The Home Ideas Centre is a like a strange vision of the future, where some sort of terrible…read moredisaster has forced people to live in giant windowless warehouses, but the high level of prosperity has meant these warehouses are appointed with luxury fittings such as restaurant grade extractor fans and artisan skirting boards. It's really very strange here: it's a big warehouse, where people who make various home related items hire a space and then install a display. That's all fairly straightforward, but the strange part is that there's no people: if you want to know about an item you have to take a flyer, or register for more information, or go online; there's no one to talk to. Furthermore, because of the way the place is laid out, you very rarely see any other customers so it's quite eerie. I get that it's a useful place if you are doing a big home reno, but the whole place is unsettling so I just wanted to leave when I went there.

I popped in to look at kitchen cupboard door and drawer handles but they only had one range…read moreavailable. As it happened they had stuff I liked. I asked about prices and the staff member at HID gave me a brochure which didn't have prices in it but there was a website address so I went home and emailed my quest for further info. Within an hour the prices were on my screen so no complaints there. Home Ideas Centre is not what it used to be. Sure it still has a range of products you can touch and measure and feel but there are lots of big gaps in the displays. Nice that's the centre's open at the weekend though. Good on you.

This place is a solid reliable hardware, plant and timber store to buy generic items. They stock an…read moreok range of everything you need for DIY and have an average cafe. The range is sometimes a bit limited, for instance the power tools and the staff often don't know anything about the products. I have an account here and often times the discounted price is less than 1% off. I prefer shopping at Mitre 10 as this store is pretty good as far as Bunnings go but still not as clean and organised as Mitre 10. The returns policy is well implemented here, they don't even ask you why you are returning anything!

Tiles on display! This showroom is really expansive and has a huge selection of tiles to choose…read morefrom. What we really liked about the showroom at this Henderson Tile Warehouse was the sample areas of floor tiles. There is a big difference between looking at one tile and looking at a finished floor area of the tiles you are considering. This really helped us choose a few samples. The salespeople were really helpful here as well and encouraged us to take as long as we needed. They also have a back warehouse which has a few ranges on sale. These are discontinued lines of tiles or even excess stock but still in perfectly good condition. It is something to consider if you have a tight budget.

Three Brothers is definitely one of the best hardware shops in Auckland, primarily because it has…read morea big range of items, many of them not kept in stock by the big chains (e.g they have a big range of coloured Hardi-Glaze), and all priced very well. Their prices are generally 10% or so cheaper than other places. They also have a stock of off cuts, which can be good for those fiddly little jobs where you just need a small amount of wood. The one thing that always drives me a bit nuts here is that they won't cut wood for you while you wait; you have to book it in. That can be a pain if you're not working or living nearby, especially if you want to go and look at things first rather than just make a phone order. They also sell a big range of mistints/end of line paints imported from America at ridiculously cheap prices.

A very important detail of any kitchen renovation is the tiles you choose. We checked out a range…read moreincluding what was on offer at Henderson's Heritage Tiles. There's a good range of imported tiles in store to browse through and a salesperson who will pay attention to your needs. We came home with three samples and I was impressed with the follow up phone call we received a week later to see how we were doing with our choice. We also appreciated the sheet of local recommended tilers we were given as this had to be factored into the project plan.

I am updating the review to 3 stars, as yes, I was a bit harsh in the first review - back in early…read more2013, however I will stick with my opinion that their goods really are overpriced. Beautiful interior accessories and furniture, but is it necessary to be so expensive?

I'd just like to say I have recently moved into the area and visited Shibui Interiors for the first…read moretime What a find !!! I was on the hunt for furniture to fill my new home and walked away thrilled with my new purchases. I have ordered a custom made couch with a fantastic fabric that has only cost me $46.00 per metre, a coffee table and a couple of really lovely vases. The ladies in the showroom were very friendly and super helpful. Got exactly what I was looking for.

I contacted Andrew Maroulis for some advice on our home renovation/alteration as a friend of mine…read morerecommended him. I found Andrew to be very knowledgeable and helpful and he offered new ideas too. We haven't got to the stage of doing the actual build yet, but I'll be sure to post a review based on the quality of building work. Based on just the consultation though, I'm sure the building work will be finished to a high quality. They are Auckland based and not far from us, located in Avondale. Cheers!

We wish to thank your consultant Lucy for her help with colours for the interior of our rebuild at…read moreLake Ohau. We appreciate her suggestions after listening to our preferences and then her prompt email confirming the colours for walls, ceilings and cabinetry throughout the house. Although our builder will be purchasing the paints at a South Island Resenes outlet, we would like you to know that credit should go to Lucy. Thank you Jill Stone

After wasting a bus trip based on the recommendation off a previous Resene location, all I…read moreencountered at this Resene store location was unprofessional excuses and INCOMPETENCE! I needed a color-matching to a sample I brought with me, and the color-matcher '"professional" on hand, named Andrew, was incapable of being able to help me. Apparently, Resene is NOT well-equipped or capable of meeting customer needs at anytime of the day. Their lights are not well-calibrated and apparently they rely on sunlight for optimum results. My, how ancient! In the United States -- where I'm proudly from -- color-matching paint is NEVER an issue at places like Home Depot or other paint retailers. But New Zealand continues to struggle without success to catch-up with the 21st century! And today made me realize I can NEVER count on most New Zealand services to be prompt, efficient, or satisfactory to any degree! As Andrew rambled on about the poor quality of surrounding light, I just stood there dumb-founded realizing I was, yet, encountering another Kiwi excusing himself from being in any form effectual with his job. Without any further acknowledging of him, I just turned-around and left. His incompetence couldn't even halt me half-way to exclaim some other resolution to my issue. Truly, what POOR customer service! Ladies and gentlemen... HR professionals of the world: This is the so-called illustrious "Kiwi Experience" New Zealand employers expect of their native employees, and if you as a foreigner living in New Zealand don't possess these "qualifications," consider yourself excessively unemployed! "Kiwi Experience" expects you practice effectively: Laziness, incompetence, excuses, lack of fore-sight, not being proactive, thinking squarely and never outside of the box, quitting on customer service before even trying, and volley-balling customers from one salesperson to another in order to avoid - that's right - working. Avoid this Resene store. If not, avoid all of them!