Jennifer's Condo

Our condo is loft-style in that it's open concept with high ceilings and concrete floors, but not by any accounts large. With a modest 650 square feet of indoor living space, we had to evaluate every piece of furniture on how multi-functional it was, to fit both the space and our lifestyle.

The tiny postage-stamp-sized condo we rented before we bought this place required all “condo sized” furnishings -- a 'dinette' set that barely fit four, a sofa that barely fit two -- and we were sick of it. More than anything, a sofa is the heart of an open-concept condo, which is why when evaluating our space we decided we'd get the most sprawling sofa our floor plan could accommodate.

Remembering how the last sectional I purchased got lodged in the hallway of my previous condo (only to be un-wedged and sent to my sister's house to live out its days), and heeding a more recent incident with a good friend who sent away a dream floor model sofa she bought on clearance because it didn't fit in the elevator, we swore that any sofa to make our shortlist would have to be measured -- twice. JANE bi-sectional sofa: W103" x D73" x H30" Seat: H17"

In most cities where condos are prevalent, there are furniture shops that cater to small-space living. But, seeing as we chose to decorate around the sofa, we were free to peruse all our favorite décor shops, one of which is Gus Modern, in Toronto's Queen West neighbourhood. As we like to keep things conscious, Gus Modern is a Canadian company that uses FSC certified wood products and sustainable forest management.

And we found our dream sofa! We fell in love with the "Jane" bi-sectional from Gus Modern. Dreamy because the design is classic enough to grow with us; because it's large enough to fit all our nieces and nephews; and because the fabric is industrial, washable and durable enough to withstand the onslaught of said nieces and nephews.

Jennifer's condo floor plan

Since the "Jane" sofa was 10 inches longer than what we had decided would be the maximum length, and with the addition of a chaise, much deeper, we brought home the specs sheet and taped the sofa outline onto the floor. After living with the outline for two days and moving around it just fine, we decided to bite the tweed bullet and go for it. A bonus: it came in manageable-size boxes that we easily and eagerly maneuvered into our unit.

We could have kept the condo-sized furniture and had more free space, but in the end went for the coziness and comfort factor. We absolutely love the retreat feel it created in our new home.

We've picked up a few lessons from experience along the way, selling premium brands of furniture from companies like Natuzzi, Calligaris, Bo Concept, BDI and more. We just finished our spring sale, yes it did have an ending date, but this is one of the things we have learned. It's tough to get the message out in a cost effective way, so that we are able to maximize the savings we are able to offer, while letting as many customers as possible know what we are up to. We also realize that the building we call hip, in the big green box located on NW 25th Avenue is a very cost effective place to display and sell furniture from. So with all this great knowledge, we simply put two and two together and continue on with what works, saving you money, or as we call it, "increasing your value". During the month of APRIL, you can still save an additional 20% off any STYLEGARAGE tagged item. This is huge and we usually don't do it.

Below are new designs in the pipeline from Natuzzi. We know many need to actually see the furniture, but for the brave who know Natuzzi's great quality and comfort, this is a real chance to score the newest designs in seating and save big time. Call or come in for pricing, view new leathers or fabrics and take the design advantage plunge. For the not so bold, we have many great designs that you can take home now at 20% off hips lowest price. Looking for something else, perhaps dining?

Order any dining table from Calligaris, Camerich, or Nuevo in April and we'll give you 15% off.

If you haven't been in to hip lately, you owe yourself the treat. More new suppliers, more great designs. "There's no place like hip. We look forward to seeing you. Be sure to go to our EMAIL NEWSLETTER SIGN UP here on this page to the left top, and drop us your email address, we won't send a lot of meaningless email, only the good stuff.