Inside Muradito, Quezon City's Secret Wonderland of Plates

(SPOT.ph) If it weren’t for the three women we spotted coming out of the unassuming black gate in the middle of this quiet neighborhood in Sulu, Quezon City—a younger, stylish lady and a pair of beautiful aunties who might pass for her older sisters—we wouldn’t have been able to figure out that we’ve found the entrance to what not a few have called their happy place: Muradito Home. To those not yet in the know, it is many a city homemaker’s secret spot for all things tableware, and today, like the three ladies before us, we’re about to discover its magic for ourselves.

First-time visitors will naturally stop and wonder if they’re in the right place. It’s a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it kind of entrance, after all. Nestled quietly along the string of residential structures that have more pops of color than one would actually expect in the Muradito facade, it bears no bright neon sign that says yes, you’ve arrived at the Wonderland of Tableware. So, like Alice and the rabbit hole, you just gotta hop in through the small gap in the plain black gate. Anyway, there’s also a guardhouse where you can ask if you’re in the right place.

The first thing that greets you upon entry is a wall dotted with plates and mugs of various shapes and colors. Here’s a tip: This is one of the best spots to take a selfie, so go ahead and aim that phone camera before you venture deeper. Because it’s highly likely you’ll lose yourself in stacks upon stacks of plates, mugs, bowls, and glasses, all in a myriad of colors and shapes and dizzying prints.

Keeping the place hidden was intentional, says Karen Baltazar, owner of Muradito Home. But it has, over the years, become an open secret amongst tableware enthusiasts and restaurant and cafe owners. Still, it has kept that “if you know, you know” charm, especially around the neighborhood.

Karen shares that aside from their kapitbahays, familiar faces like her school teachers and even the barangay captain have ventured into Muradito’s halls. They get visitors from faraway places, too, like those aunties we saw on our first visit. And then there’s us: trying to look stoic arriving here on assignment, but giddy just below the surface, excited to get our hands on the merch like kids in a candy store. Somewhere in our homes, after all, there’s a cupboard, a console, a shelf waiting to be filled with our Muradito haul.

“Some of my first customers were my old schoolmates who messaged me out of curiosity, saying they wanted to visit the warehouse,” shares Baltazar. “Then, friends of my siblings started coming too, followed by friends from high school who were excited to see what we were building.”

Anyone can waltz in and explore the wonderland that Baltazar created. Despite it being technically a store, the warehouse feels more like an actual home filled with a covetable collection of tableware. And aptly enough, they call the space “ware-home”. The place looks lived-in, despite being filled with never-before-used plates, mugs, glasses, utensils, bowls, and so on. It may even remind some of their storage room back at home: a bit cluttered and messy, but surprisingly curated with much thought and care.

There are mismatched chairs that surround a long table. In some corners, there are wooden cabinets that hold precious tableware —not unlike your lola’s aparador that you’re only allowed to open during the holiday season. The quotes written on hanging signs are reminiscent of the ones moms used to frame and hang on their walls at home.

Plates and bowls that look aesthetically or thematically similar are grouped together in sections to make browsing easier, with accessories and props in different corners to help shoppers visualize their future space and the kind of look they want to achieve. The long table is an open invite to set plates and mugs down to help you see your vision more clearly. It’s a small gesture from the owner, but one that can really have a big impact on your experience—a testament to Baltazar and her team’s mission to not just help the shopper find the right pieces, but to help find the right pieces for you.

And if you’ve got an idea or inspiration but can’t seem to find the right elements, the store's staff are more than glad to help you find what you’re looking for. They’ll even accompany you on your quest to discover the pieces that will complete your desired vibe. Plates shaped like fruits and vegetables? Right in the middle. Bowls and saucers that look like fish? You got it. The plates and bowls are stacked on top of each other, and it will definitely do clumsy people good to be careful once inside the store premises.

The items are not arranged willy-nilly, either; in fact, since the holiday season is rolling in, the Muradito Home staff has made sure the Christmas-themed tableware are right in front and functioning as the ware-home’s welcoming committee.

The amount of stuff that fight over your attention might get overwhelming at first. But in no time you’ll find the space familiar and homey. And with prices that fit a wide range of budgets, the offerings are not intimidating at all. If anything, you’re likely to check out more items in this well-lit, cozy place that honors your pace, mannedby staff trained not to hound you unless you ask for assistance.

Oh, and did we mention cats roam around the space, too? The people at Muradito Home make sure to keep them fed and safe.

Maybe Muradito feels so much like a home because it used to be one. One that witnessed its longtime dwellers grow up. Before it became the store that it is now, part of the space used to just be the Baltazar family residence—tucked in a corner of the lot. Adjacent to their old family home, where the tableware shop now stands, is where Karen and her siblings used to play around as kids. This part of the lot would become a car shop managed by Karen’s brother. Years later, it would transform into this not-so-little hole-in-the-wall, the tableware haven that Muradito Home has become.

