Roxanne Roxas of Rox Interiors — From Dream to Reality

Five days after graduation, Roxanne Roxas had a ₱1M project. She did not know how to do a cost estimate, and she had to ask what a drill bit was. She said yes anyway. Ten years later, she is the CEO and Senior Designer of Rox Interiors, a firm where she is both the designer and the licensed contractor.

Roxanne sat down with Philippine Tool Talks for the Builder Insider Series to talk about passion, grit, gratitude, and what it takes to build a company in construction. She also designed a bedroom on the spot, using nothing but a zodiac sign.

Featured Builder

Roxanne Roxas

CEO & Senior Designer · Rox Interiors

In the industry: 10 years | Credentials: Licensed contractor, color analyst | Scope: Interior design to construction

Design-BuildInterior DesignInterior Fit-OutConstruction

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Who is Roxanne Roxas?

The host's first question was the hardest one. "Hindi ko pa nahanap sarili ko," Roxanne joked, before settling on a longer answer: a friend, a daughter, a lover, a sinner and a saint, a dancer, a dreamer, a visionary, a leader. Kidding aside, she has been in the construction business for 10 years. She is also a color analyst, a graduate of the Philippine School of Interior Design, and a licensed contractor.

Make your passion your profession

It started with loving what she does. Roxanne credits her parents, who are ballet dancers, for understanding what it means to build a life around passion. Plenty of parents, she points out, would say there is no money in interior design or fashion. Hers told her to make her passion her profession, and she says it turned out to be true.

The other part of the story is simpler: she never wanted an 8 to 5.

A ₱1M project, five days after graduation

Right after graduation, a client came in. Five days later, she had a million-peso project. Her explanation is manifestation: if it is real, she says, she is a living testament to it.

She is also honest about what she did not know. Cost estimating was new to her, and so was most of the tool vocabulary. Her first project was design and build. When asked whether she faced it head on or thought it through, her answer was both. She researched, humbled herself, and asked engineers and the carpentero kuyas how things were done.

"I never say no. I just say yes all the time."

D-E-S-I-G-N-E-R: the values behind Rox Interiors

The team's core values spell out DESIGNER, and Roxanne walked through every letter:

• D, Design chameleon. The team adapts to each client's personality and needs, whether that means boho, industrial, or neoclassic.
• E, Empathy. With clients, with people, and with suppliers. She says a low-empathy hire is a no.
• S, Synergy. Architects, engineers, and suppliers all have to work together.
• I, Integrity. It is the foundation of the work, and integrity as a person. In 10 years, she says, they have not cheated anyone.
• G, Grit and gratitude. More on this below.
• N, Nifty design. Geometric shapes and playful color. Even their small office is rounded and inviting, so it looks bigger on camera.
• E, Efficiency. Fast design turnaround and fast construction. Ten years, no major delays, and she hopes nobody jinxes it.
• R, Role model. Everyone on the team is a role model for something, from the causes they care about to how they carry themselves. Hers is women empowerment, so that people can look up to you.

Grit and gratitude, even for the hard clients

Instead of complaining, she says, say thank you. Her line for tough problems: "Thank you sa problem na 'to, kaya ko 'to gawin." That, she says, is the difference. Not every office is perfect, but you fix it and keep the mindset.

The same goes for the clients who are hard to please:

"Thank you sa mahirap na clients. Pag binibigay sa'min ni Lord 'to, ibig sabihin kaya namin."

Bankrupt at 26, and still grateful

That gratitude was tested early. Roxanne went bankrupt at 26, during the pandemic, with nothing left. Looking back, she is grateful that it happened when she was single, before she had a family to think about. It made her stronger with finances, and clearer about who to trust.

Losing 7 to 8 digits, and bouncing back

Asked about the challenge that tested her the most, personal life or business, Roxanne chose business, and she was candid about it. When it comes to business, she says, she bounces back, even after losing seven to eight digits. She has been through heartbreak, betrayal, and being cheated, even by people she trusted.

What got her through? A client once told her something she still remembers: "Pera lang yan. Kaya mo yan kitain ulit." That is how she thinks about business: money can be earned again. The harder things, she admits, are the ones she cannot control, like reputation and matters of the heart. But when it comes to the next business challenge, her answer is "bring it on."

How long does it take her to get back up? About a week of feeling it, then back to work.

"Bangon ulit. Wala naman choice eh. May choice ka ba? Wala."

