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.

Gus Moderns "UpCycle" ottoman took a position in Tuesday's preview of the CUT/PASTE exhibit at the Royal Ontario Museum Institute for Contemporary Culture on the 4th floor of the new addition. The exhibit shows different objects that reuse materials in innovative ways.

The UpCycle Ottoman is proof positive that creative use can result in smarter, more sustainable manufacturing. The ottomans bold, simple form was created with serial production in mind, but the ingenious use of reclaimed burlap (coffee bags) means that environmental footprint is a fraction of that of typical upholstered piece and each is completely unique.

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