t 25, and at the rate film projects have been coming his way, he can very well afford to have a pad of his own. In fact, his mother tells him: “Gusto ko magkaro'n ko ng townhouse.” But Yul Servo (real name: John Marvin Nieto) is in no hurry to leave the nest. Right now, he prefers to stay in the Nieto family house. And when you see how he is with his family, you begin to understand his reluctance to leave home.

The Nieto's three-story abode in New Manila, Quezon City , serves as both residence and workplace. The first floor houses the office of one of the Nieto's numerous businesses, Ads Republic, which makes advertising billboards. On the second and third floor is where the family lives, where they spend time just hanging out – “nagmimiting-miting,” as Yul's mom puts it, “kuwentuhan lang.”

What makes it stand out is that it looks like it has been touched by King Midas. A golden glow suffuses the house. Most of the furniture is painted gold-gold chairs, gold tables, gold cabinets, gold headboards for the beds.

Credit for their home's unique look goes to Yul's parents. Dad Glenn is an architect, and mom Zenaida, though she has never had any formal training in interior design, is ahome-decorating enthusiast. “'Yong design, talagang hilig ko na ‘yon,” Zenaida Nieto says. “Ako nag-design niyang mga kurtina… lahat.”

Yul's parents believe that gold brings the family luck. Glenn Nieto is in fact so crazy about the soft yellow metal that he now wants to change the color of this black Mercedes to—you guessed it—gold!

East meets West in the Nietos's spacious living room. The high-back chairs with elaborate carvings are reminiscent of the baroque design popular in Europe in the 17 th century. The curtains, mad in Cainta, Rizal, are of Victorian design. The furniture's European motif complements the Chinese jars that mommy Zenaida bought in Quiapo.

Yul's dad, Glenn, is an avid collector of horses. Here, Yul poses with the largest horse in the house, an almost five-foot-tall sculpture made of narra.

And automatic glass sliding door with an aquatic design leads to the living room. On the wall of the living room hangs a painting of wild horses that daddy Glenn bought in Hong Kong . Below it is a small piano where pictures of Yul and his siblings are displayed. Yul says he used to play the piano: “Kaso sa una lang, e. Di na nagtuloy-tuloy.”

Yul cozies up with his parents. Note the strong physical resemblance between Yul and his dad. The two men even sport the same hairstyle—cut short at the front, but with a foot-long buntot at the back. Says mommy Zenaida: “Lahat ng anak ko, kamukha ng daddy nila, e. Wala ‘atang kumuha sa akin.”

Behind the dining room table is a cabinet with some of mommy Zenaida's precious china. Most of the furniture in the house was made in Betis, Pampanga. All in all, she figures, the wooden furniture is worth almost P2 million.

During the house shoot, mommy Zenaida's kitchen staff served a hearty lunch for the YES! Staff. Naturally, the food was served with 24-karat gold-plated utensils!

Near the dining table is Yul's mug collection. He bought some of these mugs abroad. One was given to him by a Belgian restaurateur who ,upon learning that Yul had won the best-actor award in the Brussels filmfest, immediately asked for his autograph.

When he saw this sword in the house of film director-producer Joey Gosiengfiao, Yul impulsively asked for it. “Binigay naman.”

Yul himself has struck gold. Behold his numerous best-actor trophies, both local and international: from Star Awards, 2003, for Laman; the Manila Film Festival (MFF), 2004, for Naglalayag; the Cinemanila International Film Festival, 2001, for Batang West Side; and the Brussels International Film Festival, 2002, for Batang West Side, and 2004, for Naglalayag. He also received a medal from city government of Brussels during a courtesy call. And he's only 25!

But Yul is the first to downplay his success, saying that getting to the core of his characters doesn't come easy for him: “Hindi katulad nung ibang artista na pagpitikm ayun na kaagad.” The multi-awarded actor will soon star in Sa Ilalim Ng Kugon, directed by Rico Ilarde. Yul plays a former marine who is nursing a broken heart after his wife leaves him, and who later meets a woman (Julia Clarete) living in a mysterious mansion.

For almost a year now, Yul has been breeding pigeons, which he keeps in a cage on the rooftop. “Pag may shooting ako, iniitsa ko ‘yong kalapati kung sa'n ako may shooting. ‘Yong mga tanga, hindi bumabalik.” The smarter pigeons come back to their cage in a day or two.

Yul, who used to work as a house painter in Tondo, Manila , painted his bedroom walls himself.- -