Twenty Third By Deanne: How A House Becomes A Home

Home and lifestyle brand Twenty Third by Deanne brings meaningful, artisanal designs to everyday spaces, transforming them into personal havens.

Before Twenty Third by Deanne became a space, or even a name, it was a point of view. One that Deanne Lim sharpened in San Francisco, where historic buildings sit next to raw concrete, and creativity pulses through a young, passionate creative scene. The city’s steady hustle introduced her to a world of experimentation and momentum.

“Being surrounded by that environment pushed me toward design that feels grounded, textural, and human,” she shares with Lifestyle Asia. “I became less interested in trends and more drawn to pieces that feel lived-in, thoughtful, and timeless—things that don’t try too hard, but still say something.”

Now, Twenty Third by Deanne comes closer to home. With the opening of a new showroom in Makati, Deanne returns to the Philippines, ready to help turn every house into a home, one striking piece at a time.

Desinger Deanne Lim returns to Manila with her home decor brand Twenty Third by Deanne

Here, There, And Back Again

Born and raised in Cagayan de Oro, Deanne moved to Manila after high school to study Interior Design at the College of Saint Benilde. She later relocated to San Francisco, landing a job as a Technical Space Designer at a furniture dealership, where she designed panel systems and commercial spaces. Shortly after, the pandemic arrived.

Quarantined at home, she began to see the importance of turning a “house” into a “home” and realized she wanted to create a brand that could bring unique pieces into people’s lives. It was during this period that the idea for Twenty Third by Deanne, an artisanal home decor brand with character, started to take shape.

“That pause gave me space to reflect on all the places I had been and the pieces I had encountered through my travels,” she shares. “I wanted to find a way to source those pieces and make them accessible, and that’s how Twenty Third started.”

The business originally operated out of her home. Deanne balanced her startup alongside her full-time job, with her mother helping pack orders after work and on weekends. They started humbly, selling vintage rug pillows sourced from Turkey, Morocco, and India, before expanding into handmade terracotta vessels and objects from Indonesia, Mexico, Japan, Korea, and China. Each piece was crafted by the skilled hands of artisans, their traditions, techniques, and histories integrated into the rhythm of the business’s operations. The result is a collection of pieces that settle naturally into a space, bringing a sense of rightness and harmony each time they enter a home.

Twenty Third by Deanne began as a small business in San Francisco during the pandemic. Today, it has a brand new showroom in Manila.

From Burned Out To Passion Fuel

Two years after its establishment, Twenty Third was thriving. So much so that Deanne decided to take a leap of faith and quit her full-time job. However, transforming it from a pandemic-born online shop into a full-fledged business wasn’t without its challenges. She admits to being completely burned out, to the point where she no longer felt inspired to continue. But she began to look inward, taking time for personal work, including therapy and conversations with other women who’d been through similar seasons. This helped her realize that burnout isn’t failure but a signal that something needed to change.

“I learned that this isn’t a race, but a long journey. I had to relearn how to rest without guilt, be present, and take things one day at a time,” she says. “That shift didn’t just change how I work—it changed how I lead and how I live, and ultimately helped me rebuild the business in a way that feels sustainable.”

With newfound energy, the business continued to grow. Today, they now have a showroom in Metro Manila, which Deanne considers a career milestone. The space not only houses the brand’s carefully sourced pieces, but also offers interior design services infused with that signature Twenty Third touch.

Home decor pieces spotted at the Twenty Thid by Deanne showroom

The Heart Of Twenty Third By Deanne

The new Twenty Third showroom embodies everything Deanne loves. From the design and layout to the smallest details and objects that inhabit the space, everything mirrors her personal vision, the kind that has been central to the brand from the start.

She explains, “The brand is really a reflection of my taste: what I’m drawn to, where I travel, and the things I love. Letting go of the pressure of what people might think and trusting my taste has been very freeing. My only goal has always been for the brand to resonate with people who genuinely connect with it.”

Before the showroom came into being, Deanne experienced her customers only through screens: orders, messages, and online reviews. But seeing people interact with the brand in person has changed everything. “Watching their reactions, hearing their stories, and feeling their excitement reminded me of why I started,” she says. “There’s something deeply meaningful about being invited into someone’s home, the most personal space there is. Knowing that something I created now lives there—that’s the ultimate validation.”

At the heart of Twenty Third is a balance between beauty and accessibility. Deanne loves beautiful things, but the brand was never meant to feel out of reach. The process is intuitive, one guided by feeling, collaboration, and a simple question she asks herself: Would I want this in my own home? It’s a philosophy that reveals a simple truth: that a house only becomes a home when its objects speak to the people who live there.