The perfect touch

“I was driving around Ottawa like a chicken with my head cut off,” says Troy Duncan, President of Dala Decor.

He was trying to find “cool, unique furniture” for the house he had just built.

He’d go somewhere looking for a coffee table and “I’d get some aggressive salesperson trying to sell me a sofa.”

It was about eight years ago. He didn’t want off-the-shelf stuff that everyone else had.

But that’s what he ended up with.

“When I had my first house-warming party, everyone knew where everything in my house came from,” he recalls, “and not in a good way.”

One day he met the cousin of a friend who owned a furniture store in Toronto. Troy and the cousin got talking, and he was intrigued enough to go to Toronto to visit the store.

“Man,” he thought, “this stuff’s awesome. It’s super unique.”

And then he thought: Ottawa is missing something like this.

Dala Decor provided the beautiful furniture for the newly renovated Lagois offices.

Seven years later, Troy had a showroom he built himself, a great website, and a sophisticated inventory system. He has more than $1 million in inventory and 13 employees, including four decorators and designers.

“It’s a small but mighty team,” he says. “They’re young, talented, supportive of each other, and full of energy.”

And he has a store with the unique, design-forward furniture he had been seeking for himself.

Ideal for staging and photography

Dala Decor works with homeowners, developers, builders, realtors, commercial establishments (such as restaurants, bars and hotels), and party or event planners. They’re even the official furniture partner of the Ottawa Senators.

It’s the place for homeowners with a renovated space so perfect that now their furniture seems tired and outdated. It’s also ideal for staging when a new renovation is to be professionally photographed for use on websites, in magazines or as award entries; or when a home needs to be staged for the real estate market. Dala Decor provides not only high-end furniture but rugs, art, mirrors, lamps and light fixtures. The company also does custom upholstery and furniture.

Sometimes, when a home for sale is staged by Dala Decor, buyers are so delighted with the furniture and decor that they end up buying it along with the house.

When a renovation is soon to be permanently furnished or staged, Lagois Design∙Build∙Renovate sends their homeowners to the Dala Decor showroom on Woodward Drive in Ottawa, where they meet Dala Decor interior decorators and designers.

Troy says working with Lagois is “fantastic”. He admires their projects and applauds them for “great communication”. He likes the way they have their budget and timing so perfectly aligned.

“Working together like this, with good, clear communication, treating every client like a partner, means everyone wins in the end,” he says.

Design services basically free

The Dala Decor team takes photos and measurements of the space and comes up with a plan. They propose furniture based on budget and lifestyle.

Homeowners can purchase a $500 Dala Decor Design Gift Card that includes a customized decorating plan for one room. They can then apply the $500 gift card to their order so the design services are basically free.

Once the furniture is selected, within about a week (longer for custom furniture) Dala Decor arrives with their truck and delivery team, sets everything up, and leaves. If the furniture is to be picked up again, they return, pack it all up and take it away. They stage about four or five homes each week.

Troy says it’s an enormous relief for homeowners because it’s a “one-stop” process. They don’t have to spend weeks or months scrounging stores everywhere for each piece.

The company has been invaluable to Lagois not just in collaborating with their homeowners but in the Lagois office renovation, where Dala Decor supplied the furnishings.

Making it easy

“Dala Decor brings a deep understanding of their product lines,” says Lagois President Jacob Kirst. “This understanding is paired with an expertise in furniture and decor layouts that elevate both function and flow.” He adds the Dala Decor team ensures each selection complements “the architecture and craftsmanship of the homes we reimagine for our clients.”

At Dala Decor, the worry about tariffs is not an issue, because almost all their suppliers are based in Canada, Europe and elsewhere ‒ not the U.S.

“We make it really easy for homeowners to work with us,” Troy adds. “They’re not shopping around, getting heckled by salespeople trying to make their quota. We’re a very low-pressure environment.

“We’re just here to help and to provide solutions.”