If the thought of Black Friday and the short-lived deals on offer is already giving you anxiety, then why not block out the digital noise and shop in a more analogue way this year?
Pounding the pavements instead of scrolling a screen, speaking to shopkeepers rather than chatbots and coming away with a considered purchase that is beautifully wrapped is far more gratifying than trying to locate exactly where that DPD delivery has ended up.
After all, online returns cost you time (and retailers a fortune) and when it comes to homewares, it pays to see, touch and feel items in real life.
No one wants to hold up a Post Office queue with a rug that didn’t quite fit, or re-pack a lampshade that looked a completely different colour online.
The high street is supposedly dying out, but the capital has recently welcomed a slew of mostly independent homeware stores ranging from the practical to the purely decorative.
They won’t be shouting about discounts or bundles à la Vinted, but they will give you a warm welcome and probably some free decorating advice.
Here are the ones to check out as Christmas shopping season approaches.
For elevated essentials
MG&Co, Pimlico
Shopping for a doorstop just got a little bit thrilling thanks to MG&Co. In what was Edward Bulmer’s quaint paint shop (he’s moved to a new location, moments away) founder Matilda Goad has reimagined the traditional hardware store in all its retro charm.
Lighting sconces, lampshades, hooks and smaller accessories such as matchbox covers are displayed to dazzling effect with a handsome counter as the boutique’s focus.
While many establishments along the Pimlico Road — one of the capital’s feted design districts — can feel a little “trade-only”, Goad invites anyone to mix and match her playful selection of backplates, knobs and handles, which are ingeniously displayed on magnetic boards.
As she explains: “Hardware is so tactile, you have to feel it, and opening the shop was a way to translate that philosophy into a physical space and invite people to experience the world of MG&Co. in a completely new way.”
Find MG&Co at195 Ebury Street, SW1. Closed Sundays
For Scandi-cool soft furnishings
Nordic Knots, Mayfair
Nordic Knots has reinvigorated the rugs market. Hailing from Scandinavia, its collaborations with design studios such as Campbell-Rey and Eagle + Hodges — as well as fair prices and a plethora of designs — have placed it top of the list of the cool renovator. Now you can go and stroke the rug you’ve had your eye on.
Nestled within an elegant townhouse in Mayfair, the Nordic Knots “pied-à-terre” invites admirers of the brand to step inside a residence that includes a reception, bedroom and living room.
The whole space has been thoughtfully curated with vintage furniture pieces and one-off artworks. There are curtain and rug samples to take away, as well as the newly launched bedding sets in percale and sateen cotton.
There are also chequered throws and a tactile selection of cushion covers in muted tones should you be craving instant gratification.
Find Nordic Knots at 130 Mount Street, W1. Closed Sundays; pop-up runs until late March next year
For that special heirloom piece
Cabana, Sloane Street
No need to schlep to Milan to immerse yourself in the maximalist world of Cabana.
The bi-annual lifestyle magazine, edited by Martina Mondadori, has spawned beautiful homewares intended to elevate the everyday — and popped up on Sloane Street.
A showcase for Italian design, it’s a real treasure trove.
There are exquisite plates made by Ginori 1735, glassware blown in Murano and bougie items you never knew you needed, such as crochet-trimmed cocktail napkins and a marble candle-holder base.
You’ll be lured in by the promise of an unforgettable gift, but likely prioritise yourself (no judgment).
Find Cabana at 29 Sloane Street, SW1. Open every day; pop-up runs until December 31
For a colour injection
Addison Ross, Sloane Square
You might declare yourself a minimalist, but the oversized bobbin-shaped salt and pepper mills in the Addison Ross pop-up opposite Peter Jones will tempt you into the store and the next thing you know, you’re debating lacquered trays: the pink or the blue?
“Dopamine dressing” for your console/tabletop/bedside is what this British success story excels at.
And until March next year, you can go and whittle down the kaleidoscopic colourways of its rechargeable lamps (from £125) and grinders (minis from £38) in person.
Find Addison Ross at 10 Symons Street, SW3. Open every day; pop-up runs until early March next year.
For the fundamentals
The Mix by Bert & May, Bethnal Green
Have you ever found yourself in an industrial estate that’s a 20-minute walk from the nearest bus stop, eyeing up sinks at the back of a show-cum-workroom that you saw in a magazine?
The inner workings of interior design really aren’t that glamorous, but The Mix by Bert & May is hoping to change all that.
In a canalside warehouse in Bethnal Green, the tile company is bringing together a dynamic cross-section of brands beloved by industry insiders under one roof — minus the staid atmosphere of a traditional showroom.
There will be Farrow & Ball for paint, Brixton-based Pluck for kitchens and Sophie Cooney for vivacious stair runners.
Sanitaryware is well-covered thanks to Kréte, Whitebirk Sink Company, The Water Monopoly and Thomas Crapper. Then for the finer details, there’s Armac Martin for cabinet hardware and Popham Design for tiles.
Best of all, Vyner Street is already home to fabric specialist East London Cloth and Italian grocery store 4cose, guaranteeing a fruitful day out.
Find The Mix by Bert & May at 67 Vyner Street, E2. Closed Sundays
For an accent piece
Alice Palmer & Co, Notting Hill
Carrie Johnson’s go-to lampshade-maker has a permanent home on Golborne Road — a street the Portobello Road tourists rarely manage to visit.
It’s worth the expedition: Alice Palmer & Co is upping the street’s kerb-appeal with her signature box-pleat shades (from £95), stripy linen napkins (£55 for a set of four) and tissue box covers (£35).
Alongside textile-wrapped mirrors and ruffled bed valances, Palmer has diversified into her own offering of printed fabrics and wallpaper, available by the metre. And here you get to experience them to full effect: it all comes together through a sort of bohemian-tropical filter that’s enduringly cosy in its appeal.
Find Alice Palmer & Co at 80 Golborne Road, W10. Open every day
For aesthetes
Monument, Leyton
Bringing cool to an otherwise unremarkable patch of north-east London is Monument.
The brainchild of co-founders Leah Forsyth-Steel and Victoria Spicer, the newly minted setting is a spacious showroom and salon boasting a curation of archival design and art-led objects from the 1980s and 1990s.
Since launching five years ago, Monument has expanded to offer full-service sourcing, curation and styling (for an impressive range of local and international clients) and this is the place to secure a sculptural piece of furniture or a distinctive one-off item.
The ever-evolving inventory includes finds by Philippe Starck, Ron Arad, Jonas Bohlin, Ed Zelenak and Michael Hoppe. Visits are by appointment and smaller objects start around the £400 mark.
Find Monument at Unit 9,6 Argall Avenue, E10. Visits by appointment: info@monumentgallery.co.uk
For textile lovers
A Rum Fellow, Kensington
“Sensory” and “soulful” is how you’d describe setting foot into A Rum Fellow on Kensington Park Road.
This design studio — beloved by interior designers Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler and Maddux Creative — is dedicated to artisan textiles and handcrafted rugs.
Initially only open to trade, now anyone can drop by midweek to discover its singular approach to pattern and palette.
The space itself is a showcase of the best of British craft, with furniture by Rupert Bevan (who is located just around the corner on All Saints Road), tiles by Balineum, lighting by Curiousa, and flooring by Chaunceys.
Find A Rum Fellow at 214 Kensington Park Road, W11. Open Monday to Friday
