When that Harry Potter-themed café opened its little red door to the adoring Maginhawa crowd, it caused quite a stir. And it should. After all, how many little red doors in this tropical country can transport you straight to Hogsmeade? The only question now is, “Are you a Gryffindor or a Slytherin?”

I’m a big fan of the books, even the movies. But I’m probably the biggest fan of The Nook Café because my sisters not only designed the café interiors, they also painstakingly hand painted the murals that adorn its walls.

Before The Nook Café officially opened, my last few weekends in Manila were spent checking in on how my sisters’ interior design gig was unfolding. What the EF᎐, a small design firm owned and operated by Thomasian architects Anne Eustaquio and Ding Flores, brought the café walls to life. Every detail was carefully planned, hand drawn and meticulously painted.

I remember setting dinners at restaurants in Maginhawa so my sisters could take a break and eat with us. We ate mostly at Empire Steak, owned by our good friend, Conrad Legaspi.

The Nook Café opened a few weeks before I officially relocated to Malaysia. The café, despite its limited floor area, was packed with so many friends who supported Nicole Guanio, a young entrepreneur who attended the same university.

I’m proud to share some behind-the-scenes photos before The Nook Café was transformed into what it is now. There were nights when the only light accompanying my sister was a tall desk lamp they borrowed from our printing press.

All the hard work paid off. Lumos Maxima!