Wayfair Goes Urban

Wayfair has released six new exclusive brands of home furnishings, and one of them is aimed at making apartments in cities seem a little more homey.

“When shopping for home furnishings and décor, we know that our customers are seeking items that truly reflect their individual sense of style,” Steve Oblak, senior vice president and general manager of Wayfair.com, stated in a press release on Tuesday (Feb. 2). “With today’s launch of six new exclusive brands, we are building on our commitment to making it easier than ever for shoppers to find exactly what they want for their homes — original looks in furniture and décor across every style and budget.”

In taking a look at Wayfair’s new brands — including Andover Mills (traditional), Breakwater Bay (nautical), Lark Manor (French countryside-inspired), Mercury Row (industrial-chic) and Three Posts (America’s heartland) — Streetwise’s BostInno keyed in on the observation that one in particular — Zipcode Design — is targeted at apartment dwellers in urban areas.

“Zipcode Design was created for smaller spaces that wanted to live large with current styles,” Alex Bowman, Wayfair’s senior manager of brands, told the outlet. “At Wayfair, we don’t want our customers to have to sacrifice style when decorating — no matter the size of their home. Most of the product even ships flat, making it easy to carry upstairs or assemble in smaller rooms.”

“The comforts of home shouldn’t be limited by space,” Bowman continued. “We added in a healthy dose of function, too. Storage is something everyone needs, and Zipcode has plenty of cabinets, shelves and media centers to tame the clutter.”

BostInno posits that Zipcode Design, coming as it does from a name brand furnisher, could be more appealing to apartment inhabitants than the common practice of buying home décor from online marketplaces such as Craigslist, while its competitive prices (the outlet notes that the line is cheaper than similar items found at IKEA) could similarly make it a hit among city residents with smaller budgets.