I once found a copy of 'Elle Decoration' on the train and asked my friend whether we were too young…read moreto care about the interior of our - rented - flats. Her response? An unequivocal yes. After visiting Heals on Tottenham Court Road, I'm afraid I'll have to agree to disagree. If expensive furnishings are your thing then you needn't look further than Heals. A more upmarket version of both Ikea and Habitat with a slightly different design sensibility and a lovely selection of beauty bits and bobs encompassing products by Korres, a natural beauty brand whose tinted lip balms are gorgeous and Diptyque, whose Fig perfume is to die for. The lighting section is divine, with gems including chandeliers rendered in everything from perspex to lead crystal; some rather lovely floor lamps with pure silk shades in de rigeur jewel-tones; and Tom Dixon's popular copper light shades which seem to grace almost every one of London's gastro pubs.

It has always been a bit tricky to figure out where Habitat ends and where Heals begins seeing as…read morethey often share a similar design strategy. Heals however, is decidedly more expensive and tinted with undeniable glamour. Heals houses designs from some of the biggest names. From Alessi to Phillip Stark this shops contains the finest of the fine. When walking in this shop you will find that everything from the beautiful golden globes, the comfy towel robes, the natural soaps and perfumes, the unconventional lampshades and the gorgeous stylish coffee machines will become an absolute necessity rather than a treat. As a lover of all gadgets, designer objects, storage devices, and glamorous furniture, I find myself wanting to wrap every object in store into a neverending Mary Poppins-style bag and immediately head home to live forever happy with my favourite objects. This store will probably bring out the worse of your materialistic nature, but after seeing these 3 floors of materialistic bliss, trust me it will be worth it.

Unfortunately had an uncomfortable racist experience here with a gentleman and lady behind the…read morecounter staring while walking around the shop. The shop is small so was obvious. Clearly they were 'suspicious'...

The Garden Shop is a charming place to browse, with rare French garden tools, birdcages and cast…read moreiron sculpted rabbits and owls. The store owner did a beautiful job in placing these odd objects together. It's romantically surreal. Curiosity will keep you in this store for a long time. PS: I got 2 business cards from this store, one is called "The Garden Shop" and another one is called "Penny 2 feathers", both with the same address so I suppose there're 2 owners here.

I really loved the Made showroom near Notting Hill Gate...I like that the staff are so friendly,…read morethey have a good selection of furniture ...and that you get beautiful views over west London! So I was happy to see this new branch pop up on Charring Cross Road last month... This is a showroom, rather than a shop, so you can look at the furniture, and then use their computers/ipads to buy them online. They have a tag on each piece that you can scan with the ipads to take you to the right online page to purchase it. Or you can take a postcard with the information about what you'd like to buy (or a colour patch to check if everything will go with the rest of your furniture) and buy it online later. The designs are lovely. The prices are pretty reasonable (similar to habitat...so more than ikea!) and the quality seems pretty good. I'm just surprised no other yelpers have added it already!

The company MADE have great furniture stuff for a really good price. But they should put some more…read moremoney into their Service in Germany ! Because they do not have a function Servicehotline here. You have to write them an email. It takes mostly 9 days getting an answer. On the other hand their furniture is awesome !! I have ordered several products. Really good quality. Thank you!

This store is middle age signed, sealed and delivered in one room. I don't even know what half the…read morestuff they sell is, but I found myself, literally minutes away from Christmas, neck deep in a credit crunch and scrabbling around trying to buy an £18 colander. They do sell lots of lovely house hold bits and bobs but until I have a house, Labrador and a child called Mimi Fifi Orchid Clooney (a girl can dream) I wont be buying anything from here. It's a personal thing, possibly connected to being a huge consumerist ass hole whilst having a huge problem with consumerism. For me, buying a £300 pair of shoes is wrong but necessary, where as buying two plain white enamel breakfast bowls for £16 seems ridiculous. I am aware that this statement is ridiculous in itself, in fact, I just don't want to talk about it anymore. I will say though, that this shop is lovely, but I prefer Ikea.

