West Elm Toronto Midtown
West Elm in Midtown is the long awaited second location of the American-based furniture store specializing in contemporary pieces.
Nearly a decade after opening its first location in Liberty Village, the store takes over a massive 16,295 square foot space where a Restoration Hardware once stood.
Unlike the spot in Liberty Village, this Midtown location has two floors of furniture ranging between pieces from their own line of decor – designed for condo living – as well as products from local artists.
On the first floor, products are separated generally with modern furniture at the front like hex side tables ($279) and crescent swivel chairs ($839).
Pure designs (read: industrial-style and deconstructed wood) can be found in the middle, and global designs featuring more prints are tucked in the back.
The highlight of this dog-friendly store, however, is actually right at checkout, where you'll find West Elm's local section of Toronto collaborators.
Handmade coasters by Daily City Train ($10) made of ceramic and cork are top sellers, as are mugs by The Neighbourhood Unit ($21), which give you a chance to rep your neighbourhood.
Dish towels by Claire Manning ($20) feature original illustrations, and bars of soap from The Good Bar ($12) come in ingredients like Kaolin clay plus lavender, or charcoal and eucalyptus.
There's also packs of four coasters from ceramic artist Xenia Taler ($40) that come in fun patterns, and cute illustrations from Hubbub Paper Co. at $5 each.
All the local merch is arranged on coffee tables from local carpenter Son of a Woodcutter, with small reclaimed barn wood tables ($595) that fit well with West Elm's mantra of catering to small spaces.
Moving further into the store is where you'll find dining tables where the store will hold pop-ups and workshops for crafts like calligraphy and terrarium-making, just like at the Liberty location.
In the back you'll find housewares like the popular animal themed Rachel Kozlowski plates ($14 each).
The upstairs floor is entirely dedicated to bedding, unlike the Liberty store which has a much smaller selection. You'll also find the design lab where, as per all Williams Sonoma retailers, staff are available to conduct free consultations.
A new partnership the store is particularly proud of is with Leesa, the American memory foam brand which – for every ten mattresses sold – donates a matress to non profits like Community Living Toronto and Furniture Bank Toronto.
A queen mattress is $1,190 while a king size will set you back $1,290.
A rug wall features some handmade, fair-trade products created in partnership with co-ops in India, Peru and the Philippines, to name a few countries.
Another wall features West Elm's branded Belgian linen in a variety of colours; full or queen sized duvet covers are all stonewashed and cost $269.
Real furniture fans will recognize furniture from Road and Rabbit, in particular their swivel chair ($1,119) and ceramic lamps ($251).
Hector Vasquez