Orling & Wu

Fredrik Örling first met his wife Julie Wu when they were both completing their Master’s Degrees in art in the UK. After finishing their schooling, the couple decided to move to Vancouver. "Julie’s parents were already there, so it seemed like the best place for us,” Fredrik recalls. When they settled into their home on the West Coast, both were disappointed with the lack of stores offering the well-crafted European home furnishings they both loved. “We both love good quality, well-designed products,” says Fredrik, who was born in Sweden. “Since we couldn’t find exactly what we wanted, we decided maybe we should venture into home furnishings.” Julie agrees and adds: “We felt there was a gap in the home furnishing marketplace,” she says. “Living in the UK for most of my life, I missed that warm, modern design versus the sterile, cold edgy lines of contemporary furniture I was seeing here.”

In 2009, the duo went into business together and opened their namesake store: Örling & Wu. A sleek Gastown boutique, the elegant space showcases an artfully curated selection of contemporary household furnishings and decor. The showroom features everything from tabletops to lighting, wallpaper to area rugs, glassware to gifts, and accessories for every room – all handpicked by Julie. “Most of what I source comes to from suppliers in Sweden and Japan, however, we do carry lines from all over the world and from Canada as well,” she notes. “My criteria is design that takes its cue from clean lines, flawless craftsmanship and warm functionality.”