My first time walking into an Umbra store! This is quite a big location (two floors of products) close to Dundas are - and we walked in after spending time at the Art Gallery of Ontario. I've been such a fan of their products, and it was great to see their full selection on view! We were only browsing today but their products aren't the cheapest, but they aren't the most expensive either. My sister asked the sales associate if they sold water, as it was quite hot this day, and since they didn't sell refreshments they offered to refill out bottle! It was so sweet of her. I do purchase their products, so will be sure to look at their hanging shelves when I'm back home! read more

See all

I am a huge fan of Umbra. My very first Umbra purchase was a huge, round mirror that I bought in Winnipeg from a store in Osborne Village. My friend and I carried it from this store to my apartment, roughly two blocks away. It was that heavy, but it was a minimalistic, practical item that looked good in a tiny space. Over a decade ago, I used to attend musicals in the entertainment district. I would often visit the Umbra store before a show. I got everything from the Bungee to photo frames. To this day, I travel with a Bungee, which stores various US credit cards and currency. I often swap them out with my Canadian ones when I'm am stateside, and vice-versa when I return home. The bungee part has never weakened after all these years. There isn't any parking by this store. I had parked across the street under Shoppers Drug Mart. I walked over to check this store out. It felt the same, except that the top floor is now a clearance section. I was so happy. I love penguins have been a fan of Umbra's penguin liquid soap pump since its inception in 2008. This clearance section had a modern version of the penguin pump dispenser, including an automatic version. These dispensers were 50% off. I got one of each. The only item that I didn't like was a coiled stool. It was not comfortable sitting on it. It was in the clearance section. Only folks who want to replace the coiled top with a comfortable cushion would be inclined to buy one. This store is kind of like a museum. It was fun seeing when items were first introduce by year and how they have endured. The Bungee and penguin pumps are two such items. It was nice seeing jewellery racks and vessels for plants and more. I tend to get inspired sprucing up my place whenever I see Umbra products. Strumba caught my attention, which is Umbra's version of the kalimba. If I didn't own a kalimba already, I would have bought the Strumba. It's a fun, small instrument to play. There's so much coolness at this store. Doorstoppers. Chess sets. Shoe racks. Tipsy bottle openers to match the sipper. I had the nicest man at the checkout. I paid with a credit card. He placed my items in a paper bag with handles and came out of his area to hand it to me. It was such a classy move and was a nice touch. I wished him a great evening. He reciprocated. I left happy with my clearance items. I hope to not wait over a decade to return to this store. Of note, my soap dispensers are awesome. (389) read more

See all

I love the Umbra store with all their original and functional home accessories. One of the few retailers based out of Toronto and also has a worldwide presence. Worth popping in and getting inspiration for your home if you're in the area. While some pieces are more expensive, like their $300 chess set, most are moderately priced. They offer 5 year warranty on their products so you know they stand behind their quality. They often have a sign out with 40%-50% off their retired or seasonal items to attract customers. So you'll sometimes find better deals in their store compared to their site or other retailers carrying their products. I scored a Triflora 3-piece hanging planter set for $30 instead of $60 (floor model last one), and a Prisma picture frame about 40% off. Other items I recommend are: - The foldaway dish rack (udry $13) - ideal for those with limited kitchen space. - The many animal ring holders ($9). - For anyone looking for a fun gift idea for someone you don't know very well (Yankee swap/white elephant gift exchange). Instead of picking up a bottle of wine, I would recommend tipsy bottle opener ($30). It's functional and acts as a cool decor piece that could be a conversation starter in the home (check their video on their site on how the bird balances on the bottle). - Their beautiful curtain rods - Did you know they started their business in 1979 with the launch of a single window shade? read more