Designer and licensed contractor

It is a rare combination, and the host asked why she took on both. Her answer: they want to see the dream become reality. When another contractor builds it, she says, the quality can change. Doing both also means balancing the left and right brain, creativity on one side and logic on the other.

"Design is fun, it's passion. Madali siya. Mahirap magconstruct, guys. Construction is business."

She is also a fan of under-promising. Her team tells clients a bedroom fit-out takes 20 to 30 days, then finishes in about 10. Fit-out is her lane. She says she is not structural.

The chameleon in action: a bedroom from a zodiac sign

To show what "design chameleon" means, Roxanne designed a bedroom live. She started with feelings: what do you want to feel at home? The host wanted rest, a book nook, big windows, something dark, and a classical lean. Then came the birthday. April means Taurus, and her read of a Taurus: grounded, loves to eat, loves to read. The result: a dark, mid-century bedroom with a book nook.

Her point is that good design starts with what people feel, not only what they say they want.

No connections, 10 to 20 emails, one magazine feature

Asked about a project she is proud of, Roxanne says she is proud of everything, including big projects with partner contractors where her team handles the design. But it goes back to humble beginnings, to that first project, the one that ended up in Condo Living.

Roxanne is quick to clear something up: "Wala akong koneksyon." She did not have a family connection in construction, and she did not ask her parents for money to buy power tools. She built it from the ground up.

That meant sending 10 to 20 emails asking if her work could be featured, and spending her own money on a photographer. Condo Living eventually reached out. The project earned, the client was happy, and it was featured. Back then, social media was not as big and magazines were the big stage, so being told her work was magazine-worthy meant a lot. She calls it very humbling.

Grinder, drill, and the riveter

This is Philippine Tool Talks, so the host asked what a new construction business needs first. Roxanne started at 21, and the first things she bought were a grinder and a drill, plus a riveter. She laughs that she had to Google what a riveter was. As a fit-out specialist, not a structural one, the grinder and the drill remain her must-haves. In the Quick Fire round, she names the riveter as the most underrated tool on a job site.

Leading a team with empathy

Behind every space is a team. Roxanne says she loves hers, and that they know it. People she has worked with over the years are still in touch with her, and she can still feel their presence.

Her advice for leading: always keep grit and gratitude, and do not let them go. Being an empath is a strength, she says. It can be a weakness too, because people may take advantage of you, but you learn to filter out the good from the bad.

And what is Miss Rox like when things get intense? Light and even a bit of a comedian most days, she says, but when it is pukpukan time, "medyo commander," very warrior-like. That balance, she adds, is what a business needs to keep running.

Young Builder of the Month, and being underestimated

Roxanne was also named Young Builder of the Month early in her career. Asked what that meant to her, she was honest: it was an ego boost. But more than that, she says she was grateful that people were seeing what she does in business.

She knows how she can look to people: very kikay, a girl, and small. In construction, she says, she was underestimated, especially when she was younger. It happens less now, and she feels she has finally been accepted, along with more women in construction.

"Don't judge a book by its cover. I'm not a book."

On site: plan, think, ask, then act

What is a day like for Roxanne on site? She starts with her planner. She plans before she goes in head on, and she always thinks before she acts. She asks her engineer friends what to do, gathers data, and then moves. Once she starts, she says, she is very fast.

Her advice for aspiring business owners

Her advice starts with a warning. Construction is no joke. You have to be ready, and you have to be passionate. Love your people, but know that there is a limit, because some people will take advantage of you. Balance it all out. In her own words, the team's chameleon core is what ties it together: you have to analyze, you have to act, you have to feel, and you have to relate to people.

"If you wanna start a business, construction is no joke. Number 1, you have to be ready. You have to be passionate."

Quick Fire Questions

• Favorite material to design with? Lime wash.
• Most underrated tool on a job site? The riveter.
• A dream project you haven't landed yet? A kids' playground.
• Describe Rox Interiors in one word? Happiness.

About Rox Interiors

Rox Interiors is a Philippine design and build firm led by CEO and Senior Designer Roxanne Roxas, with 10 years in the industry. The team handles interior design, fit-out, and construction, working across styles from boho to industrial to neoclassic. Asked to describe Rox Interiors in one word, Roxanne said "happiness." Follow Rox Interiors on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok for their project work.

Contact Rox Interiors
Facebook: Rox Interiors
Instagram: @rox.interiors
TikTok: @rox.interiors
Email: interiors.designthatrox@gmail.com