More than a store and business, the Muradito Home warehouse is an ode to Baltazar’s childhood memories, as well as to her and her mother’s shared love for homemaking. Here is where she and her mom set the family dining table together, where celebrating Christmases, birthdays, and major milestones felt more special than anywhere else. Time may have passed, and the Baltazars have all moved on to different personal addresses, but it’s the memories that Karen honors and wants to share with every Muradito Home visitor when they step into this space. It’s the feeling of coming home every day from school that Karen wants to replicate and share with every one who ventures into Muradito’s corners—warm, familiar, and cozy—mixed with the excitement of what awaits inside.

“It’s part of the charm,” shares Baltazar of the store’s past. “I love the idea that those who find us are the ones who truly appreciate our products, our story, and the experiences we create. There’s that sense of surprise every time they visit.”

Filipinos are known for their hospitality. Moms like to whip out all the special porcelain and silver just for the guests. Karen and her mom are no different; the two tag-team when it comes to cooking and setting up the table during family gatherings.

“[My Mom] would come up with a theme: sometimes festive, sometimes simple and classic, and then we’d start picking plates, glasses, and [do] little touches together,” Karen recalls. “We were both so hands-on, even with tiny details like napkin folds or flowers.”

Karen’s mom didn’t have just that one special set of China others would pull out for special celebrations; they have a few to choose from and each set had their own time to shine. Every single plate was special and setting the table never felt like a chore; it was a chance to bond. All their tableware was accumulated from trips abroad, mostly in China where the Baltazars also have a home. Hunting for tableware and home items drew the mother and daughter even closer.

“Those memories with my mom when I was young have the biggest influence on what I do now with Muradito Home. It’s where my love for tableware and creating meaningful spaces truly began,” says Karen.

And so it comes as no surprise that Karen now loves hosting gatherings in her own place, putting special attention on the table setting—always themed, of course—much like how she and her mom used to do it. Meanwhile, Karen the business owner functions similarly at Muradito Home. But instead of working with mom, she works with her team of eight to decide which pieces to acquire and sell, and where and how the pieces should be displayed.

It’s where Karen found her love for arranging and styling, and now she’s turned it into something bigger, for a bigger community of people with the same passion: making tables and spaces beautiful.

The name Muradito actually came from Karen’s mom. Muradito Home traces its beginnings from when the family sold furniture in Tutuban back in 2017, with a little bit of tableware at first until Karen decided to pull out their stocks from Tutuban and transfer them to her Mom’s garage in Parañaque. The tableware was the easiest to move out, and so they decided to focus on it. Karen was living in Quezon City then and managed everything purely online.

When the pandemic hit, Muradito Home went into survival mode, but not once did they think of closing the business.

In fact, this blazed a path for Muradito Home and its tableware. They needed to make the everyday more special, just like it always was in Karen's childhood home. “[Since] people couldn’t go out [that time], they started creating restaurant-like meals at home for their loved ones,” Karen muses. “It was a chance to serve them, and for Muradito Home to be part of their everyday moments at the table.”

Aside from the warehouse in Quezon City, the Baltazars recently opened another spot in Alabang. Their second branch, which opened in 2023, looks and serves as a typical warehouse and is in a much more visible location along the West Service Road in Muntinlupa.

Karen herself picks which pieces deserve to be in Muradito Home. Her one criterion? “Kailangan si Muradito Home lang ‘yung meron,” she says. They source their ceramics both locally and internationally; there are pieces from China, Vietnam, Thailand, and India.

At the QC store, you can see firsthand how unique pieces transform Muradito Home not just into a wonderful haven of tableware, but also a comforting, immersive shopping experience that can’t be found anywhere else. Similarly, with just a few well-chosen pieces, it isn’t difficult to turn your space into something more special and that much more interesting.

Muradito Home’s pieces have also found their way to dining and hospitality spaces, elevating your stay or dining experience. Some of the popular hotels and restaurants surrounding the warehouse in Quezon City come and buy their wares in bulk. Stoneware is a popular pick among these establishments, shares Karen whose own personal taste leans towards a modern aesthetic.

Even celebrities and famous personalities make their way to this tableware cornucopia, the owner shares. Muradito Home makes sure these satisfied customers leave behind a memento: by leaving a message and signature on the display plates.

“Small Laude picked some of the Lemon and Cabbage collection, while Grace Poe bought simpler and elegant tableware,” Karen shares.

In a way, these plates, mugs, and bowls are technically just vessels for food and nourishment. But they’re really more than that. The store honors these seemingly simple, mundane things, believing in their power to transform everyday dining into something special.

While they’ve already started in Quezon City and Alabang, Karen wants to bring Muradito Home to more corners of the Philippines—starting with Cebu, Davao, and someday, Iloilo.

“But more than opening new branches, it’s really about sharing the warmth and sense of belonging that began in Sulu Street,” says Karen.

“Every plate, every table, and every shared meal tells a story. We want those stories to reach more homes and inspire more gatherings filled with love and connection. Wherever Muradito Home goes, we want people to feel that they’ve found not just a store, but a home.”