I never used to be a fan of on-line shopping, I much preferred seeing things in the flesh, touching the material, and imagining it in my home. However, over the past year or so there have been so many beautiful on-line stores crop up that I have been persuaded into the virtual realm. It was only last week that Ellie Tennant of
Home Shopping Spy introduced me to
Willow & Stone, and I've been following the progress of great new on-line stores
Rowen & Wren and
Ruby Rhino since they opened just a few weeks ago. So, with so many lovely on-line stores out there, which ones are the best? Here are my personal favourites.
The daddy of on-line shopping with so many lovely things to choose from. It literally has everything you could want. Looking for a fathers day gift? There will be something on here. How about a new ironing board cover? Yep, it'll be here too.
NOTHS also do a lot of personalised items, which are great for that extra special gift.
These guys have a store in Hereford but for those of us that don't live there, their on-line space has everything that the shop has plus more! Lots of quirky home and kitchen accessories with a few well-known names thrown in the mix too (think Rob Ryan, Rifle Paper Co., Orla Kiely). Colourful and fun.
This one is a recent discovery for me. You know those porcelain tags that you put on glass Kilner jars? This is where you get them from! And thus, how I found them!
Dee Puddy is an on-line boutique selling lovely home and garden accessories as well as a small vintage collection. The range is not huge, but that just adds to the charm.
Yes you guessed it, it's the home of the squirty tomato! When
The Big Tomato Company launched in 1999, their goal was to get an iconic squirty tomato on every kitchen table in the UK. With over 500,000 sold to date, they are certainly on their way.
TBTC specialise in quirky kitchenware, stocking mugs, plates, bowls, storage jars, and of course those squeezy tomatoes.
Again,
Angel have physical store (in Easingwold, North Yorkshire), but they also have a fantastic on-line outlet for those who live further away.
Angel specialise in textiles and linens and have such a great range of cushions and vintage Welsh blankets. Also available are candles, crockery and garden accessories. As I write this, interiors blog
Style Made Simple currently have a feature on Angel where there is a chance to win one of their lovely Beach Hut cushions. Click
here if you're interested.
This beautifully designed website is only three weeks old! But you certainly wouldn't think it with their elegantly designed site and sophisticated products. They stock everything your home may need from large pieces of furniture such as mirrors and storage trunks, to smaller accents like candlesticks and button vases. The website is a pleasure to browse through so do take a look, I'm sure you'll see something that takes your fancy! I'm particularly taken with those white ceramic pears down there...
With an ethos of rebelling against today's "throwaway society" in favour of selling items that will stand the test of time, it's hard not to love
Garden Trading. These guys stock garden, laundry room and kitchen accessories that are not only more attractive than most, but they are built to last and useful too. Think pretty-looking compost and recycling bins (yes, they do exist), elegant gardening tools, durable wooden furniture and simple storage jars. Simple products that will last a life time.
Yes, this is Emily Chalmers' on-line version of her hip London store. Oh how I wish I could live in that Shoreditch shop! Anyway, the on-line
Caravan is unfortunately nowhere near the physical shop in terms of product range and size, but they do have a small and entirely original collection available to us on-line folk. The collection changes every so often too so keep checking for new additions. Think red and white mushroom lamps and knitted dogs. Kitsch at it's absolute best.
This is an on-line boutique established by husband and wife Atlanta Bartlett and Dave Coote. As with their book of the same name, this on-line store specialise in top quality furniture and accessories that reflect their beautiful style. There's an emphasis on handmade, vintage and mixing the old with the new. Beautiful site and beautiful book.
So that's my round up! There are so many more I would have liked to put in here, but I'll save them for another time. I hope you have a look around some of these beautiful stores as their collections are so interesting and they have many products that you just wouldn't be able to find in big chains and department stores. Let me know if I have introduced you to one of these stores or if you went on to buy something, I'd love to hear about it!