See all

Canadian roots where its designs seem to get copied by others at times. I discovered items that have been so useful in the past year to the present day. Awhile back I bought this unique photo stand,and for some reason a piece broke. Knowing it would be a hail mary to actually have Umbra locate a replacement, I appreciated the maybe versus outright no to help. Living in a tighter urban space, furniture's not the easiest to locate. Environmentally friendly criteria preference can make the task more challenging. Counter chair update, I didn't want to keep the current two destined for a donation. I saw the Ringo while in the store.Made of recycled material , sustainable manufacturing,and the color didn't make the decision difficult. There's a little assembling where no tools were required. Comfort, these fit you despite not having a cushion seating area,and back. read more

Umbra Store - Home Decor Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

See all

Ordered a curtain rod online. It arrived in a box that had been pieced together with tape, had old shipping labels still visible and others scribbled out with black sharpie. Upon opening the box, I discovered one of the finials was missing! Obviously this was a return that no one checked before reselling! Shameful business practices! Make it somebody else's problem! Returning and never purchasing from Umbra ever again! read more

Umbra Store - Curtain rod box pieced together with old shipping labels visible. It had been returned twice before being shipped to me by Umbra! - Home Decor Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

I stopped into Umbra early this evening. the exterior of the store had caught my eye earlier when we walk by . The unique exterior was beautiful, covered with curved iridescent tubs. very cool. We decided to go in to take a look and we're immediately greeted with a friendly hello from two staff members I later found out that the young blonde lady was the store manager, Jen. Jen was so welcoming and helpful. she noticed I was carrying my small dog in a bag and encouraged me to let her out of her confinemen. Jen was amazing with us and with our dog. I will definitely shop at this store again. Thank you Jen, you made my day. Cheers David read more

Umbra has reached its expiry date! I had a newsworthy experience at Umbra when I tried to exchange one of their mid-size items received as a gift 2mos. earlier abd was denied the privilege of doing so because the gift , a styled newspaper or magazine storage unit, did not also feature its price tag . Store manager Jennifer was stern snd reprimanded me. She had a lot in common with every high school prefect I ever encountered . "No", she said. " Not without a receipt . " Where does it say that !? Not on the item itself, not at the cash, not on the depressing showroom floor . WTF. It was a gift but further , unopened in its original packaging given to me by a sweet guy who asked me where to go to shop for me (NYC, London Milan actually ) so I gave him something easy to find selling innocuous "home decor accessories ." Back to sour , joyless bylaw enforcer (in another life ) Jennifer who insisted that a policy that is not advertised at the cash, on the showroom floor or elsewhere in your face is not consumer deception/fraud . (Apparently a tiny notice appears on all receipts but my circle of friends don't present gifts with price tags or receipts . ) Unmoved, Jennifer sneered "...and it was in our clearance section"...the lowest merchandise caste apparently . I repeateD that I was happy to settle for any style of exchange , even a lower priced item that would better serve me and delight the gift giver, because at least he got the store right with it's middle market disposables . Umbra's designed items try to reduce house clutter but tragically, become a major purveyor of it eating up shelf,table or floorspace . The inflexible store policy on returns/exchanges is punishing; the shop is an airless space that made me clastrophobic with its dozens of "design " prodigies including mirrors and curtain rods everywhere like a museum gift shop. Fact is, once -original Umbra now manufactures tired and pedestrian decluttering clutter . The goods are best suited to visiting tourists who may genuinely consider the giant magnet designed to hold your car keys "edge-y" ". It is not. The iconic plastic wastebasket is over 20 years old. The many generations of strangely unsatisfying bulletin boards appear useless; who prints photos or used theatre tickets? No solution or compromise was offered. I left the store and my present on the counter, never to return . read more

I can't find enough terrible words to describe their customer service! The company charged my credit card 2 month ago for a back ordered item and it still hasn't shipped! The delivery date kept getting pushed, like most items now, but they never contacted me with delivery dates and when I reached out the first time the unintelligent woman told me my order was complete! I had to dig through emails to find the original order because customer service was too damn lazy!!! However they're not too lazy to pre charge your funds and hold your money! read more

