Where to Get Good Stuff Cheap 2012: how to decorate your home for less
Edison bulbs
Eclectic Revival
3075 Dundas St. W., 416-766-5500
When LEDs and compact fluorescents became the norm, decor radicals opted for replica Edison bulbs—the low-tech lighting equivalent of a turntable. The bulb’s distinct amber glow is produced by fragile carbon filaments; it’s a warmer, softer light than the tungsten coil on an incandescent emits. They’re becoming easier to find—Restoration Hardware carries them now—but the city’s cheapest source remains the vintage lighting store Eclectic Revival. $15 each.
Condo sofa
Morba
665–667 Queen St. W., 416-364-5144
Charles and Ray Eames, the Pop-era furniture icons, designed the Sofa Compact in 1954, but it seems like it was always destined for the tiny living room of a CityPlace tower. The couch is as slim and elegant as a runway model, and it floats airily on a pair of chrome legs. While the original is still produced by the premium manufacturer Herman Miller, modish furniture source Morba offers a made-in-China knock-off for less than half the price. $1,699.
Desk
Queen West Antique Centre
1605 Queen St. W., 416-588-2212
In a typical week, the Queen West Antique Centre has a handful of bargain desks—futuristic Italian tables from a bankrupt start-up, or vintage partners’ desks in handsome oak. Occasionally, rummaging through the vast inventory will reveal something fantastic, like an authentic Herman Miller Airia desk with walnut millwork and a gleaming white top—a barely used leftover from a retail photo shoot, going for $1,200 less than they sell new. $995.
Coffee table
Smash
2880 Dundas St. W., 416-762-3113
Glass tops and wenge slabs are so 2002. The vogueish coffee table in every shelter magazine now is a reclaimed industrial weighing cart—usually made of slats of lacquered hardwood atop two sets of iron wheels. Park it beside a low-slung felt sectional to nail the eclectic artist look. The Junction curiosities store Smash has stacks of these tables, some in need of a light dusting. $250.
Bathroom accessories
Ginger’s
95 Ronald Ave., 416-787-1787
The faucets and fluffy towels at Ginger’s can be pricier than a mortgage payment. But at the rear, semi-hidden, are discount tables of last season’s onyx toothbrush holders, nickel-plated towel rods, vanity mirrors and other baubles that will instantly transform the lowliest WC into a boutique hotel spa.
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Knobs and pulls
Addison’s
41 Wabash Ave., 416-539-0612
When everyone has the same granite and Shaker cabinet kitchen, there’s nothing more important or more frustrating than the hunt for distinctive hardware. And depending on how many drawers you have, it can get expensive. Addison’s, the museum-like plumbing and decor artifact store, has boxes and boxes of reclaimed doorknobs, cabinet pulls and latches—in nickel, chrome, vintage glass, brass and the occasional bright red ’60s powder-coated steel—starting around $7 each. They’re a bargain, especially for a one-of-a-kind patina.
Room divider
Industrial Storm
1106 Queen St. W., 416-955-9888
Industrial Storm elevates the humble room divider with exquisite materials (bubinga wood, gold leaf) and impeccable craftsmanship (mortise and tenon corner joints, as opposed to IKEA’s patented pegs and staples). All their pieces are made to measure, which makes them incredibly expensive—and they never have proper sales. But for those willing to forgo the truly custom experience, discontinued floor models can be significantly marked down. On a recent visit, a three-panel shoji-like screen, with handmade paper in a mahogany and redwood frame, was reduced from $3,200 to $2,560.
Home theatre
Sound Designs
55 Mill St., The Cannery, Bldg. 58, ste. 101, 416-364-4800
Sound Designs carries some of the city’s most high-end AV equipment at decidedly high-end price tags (witness the $140,000 home theatre system on display). Carrying the best and most up-to-date inventory requires quick turnover, which means frequent markdowns. So while early adopters may be willing to pay full price, more patient electronics addicts can score generous discounts. A rimless, 46-inch Samsung 3-D TV, which first hit stores in 2010, was recently discounted from $3,200 to $1,800 (at the time, less than at chains like Best Buy or 2001 Audio Video).
Indestructible luggage
Evex Luggage Centre
1911 Dundas St. E., 905-238-7900
Briggs and Riley suitcases have the seemingly immortal resilience of Joan Rivers, but thankfully none of the glitz—each piece is minimally embellished and impeccably designed. Evex Luggage Centre, in a dingy Mississauga strip mall, offers a wide selection of pieces at wholesale prices: a 20-inch four-wheel carry-on retails for $470 but here is $100 less.
Custom bookcase
The Pine Store
248 King St. E., 647-435-0194
Doug and Jim Howie’s tiny, ramshackle store has the jumbled feel of a suburban yard sale. It’s easy to miss among the mammoth, lustrous furniture showrooms on King East, but it’s worth finding because the custom, Mennonite-made pieces are almost IKEA cheap. A three-by-eight-foot solid pine bookcase, built with Ontario-grown wood and finished in one of six handsome stains, is $350 and can be ready in four weeks.
Wooden toys
Mastermind Warehouse Sale
mastermindtoys.com
For toy-crazed tots, Mastermind’s annual warehouse sale, usually held the last week in May, is almost as exciting as Christmas morning. Parents and grandparents (and overzealous aunts, and birthday party guests—really, everybody) should also get excited about the discounts: the latest additions to a Playmobil or Thomas the Tank Engine collection can cost up to 70 per cent less than retail. Look for an announcement on the website.
