30 YEARS WITH 2 DANES · STORY 02
How We Choose Furniture
at 2 Danes
At 2 Danes, we choose furniture by seeing and touching it firsthand. We look for distinctive design, quality, and function. In this conversation, our founders explain why finding European furniture for our Nashville showroom means getting out there, not just waiting for the next photograph.
First, we go looking.
“We shop. We shop a lot.”
From our furniture-selection interview
Finding furniture starts with being out there. Our founders describe traveling to Europe, exploring what is available, and experiencing pieces for themselves before deciding what to bring back to the showroom.
“We only buy when we can see and touch the merchandise,” they explain. A picture can introduce a piece. Seeing it in person is how they decide whether it belongs here.
Different is a starting point.
We want you to see something you have not seen everywhere else. That might be a shape that catches your attention, an unexpected material, or a useful detail you notice only when someone shows you how it works.
But being unusual is not enough. Our founders come back to three things: good design, quality, and functionality.
Design
Does the piece have a point of view? Is there something about it that makes us stop and look?
Quality
What do we notice when we see it up close and feel the materials and finish?
Function
Does it make sense for the way someone will actually use it?
“We hate dumb furniture.”
It is a memorable line, but there is a practical idea behind it.
A piece should do more than look interesting in a photograph. A chair should make you want to sit down. A table should suit the way you use the room. A clever feature should be useful, not just something to point out.
We care about how furniture looks. We also want to know what it does.
Some designs just speak to us.
Our founders have a simple way of describing the pieces they are drawn to: they talk to them.
“We believe that furniture can talk. So, all we have to do is to listen.”
From our furniture-selection interview
That personal point of view is part of the story behind opening 2 Danes in Nashville. They wanted their own store so they could share the designs they believed in.
Now it is your turn to try it.
The same firsthand approach is useful when you are choosing furniture for your home. Sit in the seating. Look closely at the materials. Ask us to demonstrate the features of the piece you are considering.
Bring photos and measurements of your room, along with a sense of what is working and what is not. We can talk through the furniture with your space in mind.
And you do not need an entirely modern home to be curious. Explore contemporary furniture that fits real Nashville homes, then come see what catches your attention.
A few good questions.
What does 2 Danes look for when selecting furniture?
Our founders describe looking for uniqueness, good design, quality, and functionality. Appearance matters, but so does how a piece works.
Does 2 Danes choose furniture from photographs alone?
No. In the interview, our founders explain that they see and touch the merchandise before buying it for the store, including on shopping trips to Europe.
What should I bring when shopping for furniture?
Room photos and measurements are helpful, along with details about the furniture you plan to keep and how you use the space. Bring your questions, too.
Read the video transcript
Transcript lightly edited for punctuation and readability. Speakers are not individually labeled.
We shop. We shop a lot. That’s one thing. We’re out there. We do not wait. We only buy when we can see and touch the merchandise. And that, we have to, and we go to Europe again for that.
You only purchase things because you like them. You’ve always said they had to see something different in here.
Yep. And we’re looking for uniqueness. We’re looking for good designs, quality, and we also want to have the functionality. We hate dumb furniture, but we have always gone after designs that talk to us. We believe that furniture can talk. So, all we have to do is to listen.
THE FURNITURE IS BETTER IN PERSON.
Come see what caught our attention.
Visit 2 Danes on White Bridge Road. See the pieces up close, try them for yourself, and ask us why we chose them.
These interviews were created for our 30th anniversary in 2026. Explore the 30th anniversary page for more of the celebration and the store’s history.
30 YEARS WITH 2 DANES
