Meet the new BC brand making affordable Scandinavian-style furniture entirely in Canada

Mill + Commons sells stylish Scandinavian tables with a local focus

Andrew McKillop has a background in finance, so when he moved from the UK to Vancouver five years ago, it was the industry he was looking to enter. But a small shift to project management led to a big shift to more creative fields, as McKillop started working for local design firms (including Vancouver-based Plaidfox Studio.). He saw what he calls “a gap in the beautiful and durable furniture market,” particularly pieces designed and manufactured within Canada’s borders.

Andrew McKillop, Founder of Mill + Commons

In 2019, McKillop founded Mill + Commons, a company that offers Scandinavian-inspired wooden furniture designed by himself in collaboration with Willow & Stump Design Co. “The conception took two and a half years,” he says. “It took a while because I value honesty, and I think a lot of companies don’t do what they should … you can use words like ‘sustainable’ or ‘ethical’, but this does not really mean anything without being able to substantiate these statements.

The Elba coffee table

So how does Mill + Commons speak? In addition to creating classic designs (unlikely to go out of style and end up in a landfill), the company focuses on being as local as possible. Furniture is designed in Vancouver and manufactured in North Vancouver by Lauten Woodworking, using milled Ontario lumber and shipped in boxes designed and manufactured by Instabox in Alberta. The materials are formaldehyde-free and organic, and fully biodegradable.

The Ezra four-seater dining table

McKillop’s design also takes function and assembly into account. “What we didn’t want to be is Ikea, where you get 200 different pieces,” he laughs. “We use really high end bindings, and there are only eight of them. »On the Mill + Commons site, construction time of the Elbe coffee table is listed as three minutes. Flat-packed furniture has also been designed for quick disassembly, so it can be packed and moved just like the consumer does. Additionally, McKillop sells the different parts of each table separately (not online, but you can email), just in case a sign gets damaged or a young Picasso puts a permanent marker on it.

The Ezra six-seater dining table

Currently, Mill + Commons offers three tables: the aforementioned coffee table and a dining table in two sizes. Prices range from $ 550 to $ 1,550. McKillop says he will tackle the benches next. And because everything is local, it doesn’t take long to get designs from sketching to reality – he estimates the whole process can take as little as four months.