Clearly Canadian

The boys behind Montreal-based design house Furni are living the hippy/hipster dream.

Thanks to companies like Urban Outfitters, cool home furnishings are everywhere—branded, packaged, and well-priced for your benefit. But as giggle-inducing as your limited-edition Family Guy bobble head figurine might be, most of that cracker-jack coffee table crap belongs on the dash of a ‘85 Chevy Impala. Note: You are not a pimp; do not let your boyfriend convince you to buy those fuzzy, over-sized dice.

Designers Mike Giles and Devin Barrette of the lifestyle brand Furni hope that you’ll invest in your surroundings instead. “The most important thing to us is that people who own our designs do not see them as disposable,” Giles says, and as a result, their trend-eschewing line is imbued with a healthy dose of non-conformity. A mix of mod and modern, their current limited-run collection consists of stylized bentwood clocks, arboreal jewelry, and a sleek magazine rack. Our favorite piece, a wallet with a hand-etched tree design made from re-claimed leather, is a perfect example of Furni’s mission to create “alternative, hand-made, quality items using materials sourced from local suppliers.”

Pseudo ironic, cheap collectibles these are not. But if you’re looking to upgrade from mass-produced kitsch, to clean, well-made and environmentally-responsible products, give Furni a try. Each piece is named after a famous skateboarder from the ‘80s. It doesn’t get any cooler than that.

By Olivia Purnell

Photo Courtesy of Gen Art Pulse