styleNorth

Yorkdale Mall, 3401 Dufferin Street, Toronto
800.967.6696, Mon - Sat 10 am - 9 pm, Sun 11 - 6 pm

Pity the poor folks who work at Yorkdale’s Pottery Barn—the store will be a ghost town this weekend while everybody checks out the new kid on the block, Canada’s first Crate&Barrel. I was at the store bright and early yesterday for a press preview—the official grand opening is today—and I have to say, I was IMPRESSED!

This is C&B’s first location outside the U.S. and the company is obviously committed to getting it right. I quizzed a few smiling staffers about what makes C&B different and they all chirped about service and value, both of which were much in evidence.

How does C&B keep their prices in check? The gorgeous brass lamp (above) is $349, the mirrored, triangular nesting tables are $449 and the Presley three-seater sofa (kiln-dried hardwood frame) is $1,599. In the picture below, the large, hand-blown glass vases are $169 each, the Allegro dining table (engineered wood with oak veneer) is $399 and the mahogany Athena arm chairs are $429 each. Not earth shaking bargains but not expensive either.

Most of the furniture is made in North Carolina, not overseas, and all upholstered goods are available in a variety of fabric choices provided you don’t mind waiting 10 - 14 weeks for delivery. And speaking of delivery, Crate&Barrel will ship anywhere in Canada (call the 800 number above) for a remarkably low fee; a staffer told me shipments up to 2,000 pounds go from here to Alberta for just $500.

Another thing I appreciate is the chain’s stylistic versatility; yesterday’s store tour revealed relaxed, Cape Cod-style vignettes, transitional settings and of course, sophisticated stylings for the urban loft dweller. And very little of it felt contrived, which may be the most impressive thing of all.

Crate&Barrel is the definition of a mass market retailer; Yorkdale is the company’s 163rd store. But for the design-challenged among us, the chain is a Godsend; anybody can pull a decent room together using these vignettes as a guide and sure, it would look like 1,000 other nice rooms across North America, but what’s wrong with that?