Wilkins and Kent stock some beautiful things. Kitchenware, ceramics, organic soaps and candles, and…read moreof course well-made and divine woodwork are scattered around the space. On my last visit I spent a lot of my time eyeing a long handmade redgum bench. Sleek and simple it stood in the middle of the store and radiated comfort. Unfortunately the price tag (well over $1000) and lack of space in my house meant that I didn't have a hope in hell. But I can dream. Wilkins and Kent have some great kitchenware ranges including the Nigella Lawson range, and some exquisite ceramic bowls. On my last visit I bought some ceramic birds that hang from the wall - glazed with beautiful colours they are beautiful little pieces of art and around the ($50) mark, weren't too expensive. The service at Wilkins and Kent is always great, although the store can get very busy so it may take a while to get some service. But friendly and well meaning, the sales assistants are helpful and knowledgeable about the products.

Wilkins and Kent is one of those must-visit stores for me on Brunswick street. Filled with a…read morekaleidoscope of products from pretty table ware to chic bakeware and printed lamps. This is also one of those stores that you need to slowly work your way through in order to appreciate it for what it really is. Incidentally, it would be easy to mistake this shop as a homeware store, but in actuality, Wilkins and Kent specialise in custom designed furniture. And from what we hear, the bosses Jeremy Wilkins and Stephen Kent are the actual furniture makers. If you're looking to create a custom designed piece or are just looking for something to complement your home with, check out this lovely store. Wilkins and Kent also carry a wide range of household décor items, stationery, gardening tools and other bits and bobs - perfect as gifts.

At a certain point in your twenties you move on from buying silly shoes and dresses and are more…read moreattracted to homewares and furniture. I think it is sadly one of the first signs of officially becoming an 'adult', and it's stores like Tait that don't help this change. This cutesy little store on Johnston street could easily be missed if you didn't know what you were searching, but once you get here you'll be calculating how much money is still left on your credit card. If you're decking out your backyard, or even inside and you're looking for something different and quirky, Tait is for you. They stock gorgeous designer furniture and lifestyle products with a great deal of it coming from local designers. So forget Ikea! Who wants to build their own furniture anyway? Nothing says summer like an obnoxiously bright umbrella for your backyard and thankfully Tait Outdoor has got some in stock.

One of Johnston Street's best, Tait Outdoor sells an incredible range of outdoor furniture and…read moreaccessories that are most definitely mid-century inspired design-wise but are also thoroughly cutting edge and contemporary. Selling pieces by designers such as Adam Goodrum, Justin Hutchison, Ross Gardam, Alastair Keating and more, Tait's aesthetic is colourful, simple and clean with classic monochromatic tables, chairs and loungers alongside the occasional Schiaparelli pink stool or sculptural cerise table. I know Tait's pieces aren't to everyone's liking, some finding them too bright and playful, but a visit to the Tait showroom on Johnston Street is almost like a visit to the National Gallery of Victoria's design wing. Prices are steep, with a big cushion sitting at around the $260 mark and industrial steel stools in myriad colours coming in at around $600 each, but if you love great Australian design, Tait Outdoor is the place to go.

Small but seriously good stock. Retro rehab is in the business of sourcing predominantly Australian…read moremid century designs and lovingly restoring them to brand spanking new. "Occasional" furniture .....I think is furniture you don't use ALL the time......but more than NONE of the time...........making its use ......occasional. Anyway they stock some cute occasional furniture, good for adding a little retro love to a room. I have found their pricing to be lower than that of the larger vintage traders which makes the pieces more accessible for a younger market. There are the larger/$$ pieces of furniture but also a selection of smaller, affordable bric a brac straight from the kitchens and lounge rooms of the 60's. Its new and its on the 112 tram, worth a visit.

This store stocks beautiful home wares and practical pieces for your kitchen, dining room or picnic…read morerug. Wheel & Barrow in Doncaster Westfield is a more upmarket then Matchbox with its high quality range of home ware and appliances. You will be drawn into the store by the sparkling glassware on display, think martini glasses, vases and decorations. Yet inside you will find so much more. Bar ware, bake ware, books and cutlery. And that is just to start with. Anything you need to create and serve food with both indoor and outdoors is available here. Wheel & Barrow is out of my price range usually, however it represents good value and when I'm a 'real' grown up with a full time job I may be tempted to shop here. You will need a wheel barrow to cart your goodies home if you visit during sale time!

I love this store! It stocks the most beautiful home wares and gifts for the kitchen, dinning room…read moreand well pretty much your whole home. The quality and range of products at Wheel and Burrow is far better quality then some of the other home ware stores around. My favourite things here are: - the soy scented candles in the coconut shell. They smell divine and look gorgeous in any home. Try the coconut scented ones: they smell like the chocolate bounty bar, OR the grapefruit which is very refreshing - All the utensils. whatever you need they have it! - The amazing range of cook books available in store Be warned that some items can be pricey but it is so worth the money. Keep an eye out for Sales during the year to ensure that you snag yourself a few bargains. I have managed to buy wonderful gifts here for house warming's and engagements/ weddings Visit: http://www.wheelandbarrow.com.au/ to buy online

I love Melbourne for its broad range of décor styles and influences. And I love The Industrial…read moreRevolution for opening this brave new world to Melbournians. Think huge metal letters (I really mean life sized), vintage style metal cabinetry, old medicine cabinets, cool trolleys, functional buffets, décor wall hangings and a wide range of seating matter. Since the store has a good mix of old, new and reproductions, there's an edgy ambience and you can get inspired with your own décor scheme. Mix it up and add in one or two old pieces for an eclectic appeal. I love that this store carries some very worn pieces of furniture and décor, including life-sized wall hangings and quirky elements that will give any space a focal point or an individual twist.

