A STORE selling bathroom fixtures is making it a point to discuss a topic usually frowned upon at dinner tables: the toilet.
During the opening of Moderno Home Depot’s flagship store in Congressional Avenue in Quezon City (their first two were in Bulacan and Laguna), BusinessWorld took a look at new technology in toilets — alongside the shower setups and the jet tub with a waterfall feature.
Locations are key: interior designers and decorators have been known to flock to Bulacan and Laguna and Cavite for higher quality items at lower prices. Jean Sanchez, one of the owners of Moderno Home told BusinessWorld, “Iyong isang buong highway na ’yon, ang dami talagang mga stores ng mga tiles — basically sa pagpapagawa ng bahay (that one whole highway has a lot of tile stores — and home construction supplies),” said Jean Sanchez, one of the owners of Moderno Home.
She’s particularly proud of the line of toilets: she said that theirs can cost around P70,000 — but then they’d be priced at P300,000 somewhere else. An entire rain shower setup can go for about P20,000 at Moderno, while sinks cost P5,000 and up. They price low because they get it low from manufacturers in China, but the items are branded with the Moderno Home name. “With the price of one smart toilet [from the other brand name suppliers], you get one whole bathroom package with us,” she said in a mix of English and Filipino.
She pointed to the MHD-4500 on display, which is in her own bathroom. This toilet might be smarter than some: it has UV sterilization, voice command, a self-cleaning bidet nozzle, and even aromatherapy features (so you won’t smell what you just did) — all at the price of P45,999.
Ms. Sanchez said that her business used to be selling “Divisoria goods” online, but, “Ang dami palang nagpapagawa ng bahay (So many people are building houses),” she said about why they started the business in 2023. Some of her friends were in the importing game, bringing in massage chairs and smart door locks from China. “We were encouraged to build a business around the home,” said Ms. Sanchez, by those friends — the favor is repaid by having those chairs and locks also displayed in Modern Home.
Ms. Sanchez sees the brand as filling the gap between expensive and cheap bathroom fixtures: “So we can cater to the middle- and upper-middle class customers who want to upgrade,” she said in a mixture of English and Filipino.
Soon, they’ll open a store in Davao, to be followed by one in Cebu. She said that a lot of customers travel from Davao to their Laguna store, and these customers told them that a lot of wealthy clients could be had in Davao, looking for fixtures like theirs. “Ang vision talaga namin (our vision really) is to bring innovation and comfort to Filipino homes nationwide,” she said.
As for those planning renovations themselves, she says, “Invest in quality — not just aesthetics.”
To see their wares, visit Moderno Home Depot’s official website https://www.modernohomedepot.com/ or the store at Congressional Square Bldg., 26 Congressional Ave., Quezon City. — Joseph L. Garcia
