In celebration of Women’s Month, New Now Next salutes a luminous spirit of a modern visionary, and found the quintessential tribute to the Filipina. In the heart of Makati’s Chino Roces district, a jet-black sanctuary defies the ordinary. This is Mentxaka, the curated world of Doody Tuason — a woman who has quietly become the gold standard for the modern Filipina. Independent, confident, and unapologetically herself, Tuason isn’t just a tastemaker; she is a creative force navigating the world on her own terms.

A graduate of the Philippine School of Interior Design, Tuason has masterfully transformed a once-nondescript space into a floor-to-ceiling black gallery — a moody, jet-black sanctuary that serves as the ultimate, dramatic foil for her curated treasures. It is a masterclass in atmospheric design where sparkling “bare bulb” constellations dance against the darkness, casting a celestial glow over life-sized Italian sculptures and the tactile, earthy elegance of exquisite ceramics. In this curated world of Mentxaka, the aesthetic is undeniably high-octane luxury, yet it possesses a rare, visceral warmth that invites lingering; it is a space that doesn’t just display art, but breathes with the soulful, unapologetic confidence of the modern Filipina who built it.