Furniture that’s built to last—and stay
Walking into the newly renovated Minotti Manila showroom in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig, feels like walking into a home. The space is aspirational, for sure, decorated in premium pieces from across the brand’s various eras while highlighting its latest collection. The rooms are sizable, with high ceilings and ample walking space between gorgeous pieces of furniture. The palette is sophisticated, a mixture of neutrals and rich, earthy hues.
But far from being staid or intimidating—as might be expected of a luxury brand store—it feels welcoming. Comfortable, even.
And that’s just how Living Innovations founder and general manager Ferdie Ong likes it. “We wanted a space that people could imagine living in as their own.”
The home, after all, should put a smile on its owner’s face after a tiring day, and be a place to culminate with the family and make stories, he told Lifestyle.
Sanctuary
“I think the home is a place where it’s safe,” he added. “As a business person, we’d like to treat the home as our sanctuary. So we want to make it nice for the clients when they go home. When we set the living room, and they say, ‘Ah, ang ganda,’ we know we’ve done our job.”
The renovation became an opportunity to show how Minotti furniture from any period could be mixed and matched, and still look modern. The partnership between the Italian luxury furniture maker and Living Innovations started way back in 2002.
“A great feature of Minotti furniture is that a sofa from 2024 would still match a table from 2005,” Ong said in a statement. “This allows you to add to your collection throughout the years.”
When planning a space, the main concern should be function, according to Ong: What does the room need to be? What do you want to do in it?
“Some people want the space to be for entertaining. Some people want to have it as a relaxing space. It really depends on what you want to do,” he said. “We have clients who just don’t want other guests. We have clients who really want it for the family and want it really cozy. So it depends.”
“Our job is to ask those questions to create that home for them that’s catered to their look.”
And the good thing about Minotti pieces is that these are not just built to last, but also built to stay. Part of its timeless appeal lie not only in its transcendent and enduring designs. “We last 20-plus years,” said Ong.
Admittedly, their products can be expensive. But one must always look at furniture from a macro perspective.
“If you divide it by 20 (years), the cost isn’t that much,” added Ong. “But what we save is the experience and the time for you to look for a new sofa. If you’re fixing a home, how long does it take for you to find that perfect piece? Imagine doing it every two years?
“What we bring is that quality and service: You order from us, we’ll deliver it to your home, put it in the right place, you wouldn’t have to think about it.”
And the service continues even beyond customization and delivery. “We constantly look for new products to make sure to keep the longevity of our products. Even if it’s not related to the brand, as a furniture company, we try to go out of our way.”
An example of that is finding a way to protect sofas or marble surfaces from stains. So the team found TuffSkin marble countertop sealer and ProtectMe fabric protector and has been offering them to clients as well.
“We take that headache. That, I think, is true luxury. We have the opportunity to give you an answer, a solution to your problem, and that’s what we’re here for,” Ong said.