What a cool store!! I love Umbra... This is their concept store. I think it's the only store they actually have, actually. The lights in this place are cool. I uploaded pictures of them I liked them so much. Umbra products are pretty cool... Stylish stuff that usually fills some organizational or furniture void. I picked up a nice (teak?) tray that allows me to glam out in the bath tub with its built in magazine holder as well as my wine glass or tea cup holder... Pricing here is pretty reasonable. Maybe it seemed reasonable because I've only really ever seen most of their stuff at smaller boutique stores where the markup is high anyway. In the trendy Queen Street West shopping district... Which is worth checking out on its own! The most comparable thing I can think of in the US would be the MOMA store in NYC. read more

See all

My brother designs for Umbra, so I'd never buy anything from this store. Not because of some sibling rivalry or anything, but because I know how much of a mark-up is on everything. But. It is a cool store. A big pink block full of all kinds of super cool stuff for your house that isn't boring. Even though it is pretty expensive, it's a great place to go if you want to jazz up your boring bathroom, just a little, with a cool shower curtain or toothbrush holder. (I just used cool three times in that sentence, so I guess what I'm trying to say is.....it's cool). But it's not the place to go to get a cheap shower caddy. read more

See all

This pink and white box off of Queen is very fun to visit! If you're looking for little things like plant hangers, ways to display pictures, chairs, stools, bathroom and kitchen gadgets, etc. this is your place. Long ago I put Umbra into the expensive category. This isn't to say it is expensive, at the time I could barely afford Ikea. I recently popped in with a friend on a mission and realized it's hella reasonably priced and has all the house extras someone with simple taste could want. I'm especially into all of their copper/rose gold-y stuff at the moment, and will be back and I will be cruising their online store, well... right now! read more

I LOVE this store! A one-stop shop for all things Umbra...decorative and functional. *Love* I will be back to get some of the wall hangings and fun kitchenware. It's NOT expensive...in fact, really quite affordable for great design read more

I love Umbra! It's such a cleaver little place with all it's simple modern designs. I will agree with Taylor O. and reiterate that it's products (not the store) are kind of like a Canadian take on Ikea. They have a pretty consistent line of products in pretty simple bold colours. The staff is super friendly and if you are going to a housewarming this is the place to go to get some fantastic goods. The hidden bookshelves are probably my favourite item. Tip: They have annual warehouse sales in December at the Direct Energy Centre or the Automotive Centre. read more

I'm not sure I understand the concept of a concept store. I probably understand less the concept of Umbra; every item is practically tattooed with a conspicuous sense of Design and ultra-modern self-awareness. Sure, they have furniture and housewares. And yes, one can purr at the clever marriage of function and aesthetic in each piece. But to put it simply: I don't need a garbage can that's cooler than I am, thanks. I have enough problems. And for HOW much? Get outta here. Obligatory Title Pun: Why so glUM, BRAh? Menu Readability: Na-na-na-na-na-na-not applicable. Need to mention: Seriously, this place is a designer's wet dream. What this place teaches me about myself: The other day my trash can told me to "step off." Ouch. read more

I love the umbra concept store a lot for the leisurely time-killing stroll. I;ve loved umbra designs forever so I almost died when I set foot in the concept store a few years ago. By way of actual things you can buy, I have never bought anything there. I am aware the markup is insane. Again, it's a concept store. I go there to check out their concepts. My favourite part is definitely the design space upstairs, complete with a 3d printer. It's always fun and creative, and I love talking to the people who are designing and checking out the printer in action. It's an awesome place to hang and take friends--it's honestly more of a gallery or museum to me than an actual store. read more

Everything Umbra here! I found the items at this flag ship store cheaper than the same Umbra item at Home Outfitters or any other retailer. So if its convenient, definitely worth to buy it here. Sales people are very nice and attentive. Helped me go up and down, up and down the elevator with my stroller. It's not a normal elevator, a bit slow and annoying to push button and turn key but at least they made it accessible. read more

