Oppein opens doors for beautiful cabinetry

One of the coolest things that technology has done for home and design is that synthetic materials can mimic the look of natural stone or wood.

It’s nothing new — but now, more than ever, they are so realistic that you don’t know a marble countertop is not marble or that granite is not granite until you touch it. And because they are synthetic, they don’t have the problems of natural stone like porousness or discoloration when they come in contact with very hot cookery.

Because the technology has been around for many years, built-in kitchens have now become more affordable — especially from Asia’s largest cabinetry manufacturer, Oppein.

Oppein, distributed in the Philippines by Palmax Solutions, opened its first showroom in Metro Manila at CommerceCenter in Alabang last week, following the Cebu showroom, which they opened two years ago. Palmax managing director Oliver Ko and his wife, general manager Therese Saldaña-Ko, toured guests around the two-floor space showcasing kitchens, bathrooms and wardrobes.

“Oppein’s price range is very extensive,” says Therese. “A kitchen can cost P150,000 to P2 million, depending on the countertop and cabinetry material, but I’d say average price would be half  a million pesos.”

Made in China and using European technology, Oppein can do from traditional to transitional and modern kitchens. It has over 1,800 kitchen models, 1,200 wardrobe and 550 bathroom cabinets that are exported to more than 120 countries. 

Oppein offers full customization that allows customers to personalize their homes. Clients are free to decide on everything — from materials to the layout to fit their needs, space and budget. Silestone, Caesar Stone, and Italian are just some of the options from Oppein’s wide range of materials.

Therese says that from their Cebu experience, “the wood grain look is still the favored one.”

Majority of clients prefer melamine or MDF wrapped in PVC, which mimics wood-grain surfaces. Others like the sleek look of lacquer, which is a bit more expensive because it takes longer to make and requires a process similar to painting a car.

Therese adds, “If the clients will really make use of the kitchen to cook, then they’re very specific about the accessories, the material and design, about the sinks and countertops they choose.  If the client just wants a show kitchen, then it’s more basic and not much accessories inside the cabinets.”

These days, houses are more literally open and without walls dividing the dining room from the kitchen and so the latter is part of the entertaining space and homeowners like to cook in front of their guests. 

 “Oppein aims to provide modern and quality furnishings that will serve the demand of the real estate and commercial boom in various areas of the country,” says Oliver Ko. “By next year, we will open another showroom in Bacolod, which is also shaping up to be a progressive urban hub.” In Bacolod, Oppein is furnishing two condominium projects. 

Oppein also manufactures appliances like ovens and microwaves, stovetops, range hoods, fridge and freezer, wine fridge, and others — in very sleek, modern design. But there is not yet a service center for these, so clients are actually encouraged to use other brands they’re more familiar with and have service centers in the country.

Oppein carries a vanity line for bathrooms, including synthetic countertops and bathroom fixtures. The matte look is in with scratch-resistant sinks looking seamless with the cabinetry.

Wardrobes come in several configurations that can be customized by clients. They can either be open wardrobes or with glass doors.

Oppein’s global partners include Silestone by Consentino and Caesarstone, leading brands of quartz surfaces for kitchens and bathrooms; Austrian company Egger, which provides high-quality particleboards; Matson Lumber which supplies raw materials for solid wood doors and base cabinets; and hardware makers Blum and Hettich, from Austria and Germany, respectively, which produce top-quality hardware for door openings and drawer systems.

 “Oppein is a one-stop shop for anything,” Therese says. “In Cebu, our clients are mostly residential but we also have many who live in condominiums. We’re also excited about opening in Bacolod. I’m from there, and people from Bacolod either fly to Cebu or Manila when they’re building their homes, so the market is ready for Oppein.

“We don’t want to peg ourselves to just a certain type of clients because Oppein is perfect for starting couples and also those with bigger residences like those in Alabang,” she says. 

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Visit the author’s travel blog at www.findingmyway.net. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram @iamtanyalara.

Oppein’s Manila showroom is located at CommerceCenter, Alabang, Muntinlupa. For more information, visit http://www.oppeinhome.com.