Cote Provence is kind of what your mum's house looks like. Classic, everything perfectly placed,…read moreand very 'grown-up'. I feel like I'm looking at my future whenever I'm in this store... and I like it. This shop has mostly French-style products; gorgeous armoires and bookcases, gorgeous pottery and copper ware (did I really just type that?!), and also gorgeous garden furniture, lighting and linen. I would compare Cote Provence to a more upscale and less commercial Laura Ashley. So if you are looking to redecorate, and you are officially an 'adult', AND also have cash to splash, this may just be what you're looking for...

Can I please just move into the store and live there? Pleeeeease…read more So much mid-century and antique goodness, plus all of the artists I follow on Instagram are scattered around the space. Swoon. I don't think there was one item in the store I did not like. Massive high-fives to whoever curated the store. Here's a list of all the delightful items available in store: - lamps - rugs - sideboards - coffee tables - sofas - prints - pillows - ceramics - prints, both framed and as is - cushions - vases - ceramics and much more Now to send this review to my husband so he knows where to get my birthday present from.

For the ultimate furniture indulgence, this is the first pit stop for vintage beauties with icon…read morestatus. I constantly get myself in trouble with the Mr if I step foot into this utopia of design. Spend spend spend! Its glorious, tactile and fun and worth a visit. I love this shop and I would get employment if I could afford not to pay off my credit cards! Prices are good, its just me!

My garden furniture collection may comprise an old dining table, a mouldy egg chair, a decrepid sun…read morelounger and an erstwhile futon bed that has been transformed into a sofa but that doesn't mean I don't appreciate some beautifully designed patio furniture. If I was going to clear the decks - so to speak - I would head to The Gallery Warehouse. A massive shop on Fitzroy's Johnston Street selling a wide range of indoor and outdoor teak furniture for what are ostensibly some very competitive prices. Selling pieces from The Gallery Warehouse's four collections: Winstons Teak, Premium In House, B Grade In House and Decking Tiles, if you're after a furniture retailer with countless different styles of sunloungers, benches, chairs and more, The Gallery Warehouse is a great bet.

I like to joke with people I know that fashion is my victim, but really I'm just a fashion victim…read more And try as I might, I am too easily swayed by trends. And so I love 20th Century Scandinavia. It's so obviously the style of furniture to have right now, and if it wasn't obvious before, just take a look at the price tags attached to each bloody Eames chair. It's hard to deny that this era of Scandinavian furniture is particularly elegant, stylish and urban without looking at all try-hard or copycat, and it does fit so easily into Melbourne homes of a certain era. The furniture is this large beautifully laid-out store is all top quality stuff in exceptional condition and so the prices shouldn't come as too much of a surprise. If I could afford it, I so would.

This is the most amazing place that I pass by on my way to work. I start work before it opens. I…read morefinish long after it closes. So it took me a few tries to actually get into the place, and I can safely say that I'm thankful I did. Even just to pass through the amazing furniture, to smell the history, class and price tag of the all the bits arranged beautifully so. There is a fashion trend visible here, a wave the shop seems to sit confidentiality upon. The way it juxtaposes the Scandinavian furniture with nostalgic Melbournian signage gives you a little bit of time warp, a small black hole in your design history. Have these pieces always belonged together. I cannot say I have ever bought anything from here, but I like to think I will some day. It looks and feels amazing and well kept, and the lady behind the desk - sometimes feeling a little like part of the furniture - looks up and smiles to every customer that enters.

At a certain point in your twenties you move on from buying silly shoes and dresses and are more…read moreattracted to homewares and furniture. I think it is sadly one of the first signs of officially becoming an 'adult', and it's stores like Tait that don't help this change. This cutesy little store on Johnston street could easily be missed if you didn't know what you were searching, but once you get here you'll be calculating how much money is still left on your credit card. If you're decking out your backyard, or even inside and you're looking for something different and quirky, Tait is for you. They stock gorgeous designer furniture and lifestyle products with a great deal of it coming from local designers. So forget Ikea! Who wants to build their own furniture anyway? Nothing says summer like an obnoxiously bright umbrella for your backyard and thankfully Tait Outdoor has got some in stock.