The Umbra store is a great place to get some sweet wares for your house - especially if you're sick of buying the same coffee table from IKEA that all of your friends have. I bought my friend a really nice dark wood jewellery box from Umbra this weekend for $35 which I thought was a pretty fair price for such a unique piece. However, I have to say I didn't find everything in there overly affordable. Some of the stuff even seemed pretty over-priced ($45 salad tongs!) But for a boutique-y store in Queen West it's not surprising that they're over charging a bit. And their stuff is definitely unique. As Vanessa V said, it's full of bright colours, plastic and that kind of clean and minimalistic conceptual store layout that makes you want to buy one of everything so your house will look just the same. If you have some cash to burn, this is a great place to do it, but if you want some more affordable pieces, you might want to visit the Swedish mega-store. read more

Umbra carries a lot of neat little gadgets for the home. The products are uniquely designed with a sleek and simple look. Ordinary accessories with a cool twist! The store is very spacious with 2 floors, products are displayed very openly and are easy to find. Staff there are super friendly and helpful. Definitely a store to visit if you are looking to add something neat and interesting to your home. read more

I love coming here even if I don't need anything. The space itself is inviting and they always have beautiful displays! Their selection of photo frames is especially great, but you'll also find stylish kitchen, bathroom, office accessories as well as a few larger furniture items upstairs. It's a Canadian company and it feels good to support Canadian designers. Also, the staff have always been helpful, friendly, and not pushy whenever I've been here. The price point is reasonable too. read more

This store was recommended by a friend. They did not turn out to have anything I needed, but it was a pleasant place. The stuff is sort of like Ikea but more interestingly designed and a bit more solid. I would agree with some of the reviewers on the fairly high markups but they did have a good sized clearance selection when I was there. My main disappointment is that the big pink wall seems to promise three or four shopping levels but there were only two. Most of the stuff here is for bathrooms, kitchens and perhaps college dorm rooms . I would like to have a seen a bigger place with a bit more variety - there are too many bathroom accessories and too little for the office/study/etc. Also, given the bright pink exterior, most of the products are not quite as colourful as one might expect. read more

Interesting store. I love the design and thought put to SOME of the creation that they had on display when we went. Its aesthetically pleasing to say the least. Cleanliness on point. Its a rather big place but they weren't over saturated with stuff like other places so its easy to appreciate the items and ponder over the not-so-cheap prices. I mean, 8$ on a tiny ring holder? please... I could find one that will cost 1-3$. Just saying. Question is, would I go back? Well... I bought a soap dispenser here for 10$ just because I was very fond of it... I never been so into a soap dispenser before, lol...so its a half yes (just to see new stuff) and half no since its rather basic in the end and some items you can find elsewhere for a much affordable find.. i know it wont be the same because of the design that makes umbra unique but if your willing to splurge on the functionality and the craftsmanship of it then by all means you go spend at umbra! read more

Neat store on John Street. It's like an Ikea but with nicer items and specially good for people living downtown and with modern tastes. You need a shoe racks to make your closets tidy? A contraption to hold your tablet? A sleek trash can? This is the place. Friendly and helpful sales people. read more

Modern accompaniments for a one-up on IKEA. I have always been a fan of Umbra's gear sold in small modern gift stores all over. Count my lucky stars we've got a flagship store in Toronto which has some pretty decent sales; check the interwebs for occasional 1/2 off coupons. Moving up to the T Dot I was in need of something other than the typical IKEA suite of items and Umbra provided well, with stylish home accessories from trash cans, to Karim Rashid design chairs and whatnot, cool clocks, side tables, soap holders and more. read more

Umbra Store - Home Decor Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Great selection, modern, contemporary products that you definitely want to show off in your home, no matter where. A global and popular brand so it's definitely more reputable versus Ikea, and the staff and design of the store is amazing! All extremely friendly and talkative with true intentions of being helpful. I love keeping up to date with the latest designs at the store, because they're true trend setters. read more

