Fine European Furniture Has a New Home in This ‘Experience Hub’ in Mandaluyong City

Fine Italian furniture wasn’t quite as popular in these parts when Ferdie Ong set up his fledgling enterprise in the mid-2000s. Ong himself was only in his mid-20s when, during a trip to the European country, he had the audacity to ask a furniture brand there if he could sell their products in the Philippines. The answer was no, and when Ong asked another brand, it, too, snubbed the young entrepreneur.

Ferdie Ong is the founder and general manager of Living Innovations

Many of us would probably take those twin rejections as a sign that maybe we need to find something else to do with our lives. Not Ong. With an uncommon tenacity and stubbornness, he continued to seek an Italian brand to represent in his home country, until he finally found it in Minotti. The luxury furniture brand took a chance on the then-22-year-old, who proceeded to open his very first showroom, measuring just 67 meters, in Forbes Park in 2007.

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Living Innovations Experience Hub

Fast-forward 17 years and his company, Living Innovations, is familiar to those in the Philippines who must have only the finest European furniture and appliances in their homes. Besides Minotti, Ong helped introduce Filipinos to brands like Gaggenau, Bang & Olufsen, Bulthaup, Casamilano, Gallotti & Radice, Tacchini, Knoll, Lema, Gandiablasco, and more. And through the years, the company has offered its clients spaces where they can see and feel the items hrough its showrooms.

The Living Innovations Experience Hub in Mandaluyong City

From that tiny Minotti showroom all those years ago, Living Innovations has showcased its products in bigger and more impressive spaces over the years, a sure sign that there is certainly a market for fine Italian furniture here in the country. In late July, Ong opened the doors to its biggest and most ambitious product space yet. Located along Sheridan Street in Mandaluyong City, the Living Innovations Experience Hub is 1,200 square meters of luxury and sophistication, where a meticulously curated selection of the company’s products from his design collaborators and Ong himself are presented in vignettes that make it easier for clients to visualize the pieces transported in their own homes.

The Experience Hub itself has a central area with a ceiling height of six meters and gigantic windows that let natural light in. Whether you’re furnishing a new house or sprucing up an old space and in the market for a sofa, a coffee table, an accent lamp, or area rug, you’ll definitely find something to love in this showroom.

“Compared to our other showrooms that transmit the essence of a brand and their designs, the Hub creates a more personalized flavor that combines different brands in one space,” Ong said. 

What’s clear about this space is that it appeals only to a select clientele with more refined tastes (not to mention deep pockets). The products are of such high-quality buyers will see them more as investments that can be enjoyed for years rather than just a season. The Living Innovations Experience Hub will no doubt become a destination for those seeking the best and most premium furnishings for their homes.

LIC Experience Hub is located at 9 Sheridan St., Mandaluyong.