The Industrial Revolution shop is a fantastic place to look for interesting, unique, designer and…read moreappealing products to fill out your home. I really loved window shopping and even in taking a photo I caught two others peering through as they became entranced by the pretty objects that you can't help but picture being somewhere in your home. There is so much character here where their rustic, older pieces mixed amongst the newer more designer items just seemed to create a beautiful setting where (if I had the money) I would love to have picked up a bunch of decorations to complete some rooms in my home. Some of the hanging lights and macramé hangings were so cool and would look great in a window with some flowers. I got a bit carried away here but of course, it always comes with a price.

One of the best gift shops in the hills, Mangana is like shopping in an old eccentric's house…read more These guys combine gifts and homewares with industrial and period style decorations for those with the coin to afford it. Lamps, frames, clocks and mirrors line the walls, and with so much on display you'd best watch your back to avoid breaking anything. Downstairs you'll find smaller trinkets, jewellery and even a wall full of Ugg Boots and leather hats. I stop in every time I'm in the area, even just for a browse. It's hugely popular with the weekend tourists, and more often than not, packed full of people enjoying the range.

I recently visited Mt Dandenong and accidentally stumbled into this store (okay I was curious…read morethanks to the mounds of people pilling in and out of the front doors). It was like being sucked into a time machine, and transported back into a dusty old attic that was filled to the rim of incredible individual antique items. There were compasses, telescopes, magnifiers, lamps, paintings, posters, books, sculptures, notepads, jewelry and pretty much anything you can think of. Most things were hand crafted and bronze or wooden, this is definitely a very unique and one of a kind type of place. I think I spent an hour in this shop, its not that it was a huge room (it was relatively large though), it's just that every inch of the store has something different and special that just has to be picked up and ogled at. It took a lot of effort to not buy the whole store; I ended up leaving with Dali's melting clock, which gets a lot of notice and compliments in my house.

There are seemingly countless boutiques in Northcote selling home decor items, clothing and…read moreaccessories of Asian or Indian provenance. So much so that my fatigue with this particular retail oeuvre had all but put me off popping into the East India Company for a browse. And that is a great shame. A diminutive little shop selling a range of textiles, ceramics, rugs and homewares from Asia, the East India Company is a nifty little boutique with a buyer who is clearly in possession of some quite incredible taste. I particularly like East India Company's excellent selection of handmade ceramic doorknobs - a steal at $4 each - and its shell inlaid jewellery boxes which would make the perfect gift. Well for me at least. Prices are hugely reasonable, stock varied but aesthetically cohesive, and most impressively East India Company sells a range of homewares that is at once traditionally Asian in its sensibility but very, very modern. I'll be back.

Fitzroy has so many furniture shops, so it's easy to spend a couple of hours poking around them all…read moreand finding nice things for your home. They range from ramshackle junk shops to over-the-top high end show rooms. Angelucci sits somewhere in the middle, and that suits me just fine. The furniture here is sourced form all over the world so there's influences from a number of countries and eras, but mostly it all fits neatly in to the "midcentury minimalist" style bracket. We had been on the hunt for a glass front cabinet to store an extensive ceramic collection and couldn't find exactly what we were after. That was until one evening we were walking home from having a glass of wine on Gertrude Street and a grand cabinet from inside the Angelucci window caught our eye. We both said "that's the one!" and visited the next day to see if it was in our price bracket. Angelucci prices their furniture fairly and we were lucky to be visiting during a sale time when there was a few hundred dollars off our item. Including a two-man delivery (absolutely necessary due to the size) we paid $2100 for a teak 1930's Dutch Colonial cabinet made in Java. The team here are super friendly and worked hard to fit in with our moving schedule so we could have the cabinet delivered when we were available. Pro tip: Join their mailing list to get alerts about upcoming shipments.

Angelucci is like stepping into a time warp - sleek wooden chairs, minimalist wood side tables and…read moreretro lamps are just some of the treasures you'll find inside. Most of the stock is sourced from Europe, in particular France and Denmark and you can't help but believe that maybe the set designers for Mad Men once visited Smith Street and blew their budget here. The atmosphere here is more like a show room than an antique store, I guess the only place to compare it with would be the Smith Street Bazaar further down the strip. The Smith Street Bazaar has a quirky charm and a sense of chance as you wander through the warehouse, whereas Angelucci is more organized and set out - and while the products are still beautiful, I think it could do with a little more character. The service is very helpful and laid back, Angelucci is a place where you can relax and just waste time looking at beautiful furniture.