If you’re a longtime reader of DL, you’ve probably noticed our love of Scandinavian design. We don’t hide it, and neither do we hide our love for one of the city’s longtime purveyors of it, Urban Mode.
In a former auto shop just south of Queen West, Urban Mode stocks a veritable rainbow of classic and contemporary furnishings and accents, including the new-to-Toronto label Woud (which featured in our recent Small Spaces issue). Based in Denmark but working with designers from all over the globe – including Toronto’s interdisciplinary MSDS Studio, another favourite of ours – Woud pieces already feel like mid-century classics. Case-in-point, the mono bar stool, which strikes an elegant profile with moulded birch and oak veneer. Other Woud designs, like the Lean lounge chair or Baenke bench follow suit: both have clean, modern silhouettes that are right at home in the long lineage of Danish design.
A huge breadth of Scandinavian style is on hand. For lighting with an edge, try Normann Copenhagen’s chunky Bell pendant in a matte finish or Muuto’s hand-painted, hand-spun aluminum Ambit rail lamp – both integrate seamlessly into any home, office or commercial space. Softline’s Elle modular sofa with adjustable backrests allows you to create two different seating directions at once: window or TV. Or get organized with Blu Dot’s painted wood dressers with bevelled relief, or NeedWant’s simple powder-coated steel open shelving that doubles as a space divider.
Home Suite Home
Like Urban Mode’s Queen West digs, the Annex Hotel used to be something else – in this case, a multi-storey horse stable, and later, the now-closed Green Room. Following a full remodel by Studio AC, the boutique hotel boasts airy rooms, plenty of built-ins and, of course, tasteful accents from Urban Mode. In this case, Blu Dot’s Cat’s Pajamas accent chairs, which come in multiple finishes, from muted beige to vibrant yellow, are used in multiple rooms. See the space here.
