Oh IKEA. How can you be so, so rubbish at organising deliveries!?…read more I can't really be bothered to type up an angry rant about how truly rubbish IKEA call centre staff, IKEA twitter staff and IKEA delivery staff are. They like to lie and pretend things are on the way to ensure you have to take unnecessary time off work. My advice for yelpers is not to attempt using their expensive, crappy delivery service. Visit the shop yourself and use a taxi or hire a van to get your things home. The delivery service takes weeks (at least over a month)...and does not even show up even after they promise "100%" that they will arrive. Wankers.

Retail parks are interesting things, you trade plush presentation and comfort for price. Ikea in…read moreNorth London have taken this to a whole new level .., without the price change. In contrast to the Wembley branch this is a cramped facsimile that makes no pretence about being just a big warehouse. The place feels like a crowded warehouse even when empty. It is the rabbit warren of hell, it is the tesco express of ikea. The need to to get out was so distracting that none of the actually quite nice items are bought. Awful, use the Wembley branch if you can. It's only 15 mins away on the North Circular and you will leave with your sanity (even then be sure to go first or last thing)

I really was planning to browse. After all, I had taken the Underground there. I knew I couldn't…read morebuy anything, because I'd have to carry it around all day. And yet... there was a laptop table that was $^&#@ perfect. I must have it! I walked from Neasden (Jubilee Line) station. Yes, the Ikea web page mentions the free shuttle bus from Stonebridge Park, but there were planned engineering works (surprise!). I looked at Google Earth and saw that Neasden was close enough. It's a pleasant and well marked ten minute walk from Neasden, but there are a couple of alleys that could be a little unsafe after the sun sets, if you know what I mean. Entering the store, I stopped for a late breakfast to earn back the calories from the walk. They have a fantastic special - 6 items for £1.55 make up an English breakfast. That gave me a few minutes to catch my breath and plan my attack. There's a difference between "cheap" and "inexpensive." IKEA isn't heirloom quality furniture, but it will last pretty well under normal conditions and certainly is useful for kitting out a flat or a college dorm room. The kitchenware, including the cutlery and flatware and dishes are all decent and arty. The desks and the beds and the chairs and the sofas are all excellent. Not cheap. Inexpensive. I'm a fan. In the end, I skipped the laptop table. Maybe I can convince a vehicle'd friend to pick it up for me. Or have it delivered - the £15 table is only £22.50 with shipping. (600)

I have been buying IKEA household and home office furniture products since working in Oslo, Norway…read moreand Helsingborg, Sweden in 1981-1985. Since that time I have seen the company expand into the UK and USA and other parts of the world. The company produce and sell all types of good quality stylish and practical furniture and household products with great Swedish style and at reasonable prices. A truly great international store chain. Be prepared for a long shopping trip here as the store is ginormous with a vast array of products. There is also a very reasonably priced restaurant / cafe if you need a break and to eat while shop. Lots of parking available too. A really unique shopping experience here. Don't be overwhelmed.

Of course, this isn't a proper IKEA as it is a mall location, it is mainly used as a Click and…read moreCollect store in a convenient location, compared to the large, out of town warehouses the Swedish hardware store usually have, this means you're unlikely to pick up items on the day without ordering in advance, as there is a limited selection on show in store, yet they do have some nice items. Sadly, there is no IKEA cafe here but that is kind of expected due to the size of the store and as a huge shopping mall and one of the busiest and largest in terms of footfall in the UK, there are many other places to grab a beverage and dine throughout the mall. The staff seemed friendly enough and there were some (albeit few) ordering stations, which is rather good for the location as one would often be reliant on them as this is an order and collect store. Pretty modern in general, and at times it feels nicer and flows better than larger IKEA stores such as their dreadful branch in Sheffield which is a disgrace for a new branch. 3*

This isn't really a proper Ikea. It is a small click and collect outlet in the middle of Westfield…read moreStratford. It is very small and quite cramped but it is fine, I guess. With their three flagship London stores in Tottenham, Wembley and Croydon, you would think that they wouldn't need any more space. Apparently not! And I have heard that they plan to expand even more by opening another one of these smaller stores on Oxford Street of all places! On Google, it gets dreadful reviews. I didn't buy anything from here though. I just browsed, so my experience was kind of neutral. They were doing free samples of Swedish food on my visit though which was a nice touch. I love Ikea's cinnamon cookies! I suppose it is convenient. You can get your furniture while you are shopping in Westfield's! It's good to have everything in one place. And the mall is well served by Stratford station, for both National Rail and Jubilee, Central, DLR, TfL Rail and Overground services, so you can bring it with you on public transport if you did not bring a car.

Showhouse Furniture specialises in discounted furniture which is all ex-display from show houses…read more There is the opportunity for some real bargains here, some lovely furniture is on offer which would add character to any living room, dining room or bedroom. The prices not the cheapest on the market when you compare them to the likes of Ikea but they are slashed compared to equivalent quality goods on the High Street. The stock varies depending on what they can get hold of and if you are looking to furnish a room, this shop is well worth a look. Access is easy, the shop is down the road from the Broadway and is a 10-15 minute walk from the main bus stops. The best place to park is around the corner in the bowling alley car park. The road is patrolled all the time by traffic wardens so avoid the temptation to pull up outside the shop.

