Carla Abellana grew up in the house of her grandmother, former LVN star Delia Razon. When the young actress moved out recently, her lola was initially quite upset.
Granddaughter realized it was the empty nest syndrome that was bothering her lola. But Carla wanted to spread her own wings.
Before joining show biz as GMA 7’s titular “Rosalinda,” she had promised her mom, former TV star Rea Reyes, a place they could call their own.
In a little over a year, she got to fulfill her mom’s wish: They moved to a three-story, four-room townhouse in Quezon City—just a few minutes away from Delia’s residence.
“We chose this area because it’s near my lola’s home and the studio as well,” Carla noted.
Soon after settling in, Carla proudly showed off the new pad to Delia. “When she saw our place, she was happy. Lola told me that I was just like her young self.”
“I’m glad that Carla put her earnings in a solid investment,” Delia said. “When I was starting in LVN, [producer] Doña Sisang [de Leon] taught me to invest wisely and helped me build my own house, too.”
Carla, her mom and siblings personally spruced up the place. “We did the interiors ourselves,” she said.
Carla related that her mom had scoured various places to find the perfect pieces of furniture, “from SM Our Home to the bazaars of Dapitan and San Juan. Some of the pieces were custom-made.”
Mom found the antique cross in Dapitan and the candleholders in Rustan’s department store.
The picture divider, which displays Carla and Rea’s baby photos, was from Crossings.
An entire hallway is lined with black-and-white photos of family travels and other happy occasions. “We printed out the pictures ourselves and had them framed,” Carla said.
Mom took care of the butterfly stencil designs in the washroom, too, said Carla.
The dining set, which seats eight, was specially made for them. “It has six seats and a bench. The wall accent in the dining area is from Home Depot. It was originally white, but I painted it black,” said Rea.
The wall accent is an exact replica of the headboard in mom Rea’s bedroom.
The sofa set is another find from Our Home.
“It doesn’t have an exact theme. Even though the place is brand-new, we wanted a comfy, lived-in look,” Rea said.
“Mom calls it shabby chic,” Carla said. “It’s modern and cozy.”
The whole family got involved in the renovation process. “I gave them swatches and made them choose the paint colors for their bedrooms,” her mom recounted.
Carla chose a soothing shade of blue and gray for hers. Her sister Erika picked blue and her brother Karl, green. Mom’s room is painted green and gray.
The house was a pet project for Carla and family.
“I just needed help with the walk-in closet. My sister’s friend, Jiezl Sunga who’s an interior designer, chose the wallpaper for the closet,” said Carla.
Another source of pride for the Kapuso actress—who now top-bills the afternoon soap “Kung Aagawin Mo ang Langit”—is the closet, which reveals her being a stickler for order and cleanliness.
Neatly arranged in the storage room are rows upon rows of shoes and bags, dresses and gowns.
“A friend gifted me with personalized hangers—printed with my initials CA,” Carla said.
The young homeowner has always been disciplined and determined, said mom Rea.
A cum laude graduate of De La Salle University (with a degree in Psychology), Carla was a consistent honor student, her mom recalled.
“She was on the dean’s list eight out of nine semesters. She only didn’t make it in the first sem,” mom said. “She was still adjusting then and had a hard time commuting. She was taking the MRT.”
Rea isn’t a bit surprised that Carla was able to achieve a lot in her first two years in the biz: “Carla has always been driven. She tries to excel in everything she gets into.”
“Kung Aagawin” leading man Mike Tan agreed: “Carla has changed a lot since we last worked together in ‘Rosalinda.’ She has improved so much as an actress. She knows what to do and always comes to the set prepared.”
Proof of the pudding is the Star Awards best new actress trophy displayed in her home, for her performance in the “Punerarya” episode of “Shake, Rattle & Roll XII.”
Recently, she won another honor for the same movie as best performer, given by the Young Critics’ Circle. She also received glowing feedback for her latest drama movie, Regal’s “My Neighbor’s Wife.”
She regards all these accolades as reward for her hard work, so much like the new home—which is just the perfect fit for Carla and her mom.
“I used to think that the place was too big for us,” Rea said. “But now, it feels just right.”
Mom added: “Since Carla has her own key, she doesn’t have to wake up the entire household when she returns late from tapings and shootings.”
The house, said Carla, is their comfort zone: “Here, I can let my hair down and hang out with my family.”
Another important nook is the kitchen, lined with colorful mosaic tiles.
“I cook steaks and pasta dishes,” Carla beamed. “A friend is a pastry chef and we often bake cookies and cupcakes here.”
Niece Eva Noelle, who turns four on Dec. 12, loves her aunt Carla’s baked goodies.
The little girl, who is Rea’s favorite as well, is one great reason to stay at home.
“When she was younger, Eva called me Auntie Ganush. Now she calls (Carla’s boyfriend) Geoff Eigenmann, Tito Geoff Ganush,” Carla said.
Geoff has become chummy with Carla’s family as well.
At the time of the Living Stars visit, Geoff, who had just arrived from the United States, dropped by Carla’s place and joined Rea and Eva for merienda.
Since she’s busy with the series “Kung Aagawin” and the indie movies “Asiong Salonga” and “El Presidente,” Carla seldom gets to indulge in such simple joys as watching “Dog Whisperer” or Hollywood movies at home.
“I love watching horror flicks, romantic comedies and suspense thrillers on cable or the DVD player,” she said.
Recently, the family acquired a pet dog, Patches, a five-month-old Jack Russell Terrier.
“Patches is sweet and precious. I’m a dog lover. In my lola’s house, we have eight dogs running around in the garden. We even have rabbits and a parrot,” Carla recounted.
E-mail the author at: bayanisandiego@hotmail.com