Posted by
Alicia Cox Thomson
Sunday, December 20, 2009 2:56 PM EDT
I would wage a bet that many of you have an Umbra product in your home, be it a picture frame, garbage can or one of those cool crushable laundry baskets. Umbra is synonymous with modern design at an affordable price point and is sold all over the world, but it started in 1979 right here in Canada by childhood buddies Paul Rowan, VP Design, and Les Mandelbaum, President. The
Umbra Concept Store in Toronto is the only Umbra store in the world and it's where you'll find products from the
U+ Studio Collection as well as a gift registry (bridal, birthday or otherwise) and the magical
3D printer. What's a
3D printer, you ask? Well, every Saturday an Umbra
designer hangs out, answers questions and works on developing new products. The
3D "printer" allows their ideas to be made in actual form, and it's kinda like magic -- see the gallery below for photos.
Products include furniture like coffee tables, bed frames and the Oh chair (I'm fixin' to by a few of these), gear to kit out your entire
bathroom including super-soft towels and bamboo accessories , a great selection of art, design and
fashion books, drapery,
kitchen accessories, and of course, picture frames galore.
You can also shop online. The store, which won the Project of the Year award by the Association of Registered Interior Designers when it opened in 2007, is worth a visit just to check out the interior, so if you're
shopping along Queen Street, be sure to turn up John Street and look for the hot pink building.
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Umbra Concept Store
165 John Street
Toronto, ON
416 599 0088