Everybody needs a little Personal Space—and it’s near Manhattan Beach Pier. In the heart of downtown on Manhattan Avenue, a lifestyle home store offering unique designer furniture and home accessories presents something different from the norm.
Owner Laurie Wiluan, who recently relocated to Manhattan Beach after 25 years in Singapore, is the founder and curator for the shop, Personal Space MB. She has a sharp eye for original design and importing designer wares from around the world, infusing a freshness into typical Southern California decor.
“My desire with Personal Space is to bring meaningful pieces from Asian designers and craftsmen to the community,“ shares Wiluan.
With a commitment to sourcing excellent design and a quality product, the boutique offers products of comfort and function that will also cause a reaction.
Take the rattan collection. Though rattan is familiar to beach communities, the collection here is completely reimagined. The Malya Oversize Chair is an incredible round indoor-outdoor cocoon-like chair that seats three people. Its striking features and curvilinear lines are sexy and original.
The Sedan, a classic armchair of leather and rattan, was designed exclusively by Singgih Kartono and completely handcrafted in Indonesia, on the island of Java, where rattan furniture has been made for hundreds of years. The shape is fresh with an island-meets-mid-century vibe.
Wiluan also carries a few collections of beautiful avant-garde dinnerware. The incredibly designed Full Moon Tableware Collection by Chaehoon Moon has an etched rough surface with a shiny alloy serving side.
The unique dinnerware—an authentic Korean bronze called Yugee (known as “The Material of Life”)—is rich and can fit well with any style. Interestingly, the use of alloy in Korean dinnerware is traditional because it has a strong antibacterial ability. “I’m half Korean and it is very common in our culture to use alloy and certain metals in our tableware,” Wiluan explains.
Along with an extensive repertoire of beautiful, streamlined furniture, Personal Space MB also offers almost abstract-like shelving and eco-friendly recycled rugs and floor pillows. “I love working with designers and companies that are conscious of the raw materials they use,” explains Wiluan.
“For example, Ong Cen Kuang creates the most amazing lamps, some of his most famous ones are made out of zipper material.” Great gift items are available too, like cashmere throws, quirky products such as a bamboo rocking horse and beautiful jewelry by Simone Chen for both men and women, and created exclusively for Personal Space MB. With a collection of curated, consciously crafted items that one does not find everywhere, Personal Space MB is something truly special.
If you like high-end Furniture, Lighting and Home Decor from top Asian designers for North America, check out Laurie Wiluan’s site: personalspacemb.com
PHOTOS COURTESY OF PERSONAL SPACE
