Book on Philippine ancestral homes  in ‘World of Interiors’ recommended reading list

LONDON — Houses that Sugar Built: An Intimate Portrait of Philippine Ancestral Homes has been chosen by Conde Nast’s The World of Interiors — the global magazine “showcasing the stylish and unexpected” — as one of its recommended illustrated non-fiction books for the Christmas holidays.

The book was written by London-based Gina Consing McAdam and gorgeously photographed by award-winning international photographer Siobhan Doran with over 200 pages of interiors rarely seen by the public.

In his annual roundup of favorite titles, published in the December 2024 issue of The World of Interiors published on 7 November, book editor Damian Thompson observes, “A chandelier of cascading capiz shells, carved calados transoms for ventilation, an ancient banyan tree shading ‘pot-bellied’ barrigon grilles...Despite 300 years of Spanish rule, and much briefer US occupation, indigenous elements abound in Houses that Sugar Built: An Intimate Portrait of Philippine Ancestral Homes...though they are embedded inside 1920s and 30s dwellings with a recognisably Neoclassical, American Colonial or Art Deco flavour. It’s this blend developed by hacienderos, who prospered trading their island’s chief commodity, that makes the tableaux so toothsome.”

He also praises the “intimate character” of the interiors featured in the book, citing how McAdam was raised in one such house in Manila, the portraits taken by Doran of the homeowners and the tales of “Japanese occupation and memories of mahjong on the veranda.”

Historic ancestral mansions

The sumptuous 260 page Houses that Sugar Built features 23 historic and ancestral mansions located in Iloilo, Negros Occidental and Pampanga built by sugar planters when demand for Philippine sugar was at its peak in the world market. 

Published worldwide by US-based Oro editions, it was produced over five years, with both UK-based authors traveling back and forth to the Philippines numerous times before the project was completed. 

The book was first launched in the Philippines in January 2024 at the Molo Mansion (owned by SM Prime, and the ancestral home of the Yusay-Consing family) and subsequently in London at Hatchard’s Piccadilly, London’s oldest bookstore, in April, attended by guest speaker H.E. Ambassador Teodoro L. Locsin Jr. and Mrs. Louie Barcelon-Locsin.

Said Siobhan Doran, an architectural photographer born in Ireland, whose “Sala Mayor” series from Houses that Sugar Built won first prize in the Architecture & Design category of the 2024 Sony World Photography Awards, “I’m delighted that the book has been recommended by The World of Interiors. Looking back, it was exciting to have the chance to visit and observe these Philippine ancestral houses in their almost stage-like setting.”

Doran said it was her “responsibility to produce photographs that were sensitive to the place and time when these homes were built, and I very much wanted to create images that would allow the reader to feel wonderment and even connection, and to contemplate their own homes and lives. Overseeing the design and production of our beautiful book was a continuation of this responsibility.”

A great honor

For her part, McAdam, whose family roots are in the Philippine sugar industry, and who carried out extensive research and interviews for her memoir and each of the 23 house chapters in the book, said, “Being recommended by The World of Interiors is such a great honor because for over 40 years the magazine has been at the forefront of discerning and extraordinary interior design from all over the world.”

The Filipino-born communications consultant and writer enthused, “It’s such a tribute to our Philippine houses, as well as to everyone involved in producing and promoting the book, not least the owners and heirs, our creative collaborators Ian McDonald, Paula Hickey and Nina Lim Yuson, our expert advisors and generous sponsors.”

Added McAdam, “It has always been our mission to raise the profile of Philippine culture and heritage to a wider audience, including a generation unaware of these magnificent houses and the stories of the people who built them. For me, Houses that Sugar Built has been very much a passion project, and I can truly appreciate how a lovingly maintained ancestral home symbolizes not just the longevity of craftsmanship and design, but the preservation and continuity of family, community and cherished traditions.”

Houses that Sugar Built: An Intimate Portrait of Philippine Ancestral Homes is published by Oro Editions and is available in the Philippines at SM Kultura, Bookmark and Fully Booked. 

The authors have also made available a collectible Artist Edition Signed Book (limited edition of 100) with one signed and numbered Archival Giclee print from a choice of four images. The book is presented in a hardback fabric covered in a blind debossed sleeve.