When trying to furnish a house in a place like Toronto, it’s quite easy to feel overwhelmed by the sheer variety of pieces and styles to choose from. A good problem to have, it would seem, when you think of what the opposite portends: few stores and even lesser variety of furniture, which makes keeping the house decently furnished a painful undertaking. But not Toronto. It is heaven for any style-focused person. And the stores have no shortage of surprise furniture pieces that would turn any dowdy space into a comfortable, even luxurious home. To make your furniture-finding experience smooth and lessen the time you’d spend looking for signature pieces, here is a short list of the top stores you ought to be popping into. Call these the best furniture stores in Toronto, because, they are.

If you’re addicted to anything handmade, you must check into Barrymore. Canada’s most famous furniture store and undoubtedly, one of the most successful local companies, Barrymore has a history dating back to the early 1900s. From its onset, the company was all about producing quality handcrafted furniture, a trade it mastered and went ahead to make a name for itself, first nationally, and secondly, internationally. Its Toronto store is its flagship outlet, a massive showroom located at Caledonia Road. Stop by to see for yourself the outstanding designs of sofas, bedroom furniture, and other furniture in their different types and styles. Upholstered, wooden, contemporary, traditional, transitional, shabby chic furniture; it’s all in here. One other thing that’s special about Barrymore is that they’re exceptionally environmentally-conscious. Their focus is not just in giving you the best custom made furniture, but also the greenest. They don’t use VOC-emitting (volatile organic compounds) substances at any stage in the furniture making process. In additional to their unique furniture lines, Barrymore also offer furniture collections from other leading furniture designers and brands, most notable among these being Rho Mobili d’Ecopa, Currin, Fine Furniture Designs, John-Richard, Environment Furniture, and Carvers Guild.

The saying ‘old is gold’ appears to have significant meaning as far as furniture stores in Toronto are concerned. It might explain why yet another store that’s half a century old, Gautier, is so popular. The multi-billion store was started in 1960. Over the years, it has stayed true to its vision supplying collection after collection of spectacular, eco-friendly furniture. And in its Toronto store is where all the designer magic is displayed.

Contemporary furniture couldn’t get more popular, with designers always giving existing designs a twist and coming up with trendy off-shoots of modern-style furniture. But even the catchiest contemporary furniture design cannot match the charm of a traditional-style furniture piece. Well, Toronto’s best furniture stores make all this variety available so you can easily find what floats your boat. Pop into any of these stores for modern, Art Deco, French Style, neo-classical, urban, retro, antique, mid-century and even vintage creations: Urban Barn, Morba, Stylegarage, Smash, Suite 22 Interiors, Avenue Road, Mjolk, Blvd Interiors, CB2, West Elm, Elte Market, Kiosk, East West Futons, Decorium, Shelter Furniture, Commute 22 and Klaus, on King East.