January 13, 2005

Sitting Pretty

Urban Renewal furniture

You don’t need to look into the bottom of another Starbucks coffee cup to know it’s a mass-produced world out there. Customization is your last stand against the McUniverse.

Which is why you go out of your way to design your own Nikes. Mix your own makeup shades. Even your cell phone ring matches your mood, Miss Funkytown.

So why are you still living with dull, one-size-fits-all décor? Urban Renewal’s design-it-yourself wholesale furniture satisfies your penchant for personalization and penny pinching. (Stock costs about 30 to 50 percent less than anything at Pottery Barn.)

Start by selecting the piece (sofas, ottomans, and such). Then make it your own with one of many materials (a slew of textures, leathers, pillow fills, and wood stains). Not quite “you” enough yet? Convert that sofa into a sleeper. Swath it in an old glittery gold lamé found in your attic. The possibilities are infinite.

It might even tide you over ‘til your next project: painting the living room to match your highlights.

Urban Renewal, 368 Congress Street, 3rd Floor, Financial District (617-695-2555). By appointment only.