Retailers and interior designers rely on the Vancouver-based furniture maker to provide budget-friendly pieces with a modern yet classic aesthetic—and do it all with transparent lead times.
New York townhome designed by Taylor Spellman Design | Photo Rich Caplan
Web-based furniture company Article launched in 2013, and quickly made a name for itself as one of the top spots for modern, direct-to-consumer (read: no retail markup) home furnishings.
Since its inception, the Vancouver-based company has expanded its offering to interior designers and commercial customers via its Article B2B Program. “Our whole goal at Article is that we want to make the sourcing and specification process extremely easy,” says Jill Cross, Article’s trade program manager. “It’s not just about getting the sale. It’s really important that we provide direct support for projects large and small and that our products have longevity.”
Article’s reception within the interior design community has been strong, with high-profile names such as interior designer Taylor Spellman and online menswear retailer Indochino signing on to feature its goods. “We try to avoid picking out a trend and running with it for a whole collection,” Cross says. “We want to offer products that have a classic aesthetic that in five years will still be beautiful and have life. Our pieces are what are going to create the foundation for any space.”
Read on for how each designer and commercial client created the ideal space with Article.
Courtesy Indochino
INDOCHINO SHOWROOM, MELROSE, CALIF.
For Vancouver-based online brand Indochino, opening brick-and-mortar showrooms meant having to think in terms of traditional retail. The brand, which offers affordable made-to-measure suits, apparel, and accessories for men, would need to outfit its new spaces with tables, chairs, sofas, and other furnishings and fixtures. “We had been sourcing from a range of vendors but our short lead times were challenging,” says Dean Handspiker, Indochino’s VP of design, product, and store development. “Between stock-outs and delivery issues it was taking more time than we had to design and redesign around missing or late items.”
To solve his sourcing and design woes, Handspiker turned to Article, where he says he and his team found a wide product assortment with available inventory, a team dedicated solely to support, and reliable white-glove delivery at a great price. “Article has reduced our lead times from months to days.”
In the natural light-filled Indochino showroom in Melrose, California, Handspiker chose Article pieces that would give the space a relaxed SoCal vibe, such as the Levo Toscana Tan lounge chair and stools, the Forma Gray chair, Taiga Oak dressers, Mara Walnut side tables and the Mello Taos Tan sectional pieces, from which they created a long sofa and chaise.
“I have a dream role where I am able to design retail spaces that are consistent with my personal taste and my home,” Handspiker says. “With Article I discovered a range of furniture that I wanted to live with that still fit within our budget. The broad range was equally important. We were able to avoid the sameness many retailers default to. While there is a consistency of palette in our showrooms, each is somewhat unique.”
Raef Grohne Photography
THE DUKE, VANCOUVER, B.C.
“Sometimes you are looking for that striking key piece for a project but don’t have a huge budget, and Article had that perfect piece at a good price.” says Kasia Chamberlain, associate at Vancouver-based BYU Design, which was tasked as the interior design firm on The Duke apartment building in Vancouver’s Mount Pleasant neighborhood. To help entice prospective residents, BYU created two display suites in The Duke, each featuring a tailored aesthetic that highlighted how the right furniture and accessories can make a small space feel flexible, expansive, and personal.
“Article has quite a lot of variety in terms of furniture pieces and all its pieces are on trend,” Chamberlain says. “In addition, it offers a lot of different scaled pieces, so if you have a smaller home or a larger home you are to be able to find furniture pieces that are the perfect fit.”
The stars in the two display apartments were Article’s leather Sven Charme Tan sofa and the Burrard Seasalt gray sofa. “Both have a modern, tailored look with a lot of interesting details and are smaller scale for smaller living spaces,” Chamberlain says.
Courtesy Shopify
SHOPIFY OFFICE, TORONTO
Inside Canadian e-commerce company Shopify’s new, multi-level office space in Toronto, the goal was to create a comfortable, homey environment that would encourage productivity and enable its employees to do their best work. “We try to design our spaces with a residential feel,” says Alex Martin, Shopify’s real estate experience lead, west region. “We want people to be comfortable in Shopify offices and part of that is making our spaces feel like home. Article sits at a perfect intersection of comfort, style, and approachable design.”
Martin notes that Article’s procurement process was particularly simple and clearly marked lead times on its products were a valuable asset “for determining whether a product works with my timeline.” To impart that comfortable, at-home feel, with a modern twist, the Shopify team opted for an array of Article’s goods, including the Spin chair, Equa coffee table, Otio chair, Tana stool, Brezza coffee table, and the Taiga oak side table—a popular piece that staffers say is a good place to set their laptops when working from a couch or lounge chair. “The Sven sofa might be the most repeated piece of furniture in our whole project,” Martin says. “It comes in a variety of colors and materials, it’s comfortable, simple, and the design feels homey and stylish.”
Photo Rich Caplan
TOWNHOME STAGING AT 30 SULLIVAN STREET, NEW YORK
Staging this townhome in New York’s SoHo neighborhood was initially daunting, thanks to its sizeable footprint. “It’s 7,000 square feet,” says Taylor Spellman, CEO and creative director of her eponymous New York-based interior design and staging firm. “It was overwhelming because of its size and underwhelming because it lacked, well, everything.”
Enter Article. Spellman and her team filled the space with multiple pieces such as a rich purple-hued Embrace Obsidian black chair in the den, the Sven Birch sectional in the living room, and the Madera dining table in smoke in the dining room. “As soon as we brought in that couch, it spelled out exactly how you could use the space,” Spellman says. “You could imagine your family relaxing and being together.”
Among the many reasons Spellman cites for designing with Article—faster lead times, bold colors, and clean-lined products that photograph well—she regards its approachability. “I wanted people who walked into this space to feel like they came home. And Article products are all very welcoming.”