Minotti reopens after renovation

MINOTTI’S showroom in Bonifacio Global City has a new look, and new collections to boot.

Living Innovations’ (which distributes the brand here; along with several other European brands) General Manager Ferdinand Ong toured us around the showroom on Dec. 3, showing off Minotti’s 2023 and 2024 collection.

There was a red marble-topped table supported by a steel column, and a beige couch with leather as fine as on any Italian handbag. There were green boucle sofas, with a texture resembling moss, with counterparts in white boucle appearing like snow. A round table was in the middle of a sunken area, decorated as if to be used for cocktails, signaling a return to glamorous entertaining: this was paired with a gorgeous white marble dining table, and a monolithic liquor cabinet.

For its 2024 Collection, Minotti collaborated with the Brazilian modernist styles of Marcio Kogan/Studio MK27, the Japanese tradition of Nendo, the Scandinavian philosophy of Italian-Danish duo GamFratesi, the eclectic design language of Hannes Peer, and Giampiero Tagliaferri’s unique fusion of Milanese and Californian aesthetics.

We noticed the changes in the showroom: a few walls have been knocked down, and the room was a little less bright, a deliberate choice: “We wanted to be more of a home setting, rather than a showroom,” said Mr. Ong in an interview.

The showroom has been here since 2014, though the brand had been distributed in the country since 2002. “Believe it or not, our first showroom was only 67 sqm (square meter) on the 2^nd floor of the Makati Shangri-La Retail Arcade,” he said. The new showroom now stands at 300 sqm.

KNOCKOFFS
When we visited Minotti’s showroom when it first opened in 2014, we noticed a tambourine-shaped table, in coffee table and end table configurations. Less than 10 years after, the style can now be found in many homes, nail salons, and other establishments: of course, it doesn’t mean that they’re actually from Minotti. Mr. Ong says about these cheap, ubiquitous knockoffs: “We do understand that copying is the biggest form of flattery,” he says, paraphrasing the aphorism. “We also understand that people should know that they’re buying a knockoff, if they are.”

He said that some customers who have bought these copies have come to their showroom to complain, professing their ignorance that luxury furniture could be copied. Some have bought knockoff versions of their couches, only for them to sink in two years.

“It’s sad when that happens,” Mr. Ong said in a mixture of English and Filipino. “But if they can’t buy (the real thing) because of budget, we’d like to explain to them what the difference is,” he said.

They offer other services and warranties for their products, but then, pointing out the two-year warranty on their sofas, he said, “But of course, most of our sofas do last 20-plus years.”

Perhaps part of the desire for Minotti is the changing needs of the client. “Now they want everything branded,” he said. “I think they want to entertain more at home, compared to before. The living room was not really used. Now, they want to use every part of the home.” Social media also comes into play, what with celebrity house tours. “The clients are more empowered, they’re more knowledgeable with what they want,” he said.

“Dati, ano lang sabihin ng architect nila, susundin nila (they used to just follow what their architect said),” he said. “But now, they want their own flair; their own style.”

EUROPEAN LIVING
Mr. Ong’s company, Living Innovations, does not only distribute Minotti in the Philippines, but also Bulthaup (kitchens), Gaggenau (appliances), and Bang & Olufsen (sound systems) in the Philippines. For him, it’s about changing lives (and not just filling a home). “The main reason why I brought it in was because I wanted to take out the pwede-na (good enough) mentality in Pinoys,” he said. “To give an opportunity for them to see why this brand is so high-end, so that hopefully, Filipinos can translate (that) into their daily life.”

The Minotti Manila showroom is on the ground floor of Fort Victoria, 5^th Avenue corner 23^rd St. in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. — Joseph L. Garcia