One of Johnston Street's best, Tait Outdoor sells an incredible range of outdoor furniture and…read moreaccessories that are most definitely mid-century inspired design-wise but are also thoroughly cutting edge and contemporary. Selling pieces by designers such as Adam Goodrum, Justin Hutchison, Ross Gardam, Alastair Keating and more, Tait's aesthetic is colourful, simple and clean with classic monochromatic tables, chairs and loungers alongside the occasional Schiaparelli pink stool or sculptural cerise table. I know Tait's pieces aren't to everyone's liking, some finding them too bright and playful, but a visit to the Tait showroom on Johnston Street is almost like a visit to the National Gallery of Victoria's design wing. Prices are steep, with a big cushion sitting at around the $260 mark and industrial steel stools in myriad colours coming in at around $600 each, but if you love great Australian design, Tait Outdoor is the place to go.

Lock up your wallets! This place will tempt you with their beautiful bed linens, funky cushions,…read moreAesop products and nifty nic-nacs. I love browsing in here and it's high on my list of places to visit when I need a house warming gift, birthday present or a personal indulgence. My most recent purchase was a giant pillow that is filled with duck and goose feathers and makes my bedroom feel like a classy hotel room.

Nest Homewares stands apart from the other homewares stores on this South Melbourne strip. Selling…read moreunique screen printed linens, cushions and nursery items - you won't find many double ups here in other stores. The nursery/baby items are cute - hand drawn animals adorning sheet sets, bibs and hats. Perfect for gifts. I got a beanie for my baby niece that knots at the top so she could still wear it while her head grew. It's the kind of place that is too cute to let my Mum near unless I want her not-so-subtle hints about wanting grandchildren. Baby stuff aside, they have high quality manchester for adults, a limited clothing range and stock Aesop products. Not a cheap place to shop, but great for special items or highlight pieces.

I have to admit, I wasn't the one who actually found this ingenious store. My dog did! Yup, my…read more13-year old westie, Kaspa sniffed his way to this cool store called Scout and promptly went in and was immediately smitten by a life sized westie dog lamp which was sitting prominently in the window. It was really funny actually and the owner was quite intrigued by this. Thankfully he was a dog lover so Kaspa's inquisitive antics didn't bother him. Scout has a unique ambience that makes you feel like you've stepped into someone's cool home. A selection of unique homeware from what a hoot owl cushions, animal shaped lamps from Germany, everyday linen, summery beach towels and gorgeous bed linen are scattered around thee store. If you find this shop, make sure you get a good look at the wall art on the inside wall depicting a kid playing with a kite. It's a stunning display that the owner created himself using wool thread! Now that's what I call creative ingenuity!

If you like the idea of having unique bits and pieces about your house... vintage refurbed chairs,…read moreantique keys and old street signs but don't like the idea of having to search through dusty junk shops and grotty yards, then Scout may be the store for you. Carefully curated in a beautifully sunfilled store, Scout's contents are each worthy of a moment of your time. The store smells gorgeous... it's clean and lovingly displayed, too. I found myself sticking my nose in a number of candles, inhaling soaps and fondling curiosities. Of course, there's an opportunity cost to be worn with frequenting a store like Scout. Naturally, you're going to pay more for the pleasure of being in a beautiful store that has carefully selected wares rather than hunting them down yourself. Secondly, Scout is a rather small little shop so whilst it has a large variety of things, it doesn't have the range that other similar stores may. Nonetheless, worth a visit!

For those not proverbially rolling in it, a trip to the Northcote showroom of mid-century design…read moreshop Grandfathers Axe is almost akin to a trip to an art gallery in that its furniture is so valuable and so expensive that you don't tend to walk out with anything other than a greater appreciation for awesome design. Specialising in furniture from the fifties and sixties, Grandfathers Axe really does have an extraordinary selection of extraordinary vintage tables, desks, chairs, sofas and more. That said, a nice vintage armchair of Spanish or Scandinavian provenance will set you back around a cool $3000, making Grandfathers Axe more of a window shopping destination than anything for me. The company itself is all class; all primrose yellow company Volkswagen outside; high-end design and fashion magazines strewn around the place and staff that look as if they'd be just as comfortable lecturing on an industrial design degree. If you have deep pockets and a penchant for incredible mid-century furniture, Grandfathers Axe is the place to go.