I absolutely love this store. I live in the area, so go in the store often, and they always have new stuff every time I go in. Service is great, staff seem very friendly and helpful. I've bought a few gifts for friends and they are always well received. Designs are very cool! Comment for Endri from below. Anyone who has ever shopped anywhere always reads the store return policy before you purchase if you think there is a chance you need to return. I don't think anyone should condemn a great store because they failed to read the return policy before buying. read more

this is one of many industrially designed, mass produced, crap-selling stores that's ruining queen west. unfortunately, i kind of love it. karim rashid's design aesthetic is very cutesy-- lots of plastics and bright colours. the umbra store displays a lot of unique fabrications and cute little housewares you'd be pressed to find anywhere else. i agree with almost all of dane's review below, except the bit about pricing. if you're not used to canadian prices, you'll notice that prices here are 15-20% higher than umbra products in the US, plus there's that awful 15% sales tax. so you will end up shelling out quite a bit, but as a concept store it's very nice. read more

BEWARE BEFORE YOU BUY! BAD STORE POLICY! The Toronto (John St) store does not aim to satisfy their customers. Bought a shower caddy there but due to the texture of the tiles, the suction cup would not stick. Went back the next day to return, only to find out that the store does not have a return policy only store credit. Despite explaining this, they are keeping my money hostage for no reason. I will have to return to the store but it will only be to claim the hostage money for someone else's gift and would never buy again from this store. BEWARE BEFORE YOU BUY! UMBRA WILL KEEP YOUR MONEY HOSTAGE! read more

Nice staff, amazing products in this unique shop. Worth the visit when you re travelling to Toronto. read more

This store is an interesting place to check out trendy stuff for your house. Mostly for the bathroom and kitchen as another reviewer noted. I think it is a fun store but kind of pricey for what they sell. Also, I bought one of their soap dispensers and it clogged up and couldn't be fixed. I emailed the store but no response. So overall, not great customer service for the price. read more

I was here a week ago and took advantage of their buy 2 get one free offer and bought some kitchen accessories. Umbra's product are attractive and cleverly design and relatively reasonably priced. I unfortunately bought a defective soap dispenser and had to return to the store for an exchange. I was there mid-day on a Tuesday and I was the only customer in the store. One of the three staff members eventually came up to the front cash to serve me, she seemed very disinterested and a bit pissey, not a hi, hello or how are you. Anyways I explained that the soap dispenser I bought wasn't working and would like to exchange for another one. I went to grab another dispenser and asked if I could test it out with water which she gave me a rude look and I proceeded to walk to the back of the store to find a restroom. I came back to the counter where the exchange was done at the cash register. I asked if I could get another bag as the bag I brought it in had soap leaked into it. She gave another sigh and gave me a bag which I had to bag the item myself. When I left she basically ignored me and never said goodbye or apologized about the inconvenience or the defective product -- she was so rude! I can't imagine her dealing with multiple customers. When I got home I noticed that the chrome dispenser tube was bent off centered (just a minor cosmetic fault), but I didn't care and didn't want to deal with such rude attitude. If you shop there, be sure to examine the product carefully and try to get served by the gentlemen working in the store (and not the downer portly girl with the long black hair), they are much nicer and makes you feel that your business is appreciated when you leave the store. read more

So angry at Umbra Concept Store 165 John Umbra. I got the black pump with the cork top it Broke within 10 days call to get an exchange they get all my info tell me to come today. I call before I came to make sure it's all good to go wake up and once I get to the John street store they are out of stock. Why the fuck did I come out of my way on my holiday for an exchange for an item you sold out of !??? So mad this sucks !!!! read more

Buyer beware. I bought an item online and it took a long time to ship. When it arrived, the box was kicked in and the bowl damaged. It was flimsy in construction and not packed in its own box. Emails to 2 customer service reps not answered! read more

I was in the store end of November to purchase a lot of different frames for my boyfriend's apartment. Tanya was a HUGE help. It was so easy to purchase and then return what I didn't end up using. Plus when I was there they had a promotion with Shutterfly so I got an amazing photobook out of it as well! read more