I've been meaning to visit Labour and Wait ever since I read an article sometime ago in The…read moreGuardian profiling couples who had started up new and innovative businesses in the East End, and the L&W concept really struck a cord. You can be assured the new shop in Redchurch Street sells the same functional products for the kitchen, home and garden as the existing shop on Cheshire St, however I believe L&W are moving from Cheshire St to Redchurch St in the not-too-distant future. For too long, consumers have been lulled into a false sense of security with large, "convenient" hardware stores such as Homebase and B&Q etc. who unfortunately have, over the years got away with cheap replicas of good quality homeware goods. L&W moves away from this methodolgy and focuses fully on sustainable goods made in enamel, stainless steel and wood, rather than plastic and throw-away alternatives. The shop is minimalist in style, but all the products are displayed in a creative and alternative way, which I'd liken a little to the layout of Muji stores. As most shoppers today, I am mindful of what I buy having an effect on our environment and planet, but love L&W's ethos. I especially love the enamel kitchen sets, glass jugs, butter dishes and stainless steel buckets and watering cans. True classics! Now, don't get me wrong, you can't get anywhere near the vast selection (though often poor and low quality) of hardware and homeware products from L&W that you get in chain hardware stores, but what you do get (as the blackboard outside the shop and web home page state!) is "high quality, traditional goods for the home", with the added bonus of browsing a low-tech shop and experiencing a low stress retail experience. Now that has to be worth a trip to Shoreditch any day of the week!

I like the good quality brands sold at this place. The website has some really good offers at times…read moretoo. As for service, the older staff seem more friendly and helpful. Was a bit let down by the service of one of the younger lads there. Otherwise it would be five stars.

One of a small chain of High Street electrical shops, it sells a wide range of small electricals…read moreand electrical fittings, including those hard-to-get light-bulbs for bathrooms! They occasionally have good offers on things like toasters and electric fans, although their prices are generally higher than DIY stores - but then, you're paying for local convenience. They will order in items such as light fittings, and have an extensive range of catalogues from which to choose them. The staff are knowledgeable and helpful and, on the day of my last visit, were going beyond the call of duty to help and comfort a woman customer who had lost her handbag and shopping when the taxi she had arrived in drove off with her possessions still inside!

This place has been a long standing favourite of mine. Just opposite The Black Cap on Camden High…read moreStreet, it is one of the few non-chain stores that actually sells something you want on this road. All your cookery, tupperware and plastic vegetable needs will be satisfied here. More than that, it has a terrific range of cheap household goods, kitchen gadgets that you didn't know you needed until you saw them, saucepans, knives and more. Family run and super friendly, we once had every single hoover bag out from behind the counter trying to find the one that looked like it had a picture of my ailing vacuum on it... Budding domestic God and Goddesses will have kitchenalia overload. This is a great place to visit if you are setting up home on a budget & perfect for students. Best range of cookie cutters in hood.

Anything you want for the home, this is the place! Easy to accidentally spend lots of money here…read morecos when you go in you see things that you forget you need (or didn't realise you needed). Recent purchases for me have ranged from forks to a toast rack to a hammer to picture hooks. One tip, if you are testing the strength of the plungers, it can be a little embarrassing when they stick fast to the floor.

My family has been coming here for years! Well before I was born. We're not local-we're Americans,…read moreand on every visit this was a must stop. There are many antiques from Alfies in my home that we inherited from my mother and smaller special keepsakes from my time living in London in my 20s. My husband & I spent part of our honeymoon in London, and it was his first time in the city (September/October 2024) and this was a nonnegotiable stop for me. Plan to spend a few hours wandering around and exploring-it's humongous! Also, generally speaking not on the inexpensive side but you can always find some gem's. I can remember on one visit when I was 19, we stumbled on a vendor that didn't realize what he had, it was a 20 year old authentic bubblegum pink Kelly (Hermes) and he had it priced under $1000. I still to this day regret not buying it for resale alone (bubblegum pink is not for me lol)

It would be an understatement to say that I am besotted with antiques. I love them. Can't get…read moreenough of them. Know London's antique and vintage purveyors like the back of my proverbial hand. And Alfie's is one of my favourites, a veritable antique market located in trendy Marylebone. With dealers selling clothes, fine and costume jewellery, furniture, textiles and collectibles, Alfie's should satisfy the needs of even the most ardent collector. And with a surprisingly accessible atmosphere at odds with the sometimes rarefied world of antiques and vintage, Alfie's is perfect for a browse for the expert and neophyte alike. I visited Alfie's just before Christmas last year and spotted cute as a button Mark Owen from Take That looking incredibly dapper. This is the place for vintage/antique fans to find unique Christmas presents without recourse to the high street.