Interior Designer Joy Merryl Ngo and Aila Lim of Dedipo Furniture Depot are no strangers to charting new and uncharted paths. In 2016, Joy became the first Filipina to receive a scholarship at the prestigious Istituto Marangoni, a design school renowned for its collaborations with luxury brands. Meanwhile, in the Philippines, Aila transformed her family’s furniture importing business into a thriving manufacturing company, one now revered for its innovation. Dedipo, as Filipino designers describe it, is “the one brave enough to try it.”

Their paths converged in 2022 when Joy commissioned Aila to bring to life the Alon Cabinet, a design inspired by the fluidity of waves, requiring masterful craftsmanship to bend wood into organic forms. This initial collaboration became the catalyst for a deeper alignment of values. As innovators, Joy and Aila share a hopeful resilience, a gift of their Christian faith.

As Filipinos, they are committed to safeguarding and enriching their motherland’s fading traditions. And with a global perspective shaped by their travels, Joy and Aila aspire to bring the rich beauty of Filipino artistry and craftsmanship to the world.

From this synergy, Matahom Likha + was born — a visionary platform bringing together a new generation of Filipino designers, set to elevate Filipino artistic identity on the global stage.