The Buy Canadian Challenge: How Hard Is It to Furnish Your Home with Canadian Products?

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My #1 goal when I set out to buy furnishings and decor for my new house was to support Canadian-owned companies as much as possible. How hard could it be to Buy Canadian?

Spoiler Alert: very hard.

The Buy Canadian movement has gained serious momentum—and for good reason. With trade tensions simmering, tariffs back on the table, and an increasingly unpredictable relationship with our neighbours to the south, keeping our dollars in Canada isn’t just feel-good patriotism. It’s smart strategy. It supports local jobs, strengthens our supply chains, and builds more resilient communities.

If you’re furnishing a home in Toronto or the GTA, consider this your cheat sheet to Buy Canadian.

Canadian-Owned vs. Canadian-Made

Before we dive in, let’s clear something up: Canadian-owned doesn’t always mean Canadian-made. A company can be headquartered here with Canadian ownership but still manufacture products overseas. That’s not necessarily a bad thing—global supply chains are complex—but it’s worth knowing what you’re getting.

Where possible, I’ve flagged both. You’ll see which companies design here, manufacture here, or do both.

Pro Tip: If buying Canadian-made matters to you, just ask. Most companies are happy to tell you where their products come from—and the good ones are proud of it.

Where to Buy Canadian Furniture

Here are my top picks for Canadian furniture companies, organized by budget:

Budget-Friendly (Under $2,000 for a sofa)

• Structube — Founded in Laval, Quebec in 1974 and still family-owned. Products are designed in Canada but manufactured overseas. The prices are competitive, the designs are modern, and the ownership is verifiably Canadian. Over 70 stores across the country, including several in the GTA.
• Leon’s — Canadian since 1909, publicly traded on the TSX, and the company behind The Brick. Products are a mix of imported and domestic, but the company itself is as Canadian as it gets.
• The Brick — Owned by Leon’s since 2013. Canadian ownership, though products are largely imported. A solid option for budget-conscious buyers who want to keep their money with a Canadian company.
• Bouclair — Quebec-based and Canadian-owned. Great for home decor and smaller furniture pieces at accessible prices.

Mid-Range ($2,000–$5,000 for a sofa)

• Urban Barn — Founded in Vancouver in 1990 and still 100% Canadian-owned. They’re refreshingly transparent about their Canadian roots—it’s right on their website. Good design at accessible prices.
• Mobilia — Founded in 1966 in Montreal and still family-owned, now based in Pointe-Claire, Quebec. Contemporary designs with showrooms across the GTA. They even have a Made in Canada collection worth checking out.
• Article — Founded in Vancouver in 2011, they pioneered the direct-to-consumer furniture model in Canada and opened their first physical store in Vancouver in 2024. Mid-century modern and Scandinavian vibes at reasonable prices.
• EQ3 — Based in Winnipeg, with locations in the GTA. The good news: some of their custom upholstery is actually made in Canada. Worth asking about when you visit.
• Cozey — Montreal-based, founded in 2020. They received $10 million in investment from CDPQ (Quebec’s pension fund), so there’s serious Canadian institutional backing here. Known for their modular sofas and direct-to-consumer model.
• Sundays — Founded in Vancouver in 2019 by four friends with backgrounds in retail and design. Beautiful, family-friendly furniture with that West Coast aesthetic. Showrooms in Vancouver and Toronto. My new Sundays couches arrived just yesterday!
• Stylegarage — A true Toronto gem. Founded in 2000, their two-storey showroom at 78 Ossington is worth a visit even if you’re just browsing. Their SG Originals line is designed and made in Canada by local craftspeople—they’re even the official furniture partner of Massey Hall. They’re also the original Gus* Modern retailer.
• Palliser — Founded in Winnipeg in 1944. The key detail: their custom upholstery is still made in Canada. If you want a Canadian-made sofa without breaking the bank, Palliser belongs on your list. And if you’re looking for a sofa bed, I can personally attest to having the best sleep of my life on ny parents’ Palliser pull-out.
• Valencia Theatre Seating — Headquartered in Oakville, Ontario. Specializes in home theatre seating and lifestyle furniture. Their Burlington showroom lets you test before you commit.
• Elte Mkt — The more accessible sibling to high-end Elte, located in Toronto’s Castlefield Design District. Same family ownership, same quality eye—but geared toward younger buyers and urban homeowners. Exceptional rugs at reasonable prices. My Elte Mkt dining table arrives in February!
• MFKTO / Modern Komfort — Female-owned and Canadian-owned, with over 20 years in the business. Their Toronto showroom is at 1152 Dupont Street—it’s only 1,000 square feet, but they have a massive online selection of modern and mid-century modern pieces. Bonus: they offer an in-house design consultant service if you need help pulling a room together.

