Home Zone is all about interior design for the kind of person that knows what they are looking for,…read moreand doesn't need to leave it all to a designer, (although I bet that interior designers use Home Zone just as much as we do, for both inspiration and ideas, as well as purchasing their products and services). Home Zone have only been around for five years, but have established themselves really quickly, and are generally considered to offer us a benchmark of what is both tasteful and innovative. In addition, Directors Jayne Bishop and Sean Kerr offer a full and attentive service, which has also gone a long way to augment their standing. Specialising in made to measure curtains and soft-furnishings, upholstery, blinds, and tracking with a comprehensive measuring and fitting service, they draw on their combined 40 years of experience, which puts them in the enviable position of being able to work with trusted people that they have had regular dealings with over the years. These days they have a dedicated, highly experienced team of sewers, upholsterers and fitters who work alongside them, as well as a network of crafts people who can be commissioned to make accessories when required. Some of the beautiful things that the crafts people make are amazing, and prove that everything is possible! Using every material imaginable, and every technique available, they are able to produce practically anything you could dream of for the house and home. Home Zone can do conventional as easy as falling off a log, but where they excel is when they are pushing creative boundaries and coming up with unique solutions for clients that have a real appreciation of what is possible.

From the owner: We are a small, local, team of specialist curtain makers, upholsterers and fitters and we offer a…read morefabulous service, providing you with made to measure soft-furnishings, upholstery, blinds, shutters and tracking along with a comprehensive measuring and fitting service, to make the whole process a bit easier for you!

If I had a thousand pounds to decorate my room, I would come to Sense…read more Very contemporary, very chic, very nice! I couldn't help but feel a little in awe wandering round this shop, they have thought of just about everything from furniture, to decoration, lighting of every kind even garden accessories. At the moment they have some huge, and I do mean huge, cups and sauces outside which I assume you would plant a pretty plant in, though they looked way to good to put soil in if you ask me! As well as quite extravagant things they do have a good selection of affordable bits and pieces ideal from presents or to brighten up your room, like picture frames, fairy lights, and statement cushions! Not everything in here is to my taste, I think you will either love or hate some pieces but it's definitely work popping in on your way past.

"DO NOT ENTER if you have a dreary, grey, misty, Autumn outlook, as you may be distressed by the…read morecontents of this shop and might have convulsions". This sensory warning should be displayed prominently at the door of the excellent shop - 'Sense Clifton' - all bright and glittering, colourful pinks, blues and shiny metals. On the other hand, if you have a sparkling magpie persona, fine. Or if you just want to be shocked out of your November torpor, come to Sense for a quick fix. You dont have to buy anything, just browse and you'll fell much better. Though of course, the owners would also feel much better if you did buy something, so why disappoint - they will have done you a good turn. According to some blurb, Sense "...offers a smart mix of design-led products with a contemporary edge...". Apparently, the owners' frequent trips to Holland have given them a new perspective on design. They wanted to attack all the senses and create a complete home environment, everything from comfortable leather seating, exciting lighting and soft furnishings to unusual gifts. Pay a visit yourself, check it out, but take heed of the sensory warnings - highly recommended.

Great place to go for some high quality curtains at reasonable prices! If you have any questions…read moreyou deal directly with the person who is dealing with your order. They do all kinds of fabrics, blinds and modern shutters, to upholstery and even motorised curtains and blinds.

Great shop to browse if you're into sewing your own furnishings and/or clothes, or are just looking…read morefor something to make into a zany fancy-dress costume. They sell dress and curtain fabric by the meter, or even smaller amounts if you ask nicely! Plus they do a fun range of fake fur and neon coloured prints for wilder forays into needlework. Plenty of accessories - patterns, linings, cushion stuffings, buttons and frills and furbelows, along with curtain poles and tracks and blinds. They run a made-to measure Curtain Making Service, if you're more into choosing fabric and colour than actually makings the things! Established local shop with helpful local assistants - a real feel of traditional shopping.

