TORP
TORP is a furniture, decor and jewelry store that sprawls across a 3500 square foot space in Yorkville . Founder Arne Nordtorp started off by selling his collection from a house in Cabbagetown before opening a store on the second floor of 245 Davenport Road.
The mission: "Bringing beauty into your daily life" with a firm belief that "it doesn't have to cost a lot" - a goal Nordtorp met by pricing decor items as low as $29. I could easily see many of his affordable Danish and Scandinavian items inside my own home.
A standout line: Friendly, functional Danish brand Muuto ($65 and up), which manufactures organic products like the Unfold Lamp ($250) made out of rubber trees from Malaysia.
Pieces of craftsmanship by master designers Hans Wegner , Poul Kjarerholm and Arne Jacobsen , are available for deep-pocketed buyers looking to drop some serious cash on a design classic. "The Chair" by Hans Wegner, rumoured to have won JFK the Presidential election, will cost you $6,517 and is only one of many seats likely to catch a wealthy shopper's eye.
The glass-encased jewelry section of the store displays Georg Jensen 's art nouveau inspired collections - known to Westerners as the Nordic version of Tiffany's . Men and women can find perfect pieces amid their vast selection of watches ($1200 & up), necklaces ($250 & up), bracelets ($203 & up), earrings ($200 & up) and rings ($250 & up).
If that wasn't enough variety, the showroom also devotes space to a selection of high-performance windows and doors, and TORP is currently renovating their faรงade to showcase Nordtorp's Denmark business product line. As the company says, the pricing is competitive to "other premium Canadian brands that offer sleek minimal design with amazing energy performance."
If you appreciate Danish style and are looking to invest in some great design above and beyond the usual IKEA options, TORP might just be what you are looking for.
Writing by Hannah Greenwood. Photos by Jesse Milns.