Design Your Own Furniture at Interior Define’s New Newbury Street Location
The e-commerce company promises to bring your look to life.
Photo by Elisif Brandon
Just in time for chilly days spent cozying up on the sofa, a new shop offering design-your-own furniture has landed on Newbury Street. Called Interior Define, the Chicago-based e-commerce company promises customizable pieces without the headache—or hefty price tag.
The new Back Bay outpost marks the sixth storefront for Interior Define, which first began selling sofas online in 2014. Soon after, the company expanded its product line and began opening brick-and-mortar locations across the country. Known as “guideshops”—a term founder Rob Royer borrowed from Bonobos, where he was an early employee—the showrooms offer an interactive experience where customers can touch and lounge on Interior Define pieces, as well as get one-on-one assistance from a design specialist. “I mean, you can walk into those big-box places, but the service you get here is really personalized,” says Boston-based general manager Bridget Toolan. “We really want to walk you through the design process.”
Photo by Elisif Brandon
Photo by Elisif Brandon
At the new Newbury Street location, the in-store experience is similar to the choose-your-own-adventure approach that the company offers online. Unlike the web experience, though, you’ll be welcomed into the modernized 19th-century space with a can of La Croix or a glass of wine. Then, you can tour the collections: Grouped by style, from sleek-and-simple to comfy-casual, each collection features a number of pieces such as petite accent chairs and sprawling corner sectionals. Once you decide on a favorite, you’ll be able to customize your look by choosing from more than 75 different fabrics and several leg options. Test-driving products is encouraged, as is pulling one of the “life-size” fabric swatches off the wall to lay it on top of a piece. “To be able to take [the swatch] and actually drape it over really helps you visualize the final product,” Toolan says. Once you place an order in the store or online, your custom piece will be delivered within eight to 12 weeks.
The company hopes to follow in the footsteps of other e-commerce brands that have opened brick-and-mortar stores in the city such as Warby Parker and Bonobos to become even more accessible to Boston customers—whether they order on the spot in-store or later online. Either way, if you’re hoping to have a sofa that perfectly fits your Instagram aesthetic in time for Boston’s first snow day, better start designing now.
77 Newbury St., Boston, 872-802-4119, interiordefine.com.
Photo by Elisif Brandon
Photo by Elisif Brandon
