The Apartment Life

At this eclectic showroom, discover vintage finds in all colours but especially pink!

Inspired by the then-risqué 1960s rom-com The Apartment, specialty vintage furniture and decor shop The Apartment Life sets the scene for small-space city-living. Specializing in apartment-size furniture, the 700-square-foot main floor is complemented by an upstairs apartment-showroom that models the perfect vintage pad—accessible for invite-only shopping sprees. Located in a 100-year-old Victorian building on Queen Street East, the store showcases a colourful array of vintage collectables in pristine condition from the 60s to the 90s (plus an in-house line that includes a hot pink zig zag console table, giant dice and more). True to its name, the shop/showroom is still in dialogue with cinema today and often rents to film sets shooting in the city. Look out for a custom late-1970s glass coffee table from the store in Season 5 of The Handmaid’s Tale!

Open Gallery Modal

With a background in design—having previously worked at EQ3—owner Fiona Watt always had her heart set on vintage. “My passion was always vintage. Selling modern furniture was just carbon copy after carbon copy and I love that with vintage, everything is different. Everything has its own story.” Case in point: Watt’s current obsession, an uber-rare yellow bedroom set from the ‘70s by Drexel that was designed for teens with help from actual teenagers. And if you’re looking for more yellow, you won’t have to look far! The whole store is colour-coordinated from the window merchandising to the front facade with its pink painted bricks (plus, Watt’s bright pink hair can’t be missed).

Perfect for interior designers and homeowners alike, The Apartment Life has been a staple of the neighbourhood for its 5-year residency since relocating from East Chinatown. While visitors are free to shop online—and the boutique has gone viral on TikTok for videos on spinning cigarette holders, sofas with hidden compartments and how-to-make pink grout—in-person is still the real deal. “I think it’s important that we still have stores in cities and places for people to go. So, I like people to come in and experience the whole package,” explains Watts.