Merchant Sons is an anti-showroom that’s designed like an apartment, meant to be approachable and functional. This space also contains an outpost of de Mello Palheta Coffee Roasters, and you’re welcome to stay a while and use the free WiFi.

This HQ for the technical homewares brand founded in part by Torontonian Cathy Ly is based around a distaste for conventional shopping with its aisles, shelves and lines. Technical homewares essentially translates to bed, bath and living room staples designed to work harder than the average department store brand.

Merchant Sons decked out an old Victorian home from the 1890s to create this comfortable hangout. You may be hesitant to slurp coffee while chilling on a couch you don’t own, but everything in here is stain-treated.

Towels ($115 for a set of two hand and two bath) were woven, dyed and finished at a family-owned mill in southwestern Turkey and made out of 100% high-quality cotton. It’s been combed to leave the stronger, smoother fibres, and quality tested to ensure that it absorbs water more quickly and dries 10% faster than department store towels.

A stain resistant cushion ($60) has a treated cover made in Canada that repels oil and water, releases stains, and resists bacteria growth and excessive abrasion.

Their sweatshirt cushion ($50) made out of their popular cozy sweatshirt material is made in Canada out of cotton and polyester.

The sweatshirt blanket ($100) is one of their most popular items, like a comfy sweater for your whole body that’s big enough to spread over a double bed. With the same double-sided texture as your fave hoodie, it’s made by some of the last remaining small batch producers in the Toronto area.

Candles ($25) made in Markham out of 100% non-GMO soy wax with a cotton wick and cedarwood, fir needle, and patchouli essential oils have a 50 hour burn time and a 15 foot scent throw.

The de Mello space has the added advantage of being a great training area in this open, homey environment.

La Marzocco Linea Minis show off high quality coffee using a smaller machine that wouldn’t be able to handle high volume cafe output.

They also offer a selection of about fifteen or sixteen types of their most popular bon bons made by hand at Yonge and Eglinton by baker Kata Ambrus.

At the back is the “bedroom” area featuring Merchant Sons bedding ($385 for a complete queen bed set, $435 for a king) made in Portugal, designed to be more breathable by removing moisture contact from skin and twice as resistant to abrasion as department store sheets, duvet covers and pillow cases.