If money was no object, Weekend Trader would be my number one stop for furniture and home decor…read more The new location looks like it's come straight of the pages of Architectural Digest. Lots of clean lines, raw metal, marble and rich fabrics. I am particularly taken with their brass anglepoise lamp, which I am saving my pennies for. I'm also a fan of their horse prints, which, dare I say it, are similar to the ones in St Clements. Slowly, as I start to buy pieces for the new house that I plan to cherish for a long time, I predict there trips to Weekend Trader will become more frequent, even if it's only to dream...

I recently visited the Design Store in Wairau Park looking for some stylish pieces to spruce up the…read moreliving area. This fabulous contemporary furniture and accessories store has really top quality furniture and items that make your home look a million dollars. If you can spare a bit of change the items at the Design Store do not come cheap, it's the price you pay for elegance and character. Stunning mirrors, paintings, leather couches, ottomans, coffee tables. You name it; they can spruce up any home or office. Sometimes, like me you're just looking for that signature piece to place on a table and emphasize colour, I found exactly what I was looking for in the form of a lime green bamboo place mat! Just perfect and matched up with the colour theme throughout the house. The staff are very approachable, which is wonderful as sometimes in expensive stores you can feel a bit ignored. They will give you tips and choices if you explain exactly what you're after. If just browsing however, you can do so with leisure.

I very often pop in here for a wander. There is a shitload of stuff to look at and it can take a…read morewhile to make your way around the entire store to take in all the cool stuff in it's entirety. Because of this I'm very thankful that the staff aren't the kind to be breathing down your neck and constantly asking if you need a hand! There's a wide range of home decor things in here. mirrors, candles, kitchen things, furniture. A bit of everything really. If you're buying you mother or your grandmother or your aunt a present pop in here and there will almost certainly be something appropriate. Some things can be a bit pricey but there are other smaller things to take away too. Pretty much something to please whoever I'd say.

Stylish, swanky, trendsetting, charming, unique... the furniture in this place was pretty cool…read more They offer beds, dining suites, lounge suites, all the usual household bulk items, but most pieces are very different to what you would see in any generic store. They are the extroverts of furniture. Nothing quiet and meekish here. The huge beds in particular gave off a Bollywood or Hollywood flavour. I was looking at the dining suites out of personal interest and they did have a large selection, I admired, but that was all, bank balance doesn't quite allow for shopping here at the moment, another day. The website link on their business card doesn't actually include their location details in Henderson for some reason, but I can assure everyone reading this that it does exist, I was in there personally! (February 2013 to be exact!). On the website they mention two other store locations, New Lynn and lucky for those around Manakau, a Super Store even, corner of Cavendish Drive and Lambie Drive. I recommend at least having a browse in one of the stores when shopping for large furniture that will offer that extra touch of style.

Best value furniture in Auckland. Definitely worth a look if you are in the market for such a…read morething. Furniture can be ordered from overseas, depending on your needs. Staff are excellent; replies are prompt and informative.

The Beach is a store that looks like a uppity gifts store sans gifts. What you are left with are…read moremass produced items of furniture that are cheap replicas of modern antiques. Simply raise the prices threefold and tell people that all New Zealand beach houses look like this and you have yourself a store. In reality, New Zealand baches are full of musty, outdated and badly matched furniture from decades ago. The Beach is the inside of an interior design magazine like House and Garden. Most of the wicker baskets and beach chairs are not going to survive in a closed up, damp beach house. The best thing to do in this shop is take note of the designs and colours you like and replicate it via your nearest Salvation Army furniture, some sand paper and a lick of paint.

The Beach is a fantastic store, stylish homes, retail or other spaces would find the perfect pieces…read moreto adorn their rooms. The furniture is all wood, often what would be referred to as possessing rustic charm, while some is oriental in style, brightly coloured in blues and yellows. These are stand out pieces and in particular the draws and cabinets are amazing. They also offer some interesting storage options, shelves that look like ladders, ladders made from wood that serve no purpose but to hang from a wall and large boxes and baskets made from white washed cane. The Beach offers something really different, if you want you home to look Vogue Living worthy then this would be the place to come.

Our new couch just arrived this afternoon! I am so excited. We had been looking at couches at…read morequite a few places, and once we reached Sofa Plus, we stopped looking and cancelled all our previous plans. These guys know their stuff and are really passionate about the work they do. Yes, it's more expensive than the other couches we were looking at, but you can see the different in quality and craftsmanship and definitely in service. Plus a 10 year warranty! And, an excellent service bonus - they even took our old couches and redelivered them to our friends' house! I'm totally happy with our purchase, and would gladly recommend Sofa Plus to anyone.

Absolutely love Sofa Plus - they are passionate about providing the best possible quality and…read moreservice - and YES it is all NZ Made out of the best quality materials including wood, frames and coverings. Cut out the middle man and buy exactly what you want from the people that made it. I have two natural NZ leather sofas which have aged with absolute elegance - now 8 years old!!. Highly recommend without hesitation.

Stumbled across this little secondhand shop whilst looking for something else. They have a LOT of…read morewhiteware, and a fair amount of average furniture. There are some secondhand clothes hanging up in the store kind of as an afterthought, but I couldn't see any prices on them. The whole time I was there I was being watched very closely by one of the people working there, which made me uncomfortable. Can't say I'm in a hurry to go back to this one.

I once came in here for a quick look around with my sister and nephew. We wondered around for a bit…read moreand I was thinking all the furniture was very cool but there were no major bargains around so nothing for us to take home. We were about to walk out when my nephew spotted a little chair that he decided he absolutely must have. It was a small, green rocking chair. We asked how much it was and then, after realising it wasn't really in the budget we set off to leave. But we didn't make it out the door... the very friendly shop owner bounced over and knelt down to my nephews level and said "you know what, I think we might have one of those upstairs that's slightly damaged so we can't sell it... if I go up and find it you can take it home". Well I don't need to tell you how obviously happy this made the little boy. He pulled out his best manners and said thank you and we walked away with an awesome rocking chair! The only thing that was wrong with it was a small chip on the bottom - nothing major! Wonderful service and a good little experience here.

If you need to buy gifts for anyone, then this is the place to go. You can browse around, and there…read moreis nobody looking over your shoulder. The store is laid out for a quick stock turn around, leaving one item on show and the rest packed in boxes ready to become much loved gifts. I have yet to enter this store and not find a suitable gift for anyone and everyone. They stock vases, bowls and home decor pieces. During the Christmas period, they were selling the most beautiful decorations you could find, and they were cheap as chips. Initially I thought they were just opening up to cash in on the Christmas gift rush, but this outlet store's popularity is making them it the one stop gift shop on the Shore. The lady that served me offered to wrap my gift, a service that adds to the five stars they've already achieved.