One-stop shop for domestic bliss

Need to furnish or decorate your home but don’t have enough time to go from one store to another? Federal Design Expo has basically everything you need under one roof. The store, which is a culmination of Federal Hardware’s commitment to provide a one-stop, hassle-free home building and finishing shopping convenience and the creative talents of interior designers Cynthia and Ivy Almario.

The Almario sisters are two of the most well known and respected names in the interior design business. They spent over 10 years plying their trade in California, USA before bringing their expertise here to Manila. Over the years, they have designed countless projects for hotels, condominiums, vacation houses, retail stores, and bars both here and abroad. Now, their latest project, which is also their favorite one, is the Federal Design Expo.

The Federal Design Expo aims to be the most complete home furnishing store in the country. It is the largest furniture showroom located within a brightly-lit, fully air-conditioned 2,400-sq.m. warehouse. With the help of artistic director Eric David, the sisters transformed the large warehouse into a canvas for over 50 furniture showcases – all conceived by Ivy and Cynthia Almario.

"With these showcases, customers no longer have to worry about mixing and matching the furniture themselves because we have done it for them," says Ivy Almario. "And there is no extra charge for this," adds Cynthia.

The one-stop shop concept of the Federal Design Expo is no idle boast. There are showcases for living room, dining room, bathroom, and kitchen sets. Aside from the usual furniture items like sofas, chairs and tables, the store also has TV armoires, lamps, artworks, and even flowers – really just about everything you need for decorating your home.

"We wanted to build a place where shoppers don’t have to go from one shop to another for the things they need in their home. Our price points will satisfy a wide spectrum of buyers," says Ivy. Even the location of the store is convenient; it is located along Don Chino Roces Ave. in Makati, which is the center of convergence for people coming from Quezon City, Manila, and the south.

"There is something to cater to every type of home in the store and emphasis is given on modern living," shares Ivy Almario. She adds, "In selecting the showcases, we tried to anticipate upcoming trends so that the designs would not go out of style in just a year or so. We expect the pieces will have an enduring appeal. Our goal is to provide a collection that reflects our aesthetic vision which we call ‘modern-minded classic.’"

Some of the projects that the Almario sisters have recently finished are the China Club Restaurant, The Spa in Greenbelt 1, Nuvo (with Conrad Onglao), Café Havana (with Noel Bernardo), and My Little Kitchen in Greenbelt 3, V Bar in Glorietta, Anita Chan’s jewelry shop, Fino leather goods, and the Macau Pigeon House at Power Plant Mall, residential projects in Hong Kong, and even a yacht in Italy. Aside from their retail, bar and restaurant work, their residential work also keeps them busy; the model units at Bay Garden, Verdana Homes, Portofino, and Chateau Ellysee display their expertise in handling scale and proportion.

In carrying Federal Hardware’s name, the Federal Design Expo has a lot to live up to. "I am positive that customers will find the Federal Design Expo to be the biggest home-furnishing store in the country in addition to a hassle-free, one-stop shop for their hardware needs in the midst of a comfortable environment just right beside it," says Federal Hardware marketing officer Gerald Wong.