Higher-End ($5,000+ for a sofa)

• Gus* Modern — Toronto-based since 2000. Modern furniture inspired by mid-century aesthetics with a strong commitment to sustainability (FSC-certified wood, eco-friendly materials, even vegan AppleSkin leather). Find their pieces at Stylegarage and retailers across Canada.
• Montauk Sofa — Montreal-based, all sofas handcrafted in Canada. This is the luxury end of the spectrum—beautiful pieces with a lifetime frame warranty. If your budget allows, this is about as Canadian-made as it gets.
• Elte — Toronto’s design institution. Family-owned since 1919. Their massive showroom at 80 Ronald Avenue is worth a visit even if you’re just dreaming. They also own Ginger’s for luxury bath and kitchen—50+ years in the business.
• Casalife — Toronto-owned retailer with some Canadian-made options. Worth asking about their locally manufactured pieces. I’ve owned a lot of Casalife pieces and have always been happy with them.

Vintage & Specialty Stores

For those who love the thrill of the hunt:

• Guff — A Toronto institution since 2006, now in a sprawling 4,000 square foot Riverside location at 1 Davies Avenue. They specialize in mid-century Scandinavian furniture at genuinely fair prices (not the “vintage markup” you see elsewhere). They have an in-house refinishing operation and post most inventory online—so you can stalk before you shop.
• V de V — Montreal-founded in 2012 by Fanny Vergnolle de Villers (the name is a play on her surname), with a Toronto location at 797 Dundas Street West. Vintage and industrial-style furniture, lighting, and accessories with a boho-chic vibe. The window displays alone are worth the detour.

Mattresses: Sleep Canadian

The mattress-in-a-box revolution has actually been good for Canadian companies. Several homegrown brands have emerged to compete with the American giants—and many manufacture right here.

• Silk & Snow — Toronto-based and refreshingly transparent about their Canadian manufacturing. Many of their mattresses are made in Canada.
• Douglas, Logan & Cove, and Juno (douglas.ca, loganandcove.ca, juno.ca) — All owned by GoodMorning.com, an Edmonton-based company. Canadian-designed and mostly Canadian-made. Different options for different budgets and sleep styles.
• Endy — Originally Canadian-founded, now owned by Sleep Country Canada (which is also Canadian). Mattresses are made in Canada.
• Sleep Country Canada — The retail giant is Canadian-owned and publicly traded on the TSX. They carry various brands including their own Canadian-made options.

Home Decor & Accessories

• Simons — Quebec City-based since 1840 and still family-owned. Canada’s oldest family-owned retailer just opened two Toronto locations (Yorkdale and Eaton Centre) in 2025. Their home decor section is excellent—and about 70% of their merchandise is their own house brands. A genuine Canadian success story. I was surprised at some of the great home stuff I found at Simons!
• Umbra — Founded in Toronto in 1979 and still Canadian-owned. You’ve probably seen their functional, modern homeware without realizing it’s Canadian—they’re in stores everywhere.
• Mjölk — A design lover’s destination in the Junction. They curate beautiful pieces and support both Canadian and international designers. Worth a visit if you appreciate thoughtful design.
• Artemano — Quebec-based decor brand with global inspiration. Good for unique accent pieces.
• If Only Home — Toronto-based organic bedding brand. If you’re looking for Canadian bedding and linens, start here.

Shopping Online: Finding Canadian Options

One frustration I kept running into during my Buy Canadian quest: major online retailers like Wayfair and Amazon don’t make it easy to filter for Canadian-owned or Canadian-made products. You can sometimes find “Made in Canada” tags, but it’s inconsistent at best.

Your best bet is to shop directly from the Canadian brands listed above, or check out the Made in Canada Directory—they list verified Canadian manufacturers across all categories.

Home Services: Who’s Behind the Company?

When it comes to real estate services, buying Canadian is really about who owns the company—not where the service is performed. Many of the big real estate brokerage franchises in Canada are American-owned, so while the agents might be Canadian, the corporate profits flow south.

If supporting Buying 100% Canadian matters to you, look for independent brokerages—like the BREL team (that’s us).

For lawyers, home inspectors, movers, and trades, the best approach is to ask for referrals from people you trust. Most of these businesses are locally owned by definition—just confirm you’re not accidentally hiring a franchise of an American company if that matters to you.

The BREL Bottom Line

Buying Canadian is harder than it should be. Companies aren’t always transparent about ownership, and “Canadian” can mean a lot of different things depending on who’s doing the labelling.

But what I’ve learned? It’s worth the effort. Every dollar spent with a Canadian-owned company supports local jobs and strengthens our economy. In uncertain times, that matters more than ever.

Don’t beat yourself up if you can’t buy Canadian 100% of the time—some categories (like appliances) just don’t have good options yet. But where you can, make the choice. Start with the big purchases: your sofa, your mattress, your dining table. Those are the ones that really add up.

And if you find a great Canadian company I missed? Let me know. This list should keep growing.