Please go to our new link for Gus* Design Group
Mostly masculine, tightly constructed, a top performer in Canada, and coming out in Chelsea.
No, not Brian Boitano� but Gus* the Toronto- based furniture company, making a first-name-only name for itself in the States, after years of working through US distributors from its Canadian base camp. This is the first Gus* location in the US, though they just opened an outpost in furniture mecca High Point, North Carolina...
This carefully-edited collection is not as flashy as its typical ICFF neighbors, but the pieces are solid, perfectly scaled for NY apartment living, and with cool, clean designs that will keep it all looking fairly timeless for years to come.
Lots of handsome staples to finish off a room, with a streamlined but earthy modernism, most created under the eye of David Podsiadlo, their in-house industrial designer.
Sofas run $1895-2895 and turn-around on custom pieces squarely beats industry average, closer to 3 to 4 weeks than the typical 8 to 12� with some pieces from their �Essentials Collection� ready to ship in 7 to 10 days. They also sell a fresh alternative to the ubiquitous Eames chair, their �Thompson� chair, priced at a decidely non-Eames $245.
They also carry non-Gus* pieces� lamps and chairs from Kartell, Area bedding, as well as Zack stainless accessories, and the work of artist Richard Des Jardins, with more art to follow.
Recent NYC-import himself, Dan Bowman of South Beach Style, and showroom manager Michael Hernandez (who played charming bartender at the recent AT party) can give you all the low-down on this welcome addition to the expanding �Furniture Alley� on 18th street.
And here�s the best part� through May 15 AT readers can get 10% off any upholstery order. Just mention Apartment Therapy when ordering.
I'm looking forward to seeing more Gus, I think their clean-lined designs work well with many styles.
P.S. That Brian Boitano line was pretty witty!
view Erin T.'s profile
laughing..choking on coffee...;-)
view etslee's profile
do you mean this brian?
http://www.canadianexcellence.com/
view etslee's profile
That was hilarious!
I've been to this store (it's right down the street from Barney's Coop) and while I was intrigued from the window, I felt their inventory was lacking. Hopefully they get some more stuff in. that sofa is great, though.
view Bryan Hale's profile
"coming out in Chelsea"?
because coming out is funny?
view ForbiddenFruit's profile
I'm glad that it's the end of the day Friday and no one was around to be bothered by my laughing-out-loud-loudly! Too funny, thanks for the laugh!
Also glad to hear Gus is coming south of the border, can't wait until they expand to the middle of the country as well.
view kate's profile
Gus is making a much needed product at this price point, but I would pay an extra $500 if the cushions were partly down. The couches just aren't comfortable and it is a big disapointment. They use foam with a dacron wrap and the comfort just isn't there compared to the old ugly down couch we have.
view mcard's profile
Not everyone prefers down, since down can look pretty frumpy pretty quicky, and needs to be fluffed (oh my) on too-regular a basis (at least for me).
view patrick (the other one)'s profile
I am really concerned about the quality of Gus line.
Much of their lower price point items are made off shore. The company may be from Canada but don't assume all of the furniture is.
I have seen frames with rust on them, cheap fabrics that won't last long and veneer that chips to MDF too quickly. Sure the price points can be good but why spend this much when the quaility is not there?
I'm not sure.
view bud smith's profile
It's good to get some feedback from people who've actually seen/sat on this furniture.
P(too), I've had down furniture and furniture with just foam and my preference is for medium to firm foam. The sofa I had with down cushions (seat and back) was comfortable but always looked a mess after sitting on it for a while. Our current sofa with foam seat cushions and tufted back is definitely lower maintenance.
view Erin T.'s profile
I am really surprised by bud's comments... I've never encountered what he describes.
And not sure why "off shore" construction is a negative thing, even if true.
view patrick (the other one)'s profile
Funny I never came across them in Canada...never noticed them in Canadian House & Home, my regular trips to Toronto's design district, Cityline or the other usual sources. Guess I just missed them (in which case, they can't have been around that long).
view mschatelaine's profile
After combing through the products on the Gus web site, I came away with the uneasy impression that nearly everything things looks vaguely like a more prominent, earlier design and that Gus has merely given a "generic" veneer to others' more vibrant original designs. And the infernal color scheme makes me feel as if light blue, brown and wasabi are the only still legal sections of the spectrum. Probably their marketing plan is on target and they'll do well, but I'd rather save my money for something fresher - like some of those glorious pieces recently shown in Milan, or maybe even to justify a visit to a recherche antiques dealer. Gus seems like a high end IKEA but without the personality or world view. CB2 and/or Room & Board fill this niche far more successfully.
view Marco's profile
Like I said, the collection is limited (I prefer "curated"!) and you can't beat the pricepoint for the stuff you're getting, nor can you beat the delivery times.
view patrick (the other one)'s profile
I know the description was meant to be witty (Brian Boitano indeed), but the scientist and feminist in me bristles every time "masculine" is used as a descriptor for simple or modern.
view catalina's profile
I was referring to the cowhide, stainless steel and chunky wood stuff (not just because it's simple or modern) to express the "masculine" range.
Well, that and the company's name is a man's name.
But point taken.
view patrick (the other one)'s profile
I guess I don't see cowhide or chunky wood as being "masculine" any more than they are feminine. (I'm not sure how I feel about stainless steel, though.)
I'm dying to re-cover an old chair I have with cowhide - it is my (male) partner that can't quite part with grandmother's brocade.
view catalina's profile
Unfortunately most, if not all of GUS modern is now made in China-and I agree the marketing of the brand is a little deceiving as they are no longer the Canadian design company they portray themselves as.
They started out (and I think still have)with a great retail shop on Queen West in Toronto called Style Garage, at that time they used to manufacture everything they sold in Canada.The Quality and choice was MUCH,MUCH better than what you get from the "new" GUS
Imports are an unfortunate reality but I think its important that we support north amercian manufacturers while we still have some!
The GUS store in NY is nice, the owner Dan also has a great store in Florida too called South Beach Style
view montreal modern's profile
http://www.shopgusmodern.com/
view KatieC1's profile
you can buy anything you want in this store for less online.
view Catherine10011's profile