Crystal chandelier
Lighting Originals
109 Cartwright Ave., 416-781-7232
The stretch of Cartwright Avenue just east of Caledonia is lined with places hawking discount chandeliers, but those at Lighting Originals stand out for their superior quality: most of the crystal is sourced from Europe and is of the highest quality (30 per cent lead content). Regular prices aren’t low, but discount tags always hang on a certain percentage of the merchandise. One week, a five-foot-tall chandelier (the kind that might hang in a glam double-height foyer), was $9,995, down from $11,995.
Farm pendant
Universal Lamp
121 Cartwright Ave., 416-787-8900
Describing a house as barn-like is no longer a euphemism for trashy—the urban country look is hotter than a shirtless Ryan Gosling (well, almost). Craftmade’s bronze pendant light wasn’t reclaimed from a century-old barn, but it’s just faux-tarnished enough to fool the most discriminating house guests, and it’s infinitely more in vogue than that halogen track lighting you’ve been meaning to replace. At $105, you can afford to buy a matching set.
Patio furniture
InsideOut
1280 Castlefield Ave., 416-782-2700
During the winter months, when most Torontonians get cold just thinking about being outside, almost all of InsideOut’s Castlefield showroom goes majorly on sale. Keep an eye out for its selection of trendy resin wicker furniture (it looks like wood but it’s actually plastic). A clean-lined, three-piece sectional, with cream-coloured, mildew-resistant cushions on a black and brown wicker frame, costs $2,995, down from $3,699.
VOC-free paint
The Zero Point
1590 Queen St. E., 416-602-6586
Leslieville’s The Zero Point specializes in environmentally friendly, VOC-free and ethically produced paints. They’re manufactured with renewable energy and come with sustainably harvested stir sticks. Of the different brands available, YOLO, which is clay-based and comes in a vast array of colours, is the most affordable, averaging $60 per gallon (similar brands can push $85).
Discontinued wallpaper
Primetime Paint and Paper
299 Queen St. E., 416-703-9846
For anyone with big ideas and small rooms, discontinued wallpaper (maybe one with a bold, rococo-inspired flower pattern) is the most affordable option. Riverside’s Primetime carries odds-and-ends rolls (each one is 11 yards, which is typically enough to cover 45 square feet) from brands like Graham and Brown, York and Provincial for $30 (their regular merchandise averages $170 for the same coverage). Just don’t mess up the application—the catch is that the same pattern won’t be available again.
Fabric
Robert Allen
170 Bedford rd., 2nd Flr., 416-934-1330
For one day each summer and fall, Robert Allen’s Designers Walk showroom, normally off-limits to anyone but discerning decorators and retailers, has a doors-open sample sale. Discontinued banners (three yards by 54 inches) are discounted from about $200 to $10 each; bolts of overstocked silks, linens and embroidery are $10 per yard. Unfortunately, sewing lessons aren’t included. The next is sometime in July.
You call this cheap??!? Not my idea of cheap at all… $3K for patio furniture? $2.5K for a room divider? If you can afford that then you aren’t on a budget IMHO.
@ VA
If you’re “on a budget” you shouldn’t be looking at patio furniture or a room divider IMHO
lol…cheap?? what planet is the writer on?? lol
I agree with the other comments – these aren’t really budget prices…
absurdist prices for a passive readership and undiscerning editors-quelle crap
i didn’t know everyone in Toronto is so rich that these prices are considered cheap. I must be considered homeless, then. This is an insult.
Anyone have any reviews for the pine store? Are they any good?
These prices are obnoxiously far from cheap.
Some of these items may be on sale, but it doesn’t mean they are cheap. VERY poor job on the authors part… If you’re going to write an article to help people find good stuff inexpensively, maybe you should actually do some research instead of just posting expensive things that are on sale… If you’re going to write an article like this, write it properly please.
Anyone know the dates of the Robert Allen will be this summer?
BAD experience with the Pine Store. It’s been over 12 weeks and I still have not received my order yet.
We ordered a sleigh bed, coffee table and a dinner table.
Quoted us something like 5-6 weeks.
12 weeks later, they still haven’t started on the coffee table and I still don’t have my bed or dinning table!
Manage your customer’s expectations much better Doug and Jim! Don’t tell us things can be done “no problem” and week after week keep pushing out the delivery date!
I am so disappointed! Did not offer to give us a price break either. I am that pissed off that I am writing on your website!
Actually, the cheapest Edison bulbs I’ve found are at Living Lighting on King, where they sell them for $12. And I agree, this list is NOT cheap stuff.
Well written old chap. Another cheap store to consider for furniture is Roche Bobois. I have found most of their products to be of the bargain variety.
Poster probably do not realize that Toronto Life (TL) only mentions stores which pay fees to them. If a store is great but does not pay any fees to TL, they will not be mentioned. Which could explain why true cheap places are not on this list.
The title is how to get GOOD stuff cheap, not how to decorate on a skimpy budget. Thanks for these tips!
I had a similar experience. They took our deposit and didn’t delivery until 3 months after the furniture was promised. They quote one thing and then do another. Doug and Jim evidently don’t talk to each other. The last time I went, another customer was getting angry for a similar reason (they lost his order) and the big Aboriginal guy had to ‘remove’ the customer while they called the police. Not recommended!
We also had a terrible experience. These guys should be reported to the BBB. Our “custom” table was delivered with the wrong legs, height, and colour. It took us a year to sort everything out.
The Pine Store is cheap as long as you don’t care when you get your order. We’re now 4 months past the promised delivery date with no end in sight.
find all warehouse sales in toronto here http://torontowarehousesales.com/