“HI, MATE” might be a standard way to greet a friend, and the new Moderno Home Depot’s MHD-4500 AI Smart Toilet acts like one when you greet it with that salutation. Aside from the capability to be controlled by a smartphone through an app, the toilet responds to voice commands.
During a tour of Moderno Home’s Laguna showroom in Biñan, we were introduced to the MHD-4500. Through voice commands beginning with the casual greeting “Hi, mate,” we were able to make it open and close the lid, flush, wash, and even sterilize itself through UV light. Other features include a self-cleaning nozzle, front and rear wash functions, bidet and hip wash options, adjustable nozzle positioning, heated seat, adjustable water temperature, and adjustable drying system.
Crafted from premium ceramic, it also has an LED display and integrated controls present in a bar that could be mounted on a wall. The Moderno Home Depot MHD-4500 AI Smart Toilet is priced at P48,999.
The toilet’s launch also served as a celebration of Moderno Home’s showroom in Laguna. According to Jean Sanchez, one of the owners of Moderno Home, they had a showroom in Laguna since 2025; they simply relocated to this new bigger one with 143 square meters of space and two floors. They need the space since this year they have begun to introduce two new lines: Futura lights, and Ferraza kitchens. Ferraza offers range hoods, stoves (both gas and electric), and induction cookers, with Italy-sourced materials and Chinese assembly.
“Hinahanap kasi ng customers (customers look for it),” said Ms. Sanchez about expanding their range beyond bathroom fixtures and the electronic locks which was the first product they offered when they opened in 2023.
“Most of our clients come from the South,” Ms. Sanchez told BusinessWorld, recalling that before they committed to opening their Quezon City branch, they had mulled over the Laguna location first. “Pwedeng makapunta iyong nasa Metro Manila (the ones from Metro Manila can come here).”
Moderno Home currently has branches in Baliwag, Bulacan; Quezon City; Biñan, Laguna; and Davao City, with a fifth about to open in Cebu. “We really see the demand in smart home products,” she said in a mixture of English and Filipino. They are capitalizing on building booms in the cities where they’re present, saying they do site visits prior to opening a branch.
An advantage for them is their relatively more affordable prices: for example, she says that a smart toilet with more basic features from a better-known brand would cost about P80,000. For that price in their store, customers could have a toilet with all the bells and whistles, and have some money left over for some extras (like faucets and sinks). “With P80,000, that’s our whole package,” she said. “Ang target kasi namin ay middle to upper-middle class. Siempre, iyong mga ganong market, hindi naman nila afford iyong mga six-digits (We target the middle to upper-middle class. They can’t afford the products that cost six digits).”
Speaking about further expansion, “I think our next move would be in the North,” she said, hinting about a location either in Ilocos or Baguio. “(We go) where there’s more construction.”
Moderno Home Depot’s new Laguna branch is in the Vital Moves Therapy Center, down Manila S Road in Platero, Biñan City, Laguna. — Joseph L. Garcia