The Find: an outdoor furniture set that didn’t put us to sleep

When shopping for outdoor furniture in Toronto, we’ve noticed that there’s an abundance of beige, white and black, which appears to be a move by retailers to cater to Tom, Dick and Harry. So it pays to chat with the sales staff about the other colourful options, which are always available to custom-order (but may not necessarily be on display in a showroom). After seeing piles of cold, modern designs, we were pleased to find Tribu’s Mirthe line at Avenue Road—it has both shine and colour and adds a bit of extra warmth to what will likely be an already pleasant, sunny day. The deep purple accents take the simple white set-up from straight-lined, clean and stuffy to something unique and more fun. And each piece is sold separately so shoppers can customize their outdoor look, which means no two backyards will look the same (unless of course, they do). Mirthe sidechair $596 (Cushions $196), Mirthe bench starts at $996 (cushions $138), Mirthe table starts at $2,460.

Avenue Road, 415 Eastern Ave., 416-548-7788. www.avenue-road.com.