MANILA -- Julia Barretto has proudly opened the doors of her home -- a result of years of hard work in the entertainment industry -- to "TV Patrol" anchor Karen Davila.

In the broadcast journalist's latest vlog, Barretto said she tapped an interior designer and an architect to design her space, which features "pieces that I love put together."

The actress has been living in her own house for three years. "We started building this home when I was 19, finished when I was 22, and now I'm 25," she said.

The living area is Barretto's favorite part of the house. She enjoys reading a book and resting on the cream sofa and chairs, with an abstract painting providing a pop of color to the space.

According to the actress, she purchased many of her home accents in Baguio.

"It's the best," she said of the country's summer capital. "Kasi para rin akong old soul... I like modern tapos meron ding old touch, vintage pieces."

Proudly local furniture can also be seen in the dining area. Barretto believes that it is best to prioritize quality not just in building the house, but also in decorating it.

"When you build hour house with quality materials, mas magla-last siya at mas konti 'yung gastos in the long run," she explained. "So sabi ko, I'll invest in really good quality furniture. Everything was budgeted, but I didn't want to... ayokong ma-compromise 'yung magiging life ko rito sa first house ko."

In the vlog, Barretto introduced her only companion at home, Annabelle. She said her assistant helps her in cooking and cleaning her space.

"I only have one house help and nagtutulungan kami rito," she said, as she showed Davila her open kitchen.

Also on the ground floor is a patio that showcased locally made outdoor furniture. Barretto can't help but recall her family's humble beginnings as she looked at the fruits of her hard work.

"Growing up, we had to move to 14 houses, all rentals, because we never owned a home," she admitted. "At the time, my parents were struggling, my mom was struggling. Ang dami kong dreams noong bata ako na 'di ko na-fulfill because we didn't have enough money to keep going. We didn't always have it easy and that is also why I started working at a really young age."

"[Eventually] Mom was able to buy a townhouse for our family. We all had to sleep in one room, or sleep with mom... But you know, we never really had that self-pity mentality. We were always very intact as a family," she added.

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