10 Things You Didn’t Know About… Livingspace founder and president Ross Bonetti

Like, what he thinks of dogs

When furniture’s your thing but you just can’t squeeze any more in, there are basically two options: move to a bigger place or enlarge your existing one. Ross Bonetti did the latter.

Established in 1988, home furnishings retailer Livingspace occupies a 1930s-era former printing factory in Vancouver’s Armoury District. A $2-million expansion increasing the store’s size to 30,000 square feet wrapped up this month, adding a fifth floor with a rooftop garden courtyard and showrooms for Italian brands Paola Lenti and Molteni&C/Dada. The Paola Lenti area displays indoor and outdoor furniture in the original industrial factory space, while the Molteni&C/Dada showroom (Canada’s first) is arranged in room-like formats with kitchens, closets and furniture. Expect Italian indoor/outdoor furniture maker Minotti to move in later this year.

A promoter of modern design, Bonetti helped establish the Livingspace Industrial Design Scholarship, awarded annually to students of Emily Carr University’s industrial design program, and he supports work placement opportunities for interior design students at B.C. universities and colleges.

Here’s what else Bonetti gets up to.

Where did you go on your last vacation?

I love to take a break after the hectic Milan Fair. This year my wife, Melissa, and I explored Sicily. 

What’s your most memorable podcast, film or book?

Pulp Fiction.

What is your morning routine?

I need to keep moving, so up early to either spin at Method, work out at Innovative Fitness or play tennis at Hollyburn. Then off to the store for 9:30.

Favourite restaurant/bar?

Smitty’s oyster bar in Gibsons for lunch and the original Nook on Denman for dinner.

Hobby?

Tennis and boating.

What’s your favourite spot in B.C.?

Anywhere with family and friends on a boat.

Best advice ever received?

Work hard, play harder.

Your worst job ever?

I like to work, so I can’t remember a job I didn’t enjoy.

What is your favourite quote, and what is the source?

“Be the person your dog thinks you are.” (J.W. Stephens)

If you could be an animal, what would you be and why?

I was born in the year of the dog, so that’s me—and because they are trusting.