Shelter Furniture is a store in the Castlefield Design District that sits in a large, remodeled warehouse. It's brightly lit, well organized and easy to shop.

Practically everything in the showroom is beautiful, if a little contemporary, and will look really sharp in almost any modern home.

What I most liked was the large collection of dining room tables and chairs. Too many times, furniture stores overlook these pieces because they can start to all look the same, but Shelter Furniture has enough variety to making choosing the perfect piece enjoyably difficult.

Among my favourite pieces are the extendable frosted white glass dining table with brushed metal base ($999) and the Dakota dining table with clear glass top and wooden "swoosh" base ($1599).

My must-have table is the strikingly cool Opio bleached pine table at 110' for $1999. It's big enough to fit a family for holiday dinners but cute enough for even the most intimate of breakfasts.

The dining chairs are also quite varied and I like how they go beyond the typical high backed, armless leather chair. They have quite a few straight-back chairs, some with arms and some with whicker in the back or the seat.

Shelter Furniture also has a limited selection of complete bedroom sets. Unless you're 12 years old, no one really needs a complete bedroom set. But, sometimes, it's nice to have things that match.

So, I like that I could pick up a couple of really sharp nightstands and a handsome four or six-drawer dresser that would go together and not look like I inherited them from my childhood bedroom.

I also dig the selection of rugs for sale. Now, some of them are really ugly. But others, including some Persian-style ones, are understated, mature and could really help bring a room together. The prices and sizes are varied, but average about 8 x 5 for about $1399.

The various couches, sofas and side chairs are also really hip, contemporary and, most importantly, comfortable. I almost didn't want to get up from a huge Plunge sectional sofa that was upholstered in deep gray corduroy and covered in enormous pillows ($2199).

A very masculine, almost industrial, leather sofa available in white, brown or black full grain leather ($3498) also caught my eye.

For some reason, Shelter Furniture also sells quite a few purses and handbags. It's weird, a bit jarring and probably unnecessary. I can't imagine too many shoppers in the market for a couch and side chair also deciding to pick up a little handbag while they're there.

But, Shelter Furniture does have a moderately sized collection of glassware and decor items, including some old-timey Mad-Men style office products. I liked the old-fashioned typewriters, staplers, desk lamps and in-and-out trays, but was dismayed to see them, for the most part, unpriced.