Wyatt's Home and Garden is just around the corner from Flowers With A Twist and Over The Rainbow…read moreGifts, making this area a very attractive proposition to prospective gift buyers of discernment! It is a pretty little shop offering everything for the country style home and garden, particularly retro reproductions of time honoured favourites like roll top baths and iron bed frames. Yes, despite having limited floor space, it manages to pack in some pretty hefty items! Like Flowers With A Twist this is a relatively new business in the area. Jane, who also owns another shop of the same name in Ledbury, this one's predecessor, opened the Pontcanna branch about three years ago. (Jane wasn't about when I called in recently to take some pictures... that's Jan in the pictures!) During my recent visit I managed to keep my purse in my bag... I'm always overcome by an incredible urge to spend money when I walk into this shop, and could quite easily spend a small fortune! I love everything from the pretty floral doormats, as well as the multi-coloured wavy modern ones, to the garden furniture, crockery and kitchenware and the beautiful iron beds. They intersperse the retro reproductions with the genuine articles. A sign out front invites you to come in and browse, and makes the distinction between antiques and second-hand items, both of which they stock. They also offer an interior design service.

This is a relatively new addition to the shops in the Pontcanna area, and it's been a long time…read morecoming if you ask me! A home and garden shop is exactly the kind of thing that Pontcanna-ites are into, and this shop is flourishing. For anyone who is a fan of the traditional country home feel, this shop is a must, and offers an excellent range of homely items and gifts. A very tempting little place indeed. This is the kind of shop that does well because the products on sale turn a house into a home. With the classic type of resident in the area being arty, Welsh-speaking and middle class, I really am surprised that we've not seen something of this ilk sooner. Although I'm personally more of a fan of collecting items that are personal to you, rather than mass produced items which you are told are personal to you, I can certainly still see and understand the appeal of this shop.

I love this store, I am madly in love with about 3 of the windchimes on display here, I already…read morehave 2 from here - there are only so many chimes a person needs, but they are so pretty. I know nobody needs a geisha snowglobe in their life but again, its hard to resist when you are surrounded by cute trinkets! It isn't just cute and silly, it sells some nice accessories. I got a bag from here which got loads of compliments. This is a great place to buy some pretty pretty gifts or just treat yourself to something fun.

Evolution is a gift shop in The Galleries in Broadmead. I think this is my favourite shop to buy…read morepresents from thus far! They used to be quite a Balinese style gift shop buy quickly has moved towards a more Brittania, cutesy and kitsch feel lately. I would happily decorate my apartment with the stuff here. There are great welcome mats here that I've been eyeing up recently that look really well made and are affordable too, at £12. They have a few pieces of kids wooden furniture, some chairs sold here are so very cute, with carvings of animals on the chair backs- however I have no children to buy them for as yet! A few presents I have bought here are their rustic metal gifts; like wall clocks made to look antiquey and wall hangings with old style postcards printed on them. I bought my best friend one that said 'live well, love much, laugh often', which she loved. When on sale, I bought a huge amount of candles here which lasted me ages, and smelt great (they were mighty cheap). I could go on talking about the many various things they sell, but the best is if you keep this place in mind to check out for when you next need a gift!

This is a brilliantly named shop for the sort of items it sells - cheap and cheerful household…read moreessentials. Need loo roll? Toothpaste? Shampoo? They've got it! And at a fraction of the supermarket price. The most handy item I've bought here is 8 Litre storage boxes at just £4 each which were an absolute lifesaver when I moved house. The shop itself is messy and unorganised but you can't have everything!

So your looking for that infamous orange handled brush, or a selection of vaious different sized…read morered storage containers, or that dog chew toy that will keep the mut entertained for hours... but wait... you only have £5.74 i your pocket and you lef your wallet at home, surely there is no where that will stock all those things for that price, think again! ok so it might be a little exageration but it is a multi purpose cheap store, that does as the pack man style logo suggest help you beat the credit crunch. I am a fan of stores like this, more so of the smaller versions, but with each one you walk inside with that sense of the unknown, you could come accross anything within 4 seconds of stepping inside... what an adventure!

Loads of furniture of the bright and modern variety. Not really my style, but my friend who's into…read moreall things kitch regularly lusts after various things in here. It's better quality than Ikea, but with a price to match, and they have some unique lampstands and funky chairs that wouldn't have looked out of place in the 70s (in a good way). Definitely worth considering if you're buying a present for someone, or if you're into that sort of thing. If not, at least wander past and look at the window displays.

Great place for window shopping and browsing and for finding things you won't find elsewhere in…read moreOxford. Very modern and stylish.

I love this store, so many lovely things for the home and lovely surprise bits of jewellery or a…read morelovely scarf, always something adorable