I think the thing with furniture stores is that there is never one which covers all your needs…read more There's always something that seems not quite right that you need to go somewhere else for. So it is with Habitat. I like a lot of their furniture, but their lighting doesn't do it for me, for example. I like their cutlery, but I'm less keen on their crockery. And so on. This is quite a nice Habitat store, laid out attractively over two floors, on the King's Road near Chelsea Town Hall. The staff are generally helpful, they have a nice range of accessories to complement the furniture, and they have regular, good sales. The one major item I did buy from Habitat was my dining table. Although it is "partially self-essembly", it is still a lovely solid piece of furniture and, unusually, opens out on the long side to form a square, which seats eight. It's great for working on, too. So spot on in design terms for me. I was a little nervous about home delivery - my flat is 78 stairs up, with no lift - but the delivery staff were cheerful and came exactly when they said they would, waited for me to check everything was as it should be, and that there was no damage, and then took away the packaging. That is what I regard as good service.

I never gave a bad review! But Habitat on-line well deserves it!…read more If I could I would NOT give one star! I bought my product (plate sets) on-line. I was told it would take 2-3 days to get my order delivered..after 6 days my order hadn't arrived. Called customer services as I was expecting visitors in some days time and absolutely needed these plates!! I was told the order went to the wrong place but would be with me on time for when I needed it. Plates arrived over a week later (No plates for visitors). The box was ripped (no "fragile" label) and plates were broken. I complained and was offered a £10 voucher to spend in their own store?! as a "goodwill" gesture from habitat?! I asked to return and get a refund after such a poor service. I was home on expected time of collection. No one knocked my door and I received an email saying collection failed because no one was home?! (NO note was left on my doorstep either!) I called habitat saying that they were not at my place! I asked if they could contact the driver and I was told they could not contact the driver?! Drivers have no phone number?! This is the worse service I have ever came across with.. it is very disappointing, especially when you pay the extra money for the quality!

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.

SCAMDIUM & "LUKE" ARE FRAUDS...From the beginning, the 10K USD worth of outdoor furniture that I…read morepurchased from Skandium has been a disaster. The shipping was a punitive and protracted affair requiring endless follow up. The furniture was defective and though they have promised replacements for months, many, many emails later...nothing. I am turning this over to Amex and to an outside arbitration firm.

I dare to claim that the best design in the world comes from Scandinavia. At least the simplicity…read moreand the clear lines appeals to my taste and aesthetic eye. Well I am from the north pole so also visiting this store is like visiting home. Labels like Iittala and Artek, oh the Finns could not live without. In this shop you can see the whole scale of classic designs. Full of innovative and beautiful items for home, from cutlery to fabrics and furniture's downstairs. If you have even a slight crush on the Scandinavian style, you will love this shop.

I am constantly looking for unique items of furniture for my new place. Taftan is fantastic if you…read morewant to add a bit of personality to your home--there is a definite sense of quirky style in this place. The shop is crowded with loads of items, often stacked on each other, but somehow it doesn't feel overwhelming. Instead you feel like you are searching through found treasures. They carry everything from tables, to ornate chests to tableware and baby gifts. The staff are very helpful, but not pushy at all. I purchased a console table on Saturday afternoon and they delivered it 25 hours later on a Sunday for free! Plus, they have a nice collection of globes. And really, who doesn't love a globe?

Disastrous buying experience from Taftan's Wandsworth Bridge Road branch. Would recommend staying…read moreclear of Taftan and the new brand they said they are launching called 'the old boot company' or something similar. The sofa was bought off shop floor (from the new 'the old boot company' product range apparently) with a small discount given. I inspected the sofa carefully and took pictures before purchase to ensure I was comfortable with the quality. The sofa was mostly fine (i.e. no scuffing / tears and the only marks visible were natural hide marks) but the leather dying needed to be touched up in several areas and the sofa needed to be vacuumed under the seats. The shop keeper agreed to have these things done before delivery but both items were still outsanding upon delivery. Now to the delivery. I was appalled that such an expensive item (£2,100 for a 4 seater sofa) was delivered without plastic / bubble wrap and 2 people walked the sofa up 6 flights of stairs in a London apartment building. They didn't even ask or tell me that delivery would be an issue and cause damage as I could have at that point declined delivery. The sofa was damaged materially during delivery - visible scuffing in many places, broken leg, lots of small scratches / marks and discolouration on one arm, a small tear in leather on the side of the sofa which I think could easily rip open further over time. In any case, no longer the look of a 'new' expensive sofa and a reduced shelf life. Initially Taftan agreed to fix it and make it perfect ("it was a really difficult delivery but we will make sure you end up with a perfect sofa" were their exact words) - nothing of the sort was done. The leg broken during delivery was hammered back in however damage to the leather (which is what I paid so much for) was not fixed. Some 'touching up' was done by the shop keeper himself even though I was told the touching up related to delivery damage and also the touching up initially agreed on purchase would be done by their professional leather 'finisher'. The shop keeper used what appeared to be a black texta / marker pen to paint over problem areas and much of that colour has since evaporated. The leather torn during delivery was not fixed. I asked Taftan that I would like all the damage that was caused during delivery written specifically into my warranty such that for example if the small tear soon becomes a large tear, it is covered etc. They agreed to do this over phone / text messages but I have not received a revised warranty. Taftan has not returned any calls since I started asking for a return / refund due to inadequate resolution of damage caused during delivery. After making me wait for weeks, they have recently sent text messages denying that any damage was done at all. They are now suggesting that the damage was already there when I purchased the sofa and I somehow missed all of it. At the time of buying I was told the product was 'as new' and had only been in the shop for 2 weeks. Taftan by text messages has also threatened to pursue legal action against me if I take any of the steps I told them I planned to take if nothing was done to fix the damage - i.e. write reviews, contact trade services and my credit card company to seek resolution and refund. These are my rights as a consumer.