BoConcept has arrived in Toronto, bringing with it its contemporary line of functional furniture. At Adelaide and Jarvis, the Denmark-based furniture chain, has more than 340 sales units worldwide, and opened its doors on the ground level of the V端 condominium just two weeks ago.

"Toronto needed this," BoConcept design consultant Brad Karsh tells me as he leads me through the store. "It's well-designed furniture, but at reasonable price points."

As Brad takes me through some of the floor models, I'm beginning to realize just how functional BoConcept's furniture actually is. A white desk ($1,995) near the front of the store opens up into a table for six. A square ottoman (from $695) unfolds to become a sofa bed. And a glass/chrome coffee table ($1,495) has panels that release and rise, hiding storage underneath and raising the tabletop surface, making eating and drinking for comfortable.

"It's really clever furniture," Brad says. "Classic, but contemporary. Affordable high-end."

Most everything in the store can be customized in terms of colour, material, and size. BoConcept works with five grades of leather, various surface finishes and materials, and a whole spectrum of colours, as evidenced by its fabric wall. As well, the staff at BoConcept is specially trained and offers personalized design consultations by appointment. ("It's $150," Brad tells me, then lowers his voice. "But that's not written in stone.")

BoConcept furniture strikes me as perfect for urban condos, trendy, but not transient. I love its floating cabinet wall unit ($1,095), complete with slow-closing cabinets, as well as a sort of absurd looking rocking chair ($1,795), rounded with a low back, yet still surprisingly comfortable.

"A lot of these items I'm putting in my home," Brad says. "They just seem to fit in a space so well. And of course, the couches are incredibly comfortable." And they are--I test them out just to be sure. While I've found many modern-looking sofas to be a little stiff, these ones let you sink in just enough to feel at ease.

According to Brad, pieces in the showroom should change regularly, and the new catalogue will be coming out in September. "Eventually," he adds, "we'll be selling the floor models." Of course, I perk up. "Eventually," he smiles. "But not yet."

Photos by Dennis Marciniak