Green and Italian Novamobili opens at Bonifacio High Street in Taguig

Italians have long been revered for their food and most especially artworks—may it be paintings, sculptures or architecture. And just as their artistry in these areas, Italians are also known in the art of furniture making.

Filipinos can now shop for top Italian-made furniture as Novamobili, one of the top Italian furniture companies in Europe which was established in 1967 by Alfredo Batistelli, opened their flagship store in the country last month.





Located at Bonifacio High Street in Taguig City, the Novamobili showroom, the seventh in Asia, features Italian-made contemporary furniture designs.

“We are very excited to introduce Novamobili, one of the premiere Italian furniture brands to the Philippine market. Novamobili stands for “new furniture”, representing current design trends and technologies,” Jaime Daez, Managing Director of Novamobili Philippines.

Targeting a wide clientele, Daez said that most of their products will appeal to individuals whose ages range from 30-50 years old since their furniture features young and modern yet timeless designs. The furniture brand also targets expatriates living in the metro.

“The Philippine economy is booming…there’s a significant expat community here, and we want to also tap into that,” Daez said




The pride of Novamobili

The brand takes pride in producing 100% Italian-made furniture wherein materials from the wood to the leather are all from Italy, according to Dario Reicherl, Director for Asia Pacific of Novamobili-Battistella Group.

“Novamobili is also famous for coordination,” added Reicherl explaining that they do not just sell furniture but also mood and style by coordinating every color, finish and atmosphere.

Apart from offering contemporary designs Novamobili also presents multifunctional furniture which is practical and space-saving at the same time which can be seen in their products such as extendable tables and sofas that can be converted into beds.

Clients who want to avail of their products can also customize their desired items as Novamobili recognizes the active participation of customers in designing their homes.




Green furniture

Besides its contemporary designs, Novamobili also assures clients that all their products are not harmful to their health as they use a water-based lacquering system that reduces atmospheric pollutant emissions by 95 percent. Their practice of furniture-making also involves a production process that does not require any trees to be cut down in making their panels.

“We also use recycled wood. It’s our choice,” Reicherl said. He also added that even the paper used for printing their catalogues are recycled.

Such green practices, however, do not necessarily have to compromise the quality of the furnitures and the attractiveness of their price points. “Novamobili offers quality craftsmanship at a competitive price, or putting it another way, is a furniture brand that can be considered affordable luxury. Everything is made in Italy from start to finish, but our price level can compete with other foreign furniture brands which outsource most of their manufacturing process in Asia,” Daez said.

source: interaksyon.com

Transforming space

MANILA, Philippines — The condominium boom that shows no signs of abating has necessarily catapulted the interior design industry along with it. The thousands of bare units have to be transformed into livable, beautiful spaces and this process necessitates furniture, accessories, décor, drapery, carpets, window solutions, lighting fixtures, appliances, among others. Before, hiring an interior designer seemed to be an unnecessary expense, the frivolity of the rich. Now, it’s almost de rigueur. A space magically transformed by an interior designer (or a team thereof) looks more organized, efficient, evocative and ironically, more personalized, as opposed to that of haphazardly spruced up by the owner.

Home Mavericks, a furniture boutique and a design consultancy firm based in Makati, has been providing interior design direction for clients who wish to make the most out of their spaces, even if they are outside the country. For their latest project, a Z-loft, two-bedroom unit at Rockwell West Tower, the design team has created a warm, effusive home for a balikbayan couple based in Canada.

“What we do is we communicate with them through emails,” begins Eric Go Po, one of Home Mavericks’ founders. “When they are in their respective countries, we send them the designs and they approve what they like,” he begins. “When they come here, everything is ready. It may take a bit longer but it’s more convenient on their part.”

For the Rockwell space, the couple wanted a modern, practical home with touches of Filipino and classical designs. Extensive brainstorming ensued: the team came up with an eclectic look that is predominantly the marriage of warm wood and gorgeous texture. The dining area is spruced up with furniture with coco shell as base. To achieve the balance between the classic and the contemporary, they upholstered chairs with a traditional silhouette in turquoise fabric. Sectional sofas in dark leather punctuate the living area. Mirrors and a stone wall accent increase the volume and heighten the verticality of the space.

With his background in sales and marketing, Eric says that he is the sober voice in the team who puts himself “in the shoes of the client.”

“The designers, they do the designs. I always strike a balance between aesthetic and function,” he says. The design process of Home Mavericks, in this light, is intensely collaborative, something that their clients treasure. In return, they also do their part by showing the design team the accessories they wish to add to the space, asking whether they could work in the over-all theme.

Examples of practical solutions that Home Mavericks has introduced into the unit include the bed which can be disassembled into four parts for ease of transport; upholstered headboards so the clients can have the fabric changed as often as they like; cascading lighting fixtures in the living room that also illuminate the staircase; and the customized HunterDouglas window treatments which Home Mavericks, as an official supplier, carries in their shop.

Despite having their own ready-made furniture, Eric says that they don’t use them in outfitting spaces they design. “We don’t use the existing designs in our shop because we want each house to be unique,” he says. “We want it to coincide with the owners’ personalities. We actually have a questionnaire so we can assess their personalities, their style and taste and what they want.”

Vincent Sandoval, also a founder of Home Mavericks and a filmmaker, says that the key in creating a space that works is to harmoniously blend disparate elements. “These elements individually are not particularly groundbreaking but when we put them together, you see some things that you wouldn’t otherwise experience,” he says. “The whole becomes greater than the sum of its parts.”

Eric and Vince affirm that their strategy—customized solutions, collaboration with client, world-class design—is paying off. They have designed a number of units in the same tower based solely on word of mouth. But the ultimate satisfaction they feel is “when the balikbayans comes home, when they open the door, they say wow.”

Home Mavericks is located at G/F 926 Arnaiz Ave. (formerly Pasay Road), Makati City 1223 (across New World Hotel). Call 844-9549 or visit www.homemavericks.com for more details.

article source: mb.com.ph