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Elegance, sophistication, and superior craftsmanship all play a role in the way Furnitalia has grown over the past 16 years
Between them, the husband-and-wife team of William and Florence Ko have helped change the way Filipinos see and use furniture.
“I remember how people used to think of furniture as just something to sit on or put things down on,” Florence recalls, looking back at the early days of their business. “People now know better. Many are now aware of what goes into their furniture: the history behind it, as well as the creativity and craftsmanship that go into the making of each piece.”
Above Grid Modular System by Molteni & C
Grid Modular System by Molteni & C
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Indeed, the Kos flagship enterprise Furnitalia continues to be one of the country’s leading luxury importers 16 years since it first came onto the scene. Today, it takes pride in bringing in several of Europe’s finest furniture brands, including FIam, MOOD by Flexform, Giorgetti, Medea Lifestyle, Molteni & C, Poltrona Frau, Roda, and Veblen. More recently, Furnitalia has also brought in notable glassware brand Annatorfs, and is also importing magnificent chandeliers and lighting fixtures from the Venetian atelier Venini.
The cuboid glass structure that is Furnitalia’s main showroom in BGC is the perfect place to display all of these magnificent objects. Here, furniture and accessories are laid out the way they would appear in a well-appointed home – a set-up that enables potential buyers to appreciate each product’s appearance and quality. It is certainly a far cry from the very basic space the Kos began with nearly two decades ago.
Above Space 2000 closet
Space 2000 closet
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The Kos have always been aware of the impact that good quality and craftsmanship can have on a home – something which stemmed from their beginnings in the hardware industry. For William and Florence, it became important to emphasise this point to the extent that their own home served as a practical example, with elegant furniture and fixtures imported from Italy transforming their simple house into a luxurious haven. It became the couple’s standard in the business, one they wanted to share with clients who were in a position to purchase and appreciate the best things that life had to offer.
“We were motivated by a shared passion for excellent quality,” William says when asked to explain what drove him and his wife to expand what began as a simple hardware business into one that brought in world-class furniture to discerning local buyers. “We believed that it was time that people changed the way they perceived quality with regard to their furniture.”
Indeed, Furnitalia was just the beginning for the Kos. Over the years, the business has continued to grow. Today, the couple has branched out as the exclusive Philippine distributor of modern Italian home furnishings, Calligaris and the global leader in lighting solutions, Lucem. They have even gone beyond importation and into actual manufacturing via Space 2000, their own brand for modular furniture and storage solutions.
Above Move Armchair by Giorgetti
Move Armchair by Giorgetti
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Since 2002, Space 2000 has been crafting its own line of furnishings, mostly built to the specifications of clients. It is an endeavour born of William’s realisation that Filipino furniture makers – particularly those in the business of crafting modular kitchen or bathroom units, as well as storage options – needed to step up their game when it came to quality, durability, and craftsmanship. To do so, he brought in European products and technology to create an entirely new line of furniture: locally-made items that would be at par with the best in the world. Today, Space 2000 is focused on the production of world-class modular storage solutions – a wide array of options that includes bathroom shelving, and bookcases, as well as kitchen, wardrobe, and bathroom cabinets and entertaining systems. All of which can be customised to suit clients’ specific needs.
But does this mean that the Kos are happy to rest on the laurels they have earned through their work with Furnitalia and their other brands? On the contrary, innovation and development remain constant as the couple believes that there is always room for improvement.
“The quality of a product depends on the quality standards upheld by a person who designs, develops, and produces; one who handles or controls the standards under which products are made,” William says. “That’s why we always make it a point to see what new items will appeal to our market, and also where we can improve our own products.”
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