Tessuti makes my heart flutter! They stock the most beautifully curated range of homewares, often…read moreby designers i've never heard of. Most of it is out of my price range but a girl can dream, right? Ok so, i'll admit today I actually splashed out and bought a Joska & Sons brass shelf that i'd had my eye on for a while. I'd never heard of him (Joska) before but he is furniture designer out of Lyttleton who also makes the most gorgeous wood & brass lamps. Tessuti may be too expensive for a regular splurge but it's a wonderful place to get wedding, engagement or birthday present for someone special. Not sure what to get? The Storm & India teas are beautiful or go if you need something more masculine, the Opinel knifes are a crowd pleaser! After all, you can never have enough good, French knives!

I always put Tessuti in the 'window shop' shop basket, you know - a lovely shop to look at but one…read moremustn't look too closely at the prices lest something should break. Or someone should cry (me). But recently I was waiting for my coffee next door and I went in, and was actually quite surprised by the pricing. Yes, it is high-end, high-quality stuff and at the luxury end of gifting and homeware. But some of the pieces were more reasonably priced than I first expected. I set my sights on a cute little white porcelain stag, set up in a lovely glass dome, and both have gone on my birthday wishlist.

Arazzo is Mum & I's go to for gifts. They stock a beautiful range of candles, gorgeous body…read morelotions, silk scarves, jewellery, cookbooks and more. But the best thing about this small shop is that they turn over their stock at lightning speed, which means for a regular like me there's always something new to fawn over. It's obviously as popular with the other Milford locs as it is with our family. The other fabulous thing about Arazzo is that, compared to many other independent home decor stores, it's affordable. I love candles and so they have become somewhat of a price indicator for me and at $40 (they have quite a range), Arazzo's are an absolute steal! Try their beautiful handmade ones from Devonport. I forget the brand name but they come in a stylish black and white box and are stunning. They also currently have some fabulous christmas decorations, which the owner tell me are flying out the door. Cute wee reindeer and fairy lights galore - it certainly put me in a festive mood!

Living Edge is an awesome store, the furniture is unique and and of high quality, these are pieces…read morethat would make a space. I come down for a look every once and a while and have picked up the odd item, the best time to come is during their sales. At one point they had tables and benches made from railway tracks from Mumbai India and there is a lot of other beautiful wooden furniture for sale here. In particular the wooden mangers are incredible. In addition to the furniture there is a great selection of home decor items, lanterns, mirrors, heavy stone candle pillars, vases and other vessels in striking colours, mostly stones or ceramics. There is a small selection of bedding and cushions and rugs and because the entire store is set up like a show room, you get visual interior design advice. If you still need more assistance, Living Edge also offer interior services and staging for show rooms. With the upholstered furniture, you select your fabrics and it is made for you.

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.

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.

I love Bed Bath N Table! If only I had a house of my own to decorate! As it is, I make do with just…read moremy bedroom, but the day I went and purchased my duvet I had - sad as this may sound - one of the most satisfying shopping experiences I've ever had! When I moved house I decided not to paint my walls and instead leave them the cream colour they are, so I wanted a bright, bold duvet and pillows to be the central focus of my bedroom. This may sound simple enough, but I have really particular taste and knew exactly what I wanted so it was a mission to find the right duvet. As soon as I went in to Bed Bath N Table I fell in love. With everything. Every single duvet and pillow set was so beautiful and original and bright and fantastic. Though a little pricey, the things Bed Bath N Table stock are well worth it! Plush, thick, soft towels. Gorgeous soap sets. Linen linen linen. It's fabulous! And the staff are wonderful and welcoming! Go to Bed Bath N Table the minute you next need anything bedroom or bathroom related - you won't be disappointed!

What a beautiful store and great young people who were so helpful at the Ponsonby store. I was…read moreshopping along Ponsonby Road and saw the store, so decided to have a look and found the most amazing mirror for my bathroom. Wow! Huge discount on it. This store is gorgeous and the sale discounts are massive! There were three young people who were serving, they were so helpful. By the time I was ready to leave it was raining. Imagine my suprise when they asked if I would like my mirror carried to my car - "No, it's too far down the road and it's raining." Their response "Would you like me to go and get your car for you" - from the young man, I was totally blown away by this act of kindness. This made my day - and I will recommend this store to all my friends. Well done to these young people who were polite and very helpful. From: Thelena N

What an awesome shop! This is a collection of quirky, fun and interesting pieces of furniture and…read morehome decor items that the owner sources from around the world. The pieces are a mix of French and, Asian and Bohemian, you'll find French chairs upholstered with bright coloured fabrics, Asian styled cabinets in soft duck egg blue with an almost tribal feel to them. They also have a great range of little wood stools and other interesting occasional pieces of furniture that would make for an interesting addition to your place. Home decor items include anything from large glass jars, vessels, cake domes and candles. It is a great place to come for gifts too and with the prices ranging from $20 to $2000, I also think very good pricing. They have some draws and cabinets that I would say are comparable to what Red Current stock but at almost half the price. The layout of the store is really funky too, organised chaos, a great store, something that little bit different.

Ponsonby road is an altogether dangerous thing, and with shops like Zoo Warehouse as tenants you…read morecan see why! It's a place where wallets come to die, die hard in fact. Like many of my discoveries in Auckland, I happened on this place rather by chance. I'm currently furniture/ knick knack shopping for my poor little empty flat so this store was a godsend. There are some really beautiful pieces, one set of drawers In particular which I narrowly missed out on! Ah regret! I did purchase a really fantastic wall hanging for my bedroom the last time I was in there however, and at $180 I thought it was pretty much a bargain, considering the size and quality of it any rate. If you have to save your pennies to purchase one of these individually crafted and lovingly restored pieces I suggest starting now as they go quick.

As a designer, I love Tree's advertising they do beautiful adverts in magazines and that gains them…read moreinstant respect in my mind. But that aside Tree's stocks beautiful furniture and art also! Some of the things in there aren't quite my style and then other things are so perfect and I love that about it. I enjoy the hunt around their store finding objects I desire. They have moved recently, they used to be on Nuffield Street but they are now located on Broadway which is a much bigger store. They stock a lot of minimalistic furniture for a lot cheaper than the designer stores but they are still excellent quality and strike me as something that would become family heirlooms. The people who work here are really friendly and always willing to help.

This store is amazing!! I really think if you are after some unique furniture then Newmarket has…read morebecome a great destination for this. Trees used to have a much smaller store that was accessed from the end of Nuffield Street but now they have a much larger store to showcase all their amazing designs. The store has a very casual vibe about it, when I went in on one particular occasion the owners were chatting at a table and pricing jars. I was after a bed and although at the time Trees were only making headboards I took the opportunity to have a look around. The furniture is different, there is so much colour, the designs are unique and the quality is exceptional. I really love the textiles they use too. Throughout the store is a good selection of home decor items too. I found these really cool old milk bottles with vintage illustrations on the front which I made mine and there are many other interesting pieces to be found here too. Some of the furniture is more modern while some is a little more traditional and then there are other pieces that I would describe as being rather flamboyant, so depending on your taste you may (or may not) find something that appeals.