiu Property Consultants (LPC).

LPC’s latest Philippine Property Market Report showed new condominium launches in Metro Manila plunged by 77% to 1,347 units in the January-to-March period from 5,928 units in the fourth quarter of 2024.

This was also the lowest number of units launched since the 9,392 units in the first quarter of 2020 when the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic began.

In a statement, LPC said developers are “focusing on marketing existing inventory, particularly within the midrange segment, before rolling out new projects.”

Leechiu Director for Research and Consultancy Roy Amado L. Golez, Jr. said the drop in new residential condominium projects reflects developers’ lack of confidence in the market.

“The significant number of supply in the market dictates that developers will slow down their launches. But then at the end of the year, we’ll likely see the same blip upwards in terms of total supply,” he said at a media briefing.

LPC data showed a 14% quarter-on-quarter improvement in sales take-up with 6,500 units sold in the first quarter, amid rate cuts by the central bank. However, this was a far cry from the 13,246 units sold in the first quarter of 2020.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) cut rates by 75 basis points in 2024, bringing the key rate to 5.75%. The BSP has signaled it will continue easing this year.

“We’ve seen a good start for the year for the residential market. But we need to move with caution for now due to very recent developments in the world capital markets. For developers, they will need to be more aggressive with their marketing: their promos and payment terms,” Mr. Golez said.

Mr. Golez said buyers should take advantage of “a short window of opportunity to acquire property at favorable terms while supply is not yet at comfortable levels.”

Metro Manila still has an oversupply of condominiums, mainly in the mid-market to upscale segments and in areas outside central business districts that were affected by the government’s ban on Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGO).

As of end-March, LPC data showed Metro Manila had about 81,400 available condo units, which may take 38 months or about three years to be fully sold.

“Most developers, or practically all, are reluctant to decrease prices. But in effect, what they’re trying to do is offer decreased prices by offering discounts as well as extended payment terms,” Mr. Golez said.

Mr. Golez said he expects developers to limit their project launches for the next six months.

“In the next six months, I think these (launches) will remain low, but as take-up improves, I think they will recover, because now, there are only limited launches,” he told BusinessWorld after the briefing.

Meanwhile, the office market saw a 7% year-on-year increase in demand of 355,000 square meters (sq.m.) despite the absence of POGOs and limited government take-up, LPC said.

“The main difference between this quarter and the first quarter of 2024 is the 56% increase in BPO (business process outsourcing) demand coming from specifically one segment, which are the global in-house centers,” Mikko Baranda, LPC director for commercial leasing, told the briefing.

Global in-house centers are involved in healthcare, banking, financial services, and insurance sectors.

“A lot of these companies, and probably also predicated with what’s happening all over the world, are looking at the Philippines again to offshore and outsource work,” Mr. Baranda said, citing foreign companies like JPMorgan keen on growing their footprint in the country.

In the first quarter, lease transactions involving IT-BPOs reached 185,000 sq.m. of office space, while those for traditional offices reached 94,000 sq.m.

The nationwide office vacancy rate stood at 17% in the first quarter. In Metro Manila, the office vacancy rate stood at 16% — with the highest in Taguig at 24% and the lowest in Bonifacio Global City (10%).

For 2025, office net take-up is expected to jump by an annual 16% to 490,000 sq.m.

“The office market in the Philippines continues to show grit in the face of global and local challenges. The IT-BPM sector remains to be a reliable key driver of growth, while traditional office tenants are also increasingly active. With a promising outlook for the rest of the year, we expect resiliency amidst potential headwinds,” Mr. Baranda said.

LPC said a total of 2 million sq.m. is forecast to be added to the Philippine office supply in the next four years.

Meanwhile, the country’s retail market has already recovered from the pandemic.

“The general population has largely come back to the malls, and back to their consumption behavior. Developers are largely confident of the market with 105 malls upcoming nationwide [in the next six years],” Mr. Golez said. 

By developer, SM Prime Holdings, Inc. accounted for 29% of upcoming malls, followed by Robinsons Land Corp. at 28%, and DoubleDragon Corp. at 15%. Other developers expected to launch new malls in the six-year period include Ayala Land, Inc. (10%), Megaworld Corp. (7%), and Rockwell Land Corp. (2%).

